2022 North Dakota Human Rights Film and Arts Festival Program : simplebooklet.com

TUESDAY 6 30 PM Radisson Blu OPENING CEREMONY AWARDS PRESENTATION PERFORMANCE Rhonda Gilbertson Evans PERFORMANCE Clarence Monpleh and Greg Rogers SPECIAL GUEST Jon Harris FARGO THEATRE 1 30 PM FARGO THEATRE 7 00 PM Strangers in Boxes 6 min A group of activists all strangers from more than 15 countries meet online amid a global pandemic In this touching short documentary we see how people can connect in surprisingly profound ways despite being strangers in different countries living very different lives My Abortion Saved My Life 9 min Cazembe Murphy Jackson he him a Black trans activist living in Atlanta Georgia shares why his access to abortion was vital to his life After developing severe depression following a sexual assault and quickly learning he was pregnant Cazembe s abortion saved him from suicide Rosalie Fish Umoja Students Flo Sherman Janei Tamba and Betty Siryon PERFORMANCE Island Breeze Before THE WIND AND THE RECKONING join the North Dakota Human Rights Film and Arts Festival as we experience a traditional Hawaiian protocol by Island Breeze Hawai i Island s most popular Polynesian production company providing the Hawai i s finest l au shows and custom events Our visiting guests will issue a blessing and share gifts with Whitney Fear Chair of the City of Fargo s Native American Commission PLAINS ART MUSEUM 9 30 AM The Art of Storyboarding and Representation In this 75 minute session storyboard artist Joe Williams discusses how production companies in the preproduction process use storyboarding Williams will talk about story structure the importance of communication art fundamentals and Native American and Indigenous representation in the film and television industry A demonstration will be provided FARGO PUBLIC LIBRARY 11 30 AM FREE COMMUNITY MEAL PROVIDED RSVP APPRECIATED Indigenous Storytelling and Creative Placemaking Filmmakers Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore Justin Deegan and multimedia artist Joe Wiliams will discuss the importance of representation of Native Americans in media content and how representation influences content creation on podcasts film and television and what it takes to create those spaces for creation Human Family Board Chair Anna Johnson will moderate the conversation Adam Lusch Join Adam Lusch for a Q A about his film BLACK KID WHITE TOWN PLAINS ART MUSEUM 9 30 AM ARTivisim and the Art of Storytelling on Film In this 75 minute session filmmaker Kevin Shaw will discuss his approach and philosophy to social justice and human rights storytelling through ARTivisim Through the power of his lens Shaw s work exposes social injustices in the interest of creating social transformation Shaw will explore the intersections between art and activism and how filmmakers can use the power of their medium to provoke discussion and change The making of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation interpretive center The first historical museum in North Dakota told through the lens and narrative by indigenous people SPECIAL GUEST Justin Deegan FARGO THEATRE 1 30 PM 45 min Hazard Join Justin Deegan for a Q A about his film THE LONG GAME Deegan is the owner and operator of Thunder Revolution Studio LLC Justin is an award winning filmmaker from the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation He is also an enrolled citizen of the MHA Nation 20 min A Black family takes a camping road trip for the first time but has a run in with two white police officers SPECIAL GUESTS The Wind and the Reckoning 91 min THE WIND AND THE RECKONING reveals the real life story of a Native Hawaiian ranching family that defies the newly established colonial government and faces down American mercenaries rather than have their freedoms callously ripped away For the first time in a feature film the Battle of Kalalau unfolds through the eyes of the islands indigenous people as they take a stand against oppression PERFORMANCE Island Breeze Join Island Breeze for an end of night performance of Polynesian culture Daniel Bergeson Bobby Peacock Join Daniel Bergeson and Bobby Peacock for a Q A about their film HAZARD Mokosh 3 min MOKOSH is an abstract response to the current geopolitical situation on the Polish Belarus border and features the handcrafted textiles of fashion student and filmmaker Sophie Safinowska The geopolitical situation is enhanced in film quoting those with power and the oppressed Black Kid White Town 79 min After George Floyd s murder a Minneapolis hip hop artist named Nur D decides to fight for change through his actions and music Let the Little Light Shine 86 min National Teachers Academy NTA is considered a beacon for Black children a top ranked high performing elementary school located in the fastest growing neighborhood on Chicago s South Side As the neighborhood gentrifies a wealthy parents group seeks to close NTA and replace it with a high school campus How will NTA s students parents and educators fight to save their beloved institution DISCUSSION Seeking Education Equity Join filmmaker Kevin Shaw director of LET THE LITTLE LIGHT SHINE and