The Screening Rights Film Festival is returning to the West Midlands this November (21-24th) with ground-breaking films highlighting social justice issues.
This year's festival, the fifth, will see films screened in Coventry and at the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) in Birmingham along with post-screening Q+As and discussions with the filmmakers, writers and experts.
This year's festival will launch on 21st November at 7.30pm at the Old Grammar School, Coventry with a screening of OBEY, a compelling British debut feature full of fire, rage, and vulnerability set against the turbulent backdrop of the London riots of 2011 (which will also screen at the MAC on the 22nd).
The festival will close on 24th November at 5pm at the MAC with GAZA, an elegantly shot and masterfully-crafted portrait of Palestinian life which offers a rare chance to be immersed in the heart of Gaza.
Commenting on this year's Screening Rights Festival its Director, Dr Michele Aaron of the University of Warwick's Department of Film and Television Studies, said:
"As well as bringing some of the headline international films from the last twelve months to the region, we're really pleased to be working with the BFI Film Hub and City of Culture to focus on young people's experience this year."
This fifth edition of the Screening Rights Film Festival has been made possible with support from Film Hub Midlands through funds from the National Lottery. Film Hub Midlands supports people to watch, show, and make films in the Midlands.
The 2019 Screening Rights Festival Programme is as follows:
Coventry:
· CAPERNAUM + post-screening discussion - Square One, Sat 23 November, 1.30pm
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, this heart-breaking and defiant film tells the story of the poverty stricken Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the crime of giving him life.
· FOR SAMA + post-screening discussion - Square One, Sat 23 November, 6pm
A love letter from a young Syrian mother to her daughter, FOR SAMA is an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war.
Birmingham:
· PERMISSION + post-screening discussion - Midlands Arts Centre, Thurs 21 November, 5.45pm
Based on real events, PERMISSION is a gripping fiction film about an Iranian sportswoman's considerable skill and strength as she battles to change the law in Iran to allow greater gender equality.
· MIDNIGHT TRAVELER + post-screening discussion - Midlands Arts Centre, Thurs 21 November, 8.30pm
When the Taliban puts a bounty on Afghan director Hassan Fazili's head, he and his family are forced to flee. Fazili shows the dangers facing refugees seeking asylum and the love shared between a family on the run.
· WE ALL STAND UP + post-screening discussion - Midlands Arts Centre, Fri 22 November, 8.15pm
A ground-breaking documentary about the killing of a young Cree man, Colten Boushie, his family's pursuit of justice and the racism embedded within Canada's legal system.
· A DEAL WITH THE UNIVERSE + post-screening discussion - Midlands Arts Centre, Sat 23 November, 5pm
Made entirely from personal archive footage and home video diaries, the film follows Jason Barker and his partner Tracey's incredible story of how he came to give birth to his child.
· EARTH + post-screening discussion - Midlands Arts Centre, Sat 23 November, 8pm
Several billion tons of earth are moved annually by humans – Geyrhalter observes people in mines, quarries and at large construction sites, engaged in a constant struggle to take possession of the planet.
