Toronto Human Right's Watch Film Festival: February 28th to March 5th

Scene from opening night film, The Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame

A young Afghan girl trying desperately to go to school, amidst neighbourhood boys enacting war games (The Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame); African migrant workers coping with modern day slavery in the greenhouses of Almeria, Spain (El Ejido, the Law of Profit); and Romanian HIV+ orphans and their foster parents dealing with the unexpected reality of their futures (We Will Never Meet Childhood Again) are just some of the films screening at the Human Rights Film Festival which runs from February 28th to March 5th.

In my interview* with Helga Stephenson, the co-founder of the Human Rights Watch Toronto Committee and Chairman of the annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival talked about the importance of film as a way to raise awareness about issues that are impacting our world, and a way for people to then do something about what they have learned. Helga also cautioned that what happens in other parts of the world may also be happening in our own back yard (namely, Canada).

Scene from 2008 Oscar-winning Documentary, Taxi to the Dark Side

Tickets for the festival can be purchased online at the Cinematheque Ontario Website, by phone at 416-968-FILM (3456), or at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Year-Round Box Office.

Box Office Location and Hours:
TIFF Year-Round Box Office
Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West (main floor, north entrance)
Hours: Monday - Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM

*interview date: Saturday, February 23, 2008