The Huntsville Human Rights Film Festival will take place March 30 – April 3 on the campus of the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
The Festival is a collaboration of the UAH Humanities Center, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Student Life, North Alabama School for Organizers, Southern Fried Film Festival, North Alabama Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), and other campus and community groups.
All events are free and open to the public.
Sunday, April 3
Film Screening: The Coconut Revolution (1 hour Run Time)
LOCATION: MORTON HALL 146
TIME: 12:00 PM
A modern-day story of the world’s first eco-revolution and a native people's remarkable victory over Western Colonial power. A Pacific island rose up in arms against giant mining corporation Rio Tinto Zinc (RTZ) - and won despite a military A David and Goliath story of the 21st century, The Coconut Revolution will appeal to people of all backgrounds.
Film Screening: Gaza Fights for Freedom (1 hour 30 minutes Run Time)
LOCATION: MORTON HALL 146
TIME: 1:00 PM
Filmed during the height of the Great March Of Return protests, it features exclusive footage of demonstrations where 200 unarmed civilians have been killed by Israeli snipers since March 30, 2018. It is a documentary about the historic Great March Of Return protests, which occurred every week from March 2018 until December 2019, but covers so much more.
It tells the story of Gaza past and present, showing rare archival footage that explains the history never acknowledged by mass media.
Film Screening: The Boy Game (16 minutes Run Time)
LOCATION: MORTON HALL 147
TIME: 11:00 AM
The Boy Game tackles bullying among boys at its core: the culture of toughness and silence boys live by. Targets need to be protected, absolutely, but rather than vilify bullies, The Boy Game looks to unpack the complex dynamics that lead some boys to bully and the majority to stand watching in silent conflict.
Film Screening: Missing Magic (10 minutes Run Time)
LOCATION: MORTON HALL 147
TIME: 11:20 AM
As uprisings spread across the country, a young poet in Birmingham, Alabama becomes involved in local protests against decades of police brutality. As he tries to reconcile the city’s modern image as a diverse and welcoming metropolis with its violent and complex civil rights history, he suddenly becomes a part of the story when he’s arrested at a demonstration. Directed by Anissa Latham.
Film Screening: Uniontown (16 minutes Run Time)
LOCATION: MORTON HALL 147
TIME: 11:40 AM
In the midst of a high-stakes local election, a group of grassroots activists in rural Alabama band together to take on industrial polluters and complacent politicians.Winner of Best Short Film at EarthX Film Festival and The Reel South Award at Indie Grits Film Festival. Official Selection at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and American Documentary Film Festival.
Film Screening: Come Hell or High Water: The Battle for Turkey Creek (56 minutes Run Time)
LOCATION: MORTON HALL 147
TIME: 12:00 PM
Come Hell or High Water: The Battle for Turkey Creek follows the painful but inspiring journey of Derrick Evans, a Boston teacher who returns to his native coastal Mississippi when the graves of his ancestors are bulldozed to make way for the sprawling city of Gulfport. Derrick is consumed by the effort to protect the community his great grandfather’s grandfather settled as a former slave. He is on the verge of a breakthrough when Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast. After years of restoration work to bring Turkey Creek back from the brink of death, the community gains significant federal support for cultural and ecological preservation. Derrick plans to return to Boston to rebuild the life he abandoned, but another disaster seals his fate as a reluctant activist. On the day Turkey Creek is featured in USA Today for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the Deepwater Horizon rig explodes.
Film Screening: Coded Bias (1 hour 30 minutes Run Time)
LOCATION: MORTON HALL 147
TIME: 1:00 PM
Modern society sits at the intersection of two crucial questions: What does it mean when artificial intelligence increasingly governs our liberties? And what are the consequences for the people AI is biased against? CODED BIAS explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini’s discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces accurately,or classify the faces of women. It chronicles her journey as she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all. As it turns out, artificial intelligence is not neutral, and women are leading the charge to ensure our civil rights are protected.
Film Screening: Beyond Recognition, A film by Michelle Grace Steinberg
Location: Morton Hall 148
Time: 12:30 pm
After decades of struggling to protect her ancestors’ burial places, now engulfed by San Francisco’s sprawl, a Native woman from a non-federally recognized Ohlone tribe and her allies occupy a sacred site to prevent its desecration. When this life-altering event fails to stop the development, they vow to follow a new path- to establish the first women-led urban Indigenous land trust. BEYOND RECOGNITION explores the quest to preserve one’s culture and homeland in a society bent on erasing them.
Shattering stereotypes, the film tells the inspiring story of women creating opportunities amid a system that fractures Native communities across the nation. Through cinéma vérité, interviews, and stunning footage of the land, BEYOND RECOGNITION introduces Corrina Gould, Johnella LaRose, and Indian People Organizing for Change as they embark on an incredible journey to transform the way we see cities.
The film invites viewers to examine their own relationship to place, revealing histories that have been buried by shifting landscapes. Produced in collaboration with PBS affiliate KRCB, BEYOND RECOGNITION points to the intersection of human rights, women’s rights, and environmental protection, spotlighting a California story that has national and worldwide resonance.
Film Screening: Oyate (1 hour 30 minutes Run Time)
LOCATION: MORTON HALL 148
TIME: 1:00 PM
In 2016, the world turned its eyes to the people of Standing Rock as they formed a coalition of unprecedented magnitude to defend their land and water from the threat of the Dakota Access Pipeline. An inflection point for human rights and environmental justice, the #NoDAPL struggle became a rallying cry for Indigenous people everywhere to take a stand against the myriad injustices committed against them for centuries.
Oyate elevates the voices of Indigenous activists, organizers, and politicians as they offer their perspective on that complicated history, contextualize the #NoDAPL movement, illuminate the interconnectivity between the issues facing Indian Country today, and look towards a more sovereign and sustainable future for their people. Featuring perspectives from Chase Iron Eyes, Phyllis Young, Secretary Deb Haaland, Tokata Iron Eyes, Stuart James, and more.
