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Nov 26, 2018

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Human Rights Film Festival Announces Guest Lineup

Human Trafficking Survivor, Baltimore Police Officer and Transgendered Army Veteran Among Guests at This Year’s Human Rights Film Festival 

New this year, all screenings will be fully accessible with captioning, active listeners, ASL interpreters and relaxed screening environments

Festival runs December 7 to 10, 2018

Human Rights Film Festival Announces Guest Lineup

Toronto, ON – November 26, 2018 – JAYU today announced its guest lineup for the 7th annual Human Rights Film Festival, taking place at Toronto’s Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema from December 7 to 10, 2018. Committed to sharing important human rights stories through film and conversation, this year’s festival coincides with the 70th anniversary of Human Rights Day worldwide. For the first time, the Festival will also be fully accessible to attendees, with all screenings providing open captions or full subtitles, an active listener, an ASL interpreter and a relaxed screening environment. Tickets are available now at hrff.ca.

“The films being presented at the festival are timely and beautifully told narratives driven by incredible guests who will help audiences envision a world that we should and deserve to be living in,” said Gilad Cohen, Human Rights Film Festival Founder and Executive Director. “While drawing attention to some of our world’s most pressing issues, we hope audiences are challenged and inspired by these stories.”

This year’s extraordinary guest lineup includes Transgender rights activist and retired army veteran Laila Ireland, subject of TRANSMILITARY, attending with the film’s director and executive producer, Gabe Silverman and Jamie Coughlin; 16-year veteran of Baltimore’s police force and unlikely community ally, Major Monique Brown (CHARM CITY); filmmakers Alyssa Fedele and Zachary Fink; Former South Sudanese child soldier, hip hop artist and author of War Child: A Child Soldier's Story, Emmanuel Jal; and Toronto musician Scott Jones, who was left paralyzed after falling victim to a homophobic attack (LOVE, SCOTT); among others.

Previously announced, the four-day festival lineup boasts 16 films beginning with the Toronto Premiere of TRANSMILITARY, an urgent documentary following four members of the US armed forces as they campaign to repeal the ban on transgender troops in the United States. Putting their careers and families on the line, they confront the top brass Pentagon officials, demanding fair and inclusive policies. Closing the Festival is the Canadian Premiere of THE RESCUE LIST, a moving documentary about survival and recovery. Along Lake Volta, Ghana, child trafficking is rampant as traffickers trick poverty-stricken families into selling their children into slavery. The film focuses on Stephen Kwame Addo, a survivor of child trafficking himself, who spends his days on the lake rescuing enslaved children from the “slave masters.”
 
Other feature films screening at the festival include the Canadian Premiere of CHARM CITY, the Canadian Premiere of A YEAR OF HOPE, as well as returning festival favourites LOVE, SCOTT and THE DISTANT BARKING OF DOGS.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online or at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. Tickets are $20 for opening night, $12 for regular screenings, and $30 for a Festival Pass that grants access to all screenings as well as the opening night party. Tickets are also available for $5 for individuals on fixed income.

For the full list of Festival programming, please visit hrff.ca/schedule. For more information about the Festival's accessibility, please visit hrff.ca/accessibility.

 

About JAYU

JAYU (JAYU Festival Inc.) is a registered charity that shares human rights stories through the arts and engaging dialogue. Since 2012, we have used art to engage and empower communities while providing a platform for the world's most remarkable people to share their human rights stories. JAYU Festival Inc. is located at 354-401 Richmond Street West. Toronto, Canada.

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