Amnesty International Film Festival

MAY 12-17, 2004

Welcome to the 3rd annual Amnesty International Film Festival in West Hollywood! Shot in 27 languages and on five continents - the 37 films in this year's program offer powerful testimony to the interconnectedness of our struggles for freedom and universally guaranteed human rights.

When silence is used as a weapon, a voice is the only defense. With this in mind, Amnesty International has brought together the voices of those heard least often in the mainstream media - political dissidents in Cuba, thoughtful youth in Palestine, free-thinking women in Iran, internally displaced people in Burma - to tell their own stories.

While they stand alone as powerful works of art and journalism, these documentary and feature films also offer crucial perspectives and cogent commentary on some of today's most pressing human realities.

The first of two films to follow the lives of Palestinian and Israeli youth, Death in Gaza ended abruptly upon the slaying of director James Miller by Israeli security forces last spring. But the questions he asks about who will inherit the current conflict - and what hope there is for reconciliation between two peoples so scarred by fear and hate - are ones that are as timely now as ever.

A dozen years after a bloody riot in Latin America's largest prison, Hector Babenco's Carandiru returns to the stories and the lives of its inmates, many of whom perished in the clash. This raw portrait of life on the inside carries unspeakable weight, in a time when millions around the world - and in the United States - have been condemned to a brutal isolation with little hope of return.

Through the moving testimonies of victims and perpetrators alike, Pote Mak Sonje: The Raboteau Trial tracks the path towards truth and justice after one of Haiti's worst political killings in history. After overthrowing Aristide's government once again, those behind the Raboteau massacre returned to power this winter, reviving fears that the convicted architects of a mass murder could continue to live with impunity.

We hope that these and other films will not only offer you an opportunity to bear witness to the lives of those depicted, but also spur you to become involved in the solutions to their strife.

Please take a moment to visit the action opportunities and background research posted beside each film synopsis, and to explore the broader resources of www.amnestyusa.org. And enjoy the Festival!

NOTE: The documentaries and feature films and videos presented in the festival are individual works of art and journalism, and have not been produced by Amnesty International. The perspectives or opinions presented in these films and videos are not necessarily those of Amnesty International, and Amnesty International has not necessarily researched or verified any specific facts presented in the films. Films have not been rated. Some films may be inappropriate for viewers younger than 17; discretion is advised.