Denison University’s fourth annual Human Rights Film Festival will be held at 7 p.m. on four consecutive Tuesday evenings in Slayter Auditorium (200 Ridge Road), beginning Tuesday, Feb. 3. The films will cover a range of human rights issues across the world. All films are free and open to the public.

On Feb. 3, “The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo,” by
Lisa Jackson, USA 2007. Shot in the war zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this film brings to light the plight of women and girls caught in that country’s intractable conflicts. A survivor of rape herself, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Lisa Jackson travels through the DRC to understand what is happening and why. The film features interviews with activists, peacekeepers, physicians and even the indifferent rapists. Special Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival 2008.

On Feb. 10, “Letter to Anna,” by
Eric Bergkraut, Switzerland, 2008. Anna Politkovskaya is a journalist for one of Russia’s only independent journals, Novaya Gazeta. Politkovskaya used her journalist platform to strongly criticize Russian military actions in Chechnya. On Oct. 7, 2006, she was shot dead in the stairwell of her Moscow apartment building. A few years before her death, filmmaker Eric Bergkraut met Politkovskaya and filmed some powerful, frank interviews with the late reporter. These interviews are interwoven with a search for her likely killers and contributions from colleagues and loved ones. Narrated by Susan Sarandon.

On Feb. 17, “Up the Yangtze,” by
Yung Chang, Canada, 2007. A symbol of China’s economic prowess, the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River is the world’s largest, and China’s biggest engineering feat since the Great Wall. It also represents the end to a way of life and livelihood for two million people along the Yangtze. Among those being forced to relocate are the Yu family who decide to send their oldest daughter Yu Shui to work on a cruise ship. Working for the same cruise line is Chen Bo Yu, the only son from a middle-class family. Both struggle with the demands of a changing China, their jobs and the need to operate in a Western social environment.

On Feb. 24, “To See If I'm Smiling,” by
Tamar Yarom, Israel, 2007. Israel is the only country in the world where 18-year-old girls are drafted for compulsory military service. The women in the film, veterans who have tried to bury the past for years, speak openly about their experiences. Personal interviews are interwoven with both archival footage and details of the women’s daily lives. At a time when women in the military are increasingly on the frontlines, this film explores the ways that gender, ethics, and moral responsibility intersect during war.

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