area educators for a discussion about educational equity Shaw will be joined by Dr Larry Napoleon Jr Associate Professor in the School of Education at North Dakota State University Dr Tamara Uselman Director of Equity and Inclusion for Fargo Public Schools and Frederick Edwards Co Founder of Umoja Writing Workshops Bill Thomas Prairie Public s Radio Director will moderate the discussion Funding Your Social Justice Themed Media Project Filmmakers Daniel Bergeson Adam Lusch Duke Gomez Schempp Paulette Moore and Bobby Peacock will discuss how and where to look for funding to support media projects committed to social justice and human rights content The Long Game SPECIAL GUEST FARGO PUBLIC LIBRARY 11 30 AM FREE COMMUNITY MEAL PROVIDED RSVP APPRECIATED 10 min For Rosalie Fish Indigenous student athlete and activist running isn t just a sport it s how she represents the strength and resilience of indigenous women within her tribe and beyond WEDNESDAY THURSDAY PERFORMANCE FARGO THEATRE 6 30 PM PERFORMANCE Umoja Students Somali Dance Group Ayan Ismail Fatma Abdalla Yasmin Farah Shamso Ahmed Ansal Ahmed Bahja Ali Sorit Ali and Ameera Gaal I Am This program is made possible by a grant from American Documentary POV with funding provided by the Open Society Foundations 5 min I AM invites an intimate view into an African Australian experience I AM reveals a sophisticated relationship of how it feels to be Australian in a country where being African separates Charity from the considered norm In contrast I AM offers a visually poetic journey of finding solace in the African Australian experience On the Pulse of Life 3 min ON THE PULSE OF LIFE documents the birth justice moment in Alameda County California and celebrates new motherhood for Black women It is in the first few breaths of life that can make our futures equitable when will we choose to make this a reality FARGO PUBLIC LIBRARY 11 30 AM FREE COMMUNITY MEAL PROVIDED RSVP APPRECIATED The Importance of Community Created Media Journalist and media creators Niko Georgiades Cindy Gomez Schempp Sabrina Hornung Abdurrahman Mahmud and Nemo Siqueiros will discuss the successes challenges and importance of community created media representing diversity and representation FARGO THEATRE 1 30 PM 54 Miles To Home In 1965 three Black farming families risked their lives by providing refuge to the thousands of voting rights marchers on the historic five day 54 mile march from Selma to Montgomery Nearly 60 years later The Halls Steeles and Gardners share what their parents and grandparents sacrificed for the first time and how their families legacies and this historic land can be preserved for generations to come Their stories help unveil the rural and agricultural roots of the civil rights movement while asking the seemingly timeless American question how do you fight for what you know is right when the majority is against you Unscripted Stories FRIDAY PLAINS ART MUSEUM 9 30 AM Mental Wellness for Filmmakers Young filmmakers are increasingly being put into situations where they document traumatic events with little or no support for mental wellness In this 75 minute session filmmaker Chad Charlie will talk about approaches and the importance of self care when working in spaces where trauma is prevalent 26 min 32 min After the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020 violent civil unrest and riots erupted in the City of Minneapolis Lake Street business corridor resulting in the burning of entire properties and businesses Most impacted individuals business owners were black and Latinx immigrants To alleviate the voices of the unseen and the voiceless black immigrant business owners Director Producer Abdu Rahman of City of Nations Storytelling studio CNSS produced a documentary film about the experiences and stories of East African business owners SPECIAL GUEST Abdurrahman Mahmud Join Abdurrahman Mahmud for a Q A following the screening of his film UNSCRIPTED STORIES FARGO THEATRE 6 30 PM PERFORMANCE Umoja Students Chanel Niyubuntu Koiline Govergo and Henry Line Restoring N ke em ne 12 min Since the 19th century Native American children were sent to boarding schools designed to Kill the Indian Save the Man destroying Tribal languages cultural values practices and traditions through assimilation In Oklahoma generations of Native Americans were educated through the Concho Indian School from 1871 to 1984 The abandoned school buildings have remained for 40 years riddled with toxins that have leached into the community Restoring N ke em ne follows environmentalist Damon Dunbar who has a dream of restoring the land preserving tribal history and honoring the attendees of the Concho Indian School to speak truth to history Firecracker Bullets 12 min Through spoken word poetry a young water protector from the Standing Rock occupation contemplates his PTSD while working at a Native firework stand on the 4th of July SPECIAL GUEST Chad Charlie Join Chad Charlie for a Q A following the screening of his film FIRECRACKER BULLETS Bring Her Home 57 min BRING HER HOME follows three Indigenous women an artist an activist and a politician as they work to vindicate and honor their relatives who are victims of the growing epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women As they face the lasting effects of historical trauma each woman searches for healing while navigating the oppressive systems that brought about this crisis DISCUSSION The MMIW Crisis Join The North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival for a discussion about the work taking place in our community to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis Special guest Lisa Brunner will join filmmaker Leya Hale The discussion will be moderated by Ruth Buffalo

SATURDAY THE HUMAN FAMILY 9 30 AM Virtual Reality My Weapon of Choice for Social Justice Join the North Dakota Human Rights Film and Arts Festival for a workshop on creating 360 Virtual Reality content Hear from XR Director Producer Adam Davis McGee as he shares personal insights and challenges in the making IN PROTEST a virtual reality docu journalism series launched on Oculus in 2020 Adam will open up about the creative technical challenges of filming in VR during the height of a pandemic the balance of integrity empathy and trauma triggering within VR Journalism and the value VR can serve storytellers now and in the future THE HUMAN FAMILY 11 30 AM FREE COMMUNITY MEAL PROVIDED RSVP APPRECIATED African diasporic and Indigenous relationships in Media THE FARGO THEATRE 1 30 PM Fisheyes 6 min FISHEYES is an animated documentary that explores the shift in the identity and values of Hong Kong s people by addressing the antiextradition protests in Hong Kong in 2019 Water Talks Perceptions from Sierra Gorda 66 min WATER TALKS was produced by Dr Tatiana Lobato de Magalh es of the Universidad Aut noma de Quer taro UAQ and Dr Marinus Otte Fulbright Specialist and Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences at North Dakota State University During an 8 day expedition the collaborative visited many communities and among others filmed and recorded people about their views on water They spoke about how water availability and quality changed mostly worsened over time 12 min RAHYNE is a short animated film done in the style of motion comic It follows a young Afro Indigenous Bajan and Mohawk non binary youth who turns to the water to guide them through the turmoil highlighted by the pandemic political unrest and trauma experienced by Black and Indigenous peoples VeRONAka 11 min VeRONAka movie is a comedy drama with a documentary twist The film is a fictionalized version of the true story of our clan mothers giving COVID 19 a Mohawk name so that we can respect the illness understand why it is here and then invite it to leave SPECIAL GUEST Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore Join Paulette Moore for a Q A about her films RAHYNE and verRONAka SPECIAL THANKS This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts By funding this project the Fargo Arts and Culture Commission realizes its mission to integrate diverse free and accessible public art and cultural resources into the city Presented in partnership with North Dakota State University s Department of Biological Sciences Filmmakers Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore of The Aunties Dandelion and Queen Kukoyi and Nico Taylor of OddSide Arts will explore themes of African diasporic and Indigenous relationships and how The Aunties Dandelion and OddSide Arts have come together Themes explored the importance of civil rights ancestry and legacy naming identity language healing ceremony and taking care of our environment Included will be a screening of the film trailers and an audience Q A This engagement is supported by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts with additional contributions from the North Dakota Council on the Arts Rahyne JR FOX A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY SPECIAL GUESTS Dr Marinus Otte and Dr Tatiana Lobato de Magalh es Join Dr Marinus Otte and Dr Tatiana Lobato de Magalh es for a discussion about their film WATER TALKS THE FARGO THEATRE 6 30 PM PERFORMANCE Umoja Students Somali Dance Group Ayan Ismail Fatma Abdalla Yasmin Farah Shamso Ahmed Ansal Ahmed Bahja Ali Sorit Ali and Ameera Gaal 90 min Winter 2018 Arriving in the Spirit Lake Nation filmmaker Falcon Gott is meeting with JR Fox a medicine person spiritual leader and a member of the Spirit Lake Nation From there they will road trip westward JR Fox has made many trips traveling all over Turtle Island helping people who need to rediscover and strengthen their spirit JR Fox A Spiritual Journey is about the realities of JR s travels who and what he encounters during this 11 day round trip Falcon will travel westward again in the summer of 2019 to meet up with JR Fox in Nez Perce to continue and conclude this part of his story Even though the documentary ends JR Fox continues to travel and help those in need SPECIAL GUEST Falcon Gott and JR Fox Join Falcon Gott and JR Fox for a Q A about their film JR FOX A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY RESERVE YOUR FREE SEATS ONLINE

2022 North Dakota Human Rights Film and Arts Festival Program

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