18th Human Rights Film Festival

The Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival offers the Bellingham community an annual 10-day film festival of powerful, thought-provoking films on the rights of people and Earth.

The Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival is composed of volunteers whose primary goal is to present the community with free films that will raise awareness of some of the critical human rights issues facing our planet, locally and globally. The films are followed by discussions, sometimes with someone intrinsically involved with the making of the film or the issue, always with the hope of finding powerful opportunities for acting together to confront the unacceptable and promote liberty and justice for all.

Venue Key
AW — Academic West Building, Room 210, Western Washington University
BHS — Bellingham High School Library, 2020 Cornwall Avenue
BPL — Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Avenue
BTC — Bellingham Technical College- Settlemeyer Hall, 3028 Lindberg Avenue
BUF — Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, 1207 Ellsworth Street
FCA — Fairhaven College Auditorium, Room 300, Western Washington University
FCCB — First Congregational Church of Bellingham, 2401 Cornwall Avenue
NWIC — Northwest Indian College, Log Building, 2522 Kwina Road
OCH — Old City Hall (Whatcom Museum), 121 Prospect Street
PFC — Pickford Film Center, 1318 Bay Street
SeHS — Sehome High School, Room 125, 2700 Bill McDonald Parkway
SqHS — Squalicum High School, Forum, 3773 E. McLeod Road
WCC — Whatcom Community College, Syre Student Center (Room 104)

Thursday, February 15
“All Governments Lie” (PFC) 7:00 p.m. (2016/Canada/92 min) Life and legacy of independent journalist I.F Stone.

Friday, February 16
“Care” (BTC) 1:30 p.m. (USA/2017/64 min) The world of home health care.
“100 Years: One Woman’s Fight for Justice” (FCA) 7:00 p.m. (2016/USA/75 min) Elouise Cobell’s fight for Native Americans’ mineral rights payment.

Saturday, February 17
“Nowhere to Hide” (PFC) 12:00 p.m. (Norway-Sweden/2016/86 min) Iraqi nurse and his family try to survive warfare in Iraq.
“Salmon Confidential” (OCH) 2:00 p.m. (Canada/2012/69 min) Disease affecting farmed salmon in British Columbia, and the government coverup of this information. “Sands of Silence” (FCA) 7:00 p.m. (USA-Spain/2016/86 min) Exposé of international sexual violence/trafficking. Chelo Alvarez Stehle, film director, attending.

Sunday, February 18
“The Bail Trap” (FCA) 1:00 p.m. (USA/2017/34 min) Impacts on people who can’t pay their own bail.
“Close Immigrant Prisons” (FCA) 2:00 p.m. (USA/2017/15 min) Faults of private, for-profit immigrant prisons.
“Peace Is an Inside Job” (FCA) 2:30 p.m. (USA/2017/19 min) Washington prison convict finds peace through yoga.
“The Return”(FCA) 3:00 p.m. (USA/2016/81 min) Difficulties navigating society after release from prison. This event is a collaboration with the award-winning documentary series POV (www.pbs.org/pov). Filmmakers: Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway. “Black Code” (FCA) 7:00 p.m. (Canada/2016/89 min) Impact of internet on free speech, privacy, activism.

Monday, February 19
“What Lies Upstream” (FCA) 7:00 p.m. (USA/2017/89 min) Investigation of the 2014 chemical spill which contaminated Charleston, West Virginia’s water supply
“When Two Worlds Collide” (BUF) 7:00 p.m. (USA/2016/103 min) Conflict in Peru over mineral development on indigenous lands.
“Close Immigrant Prisons” (FCCB) 7:00 p.m. (USA/2017/15 min) Faults of private, for-profit immigrant prisons.
“Hunger Strikes: A Call to End Immigrant Detention” (FCCB) 7:15 p.m. (USA/2017/12 min) Describes the response to human rights abuses at the Federal Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington.

Tuesday, February 20
“100 Years: One Woman’s Fight for Justice” (NWIC) 12:00 p.m. (2016/USA/75 min) Elouise Cobell’s fight for Native Americans’ mineral rights payment.
“Equal Means Equal” (FCA) 7:00 p.m. (USA/2016/93 min) Unflinching look at treatment of women in the US today.

Wednesday, February 21
“Straws” (WCC) 4:00 p.m. (USA/2017/33 min) History of straws and their plastic pollution issues.
“Bending the Arc” (AW210) 7:00 p.m. (USA/2017/102 min) Medical activists push health care as a basic human right.
“Close Immigrant Prisons” (BHS) 7:00 p.m. (USA/2017/15min) Faults of private, for-profit immigrant prisons.
“Little Rebel” (BHS) 7:30 p.m. (USA/2017/10min) Inspiring story of asylee immigrant to Seattle, Washington.
“The Bail Trap” (BHS) 7:50 p.m. (USA/2017/34 min) Impacts on people who can’t pay their own bail.

Thursday, February 22
“Yasuni Man” (NWIC) 12:00 p.m. (USA/2016/94 min) indigenous people of the Ecuadorian Amazon are threatened by the outside world.
“The Bail Trap” (BTC) 1:30 p.m. (USA/2017/34 min) Impacts on people who can’t pay their own bail.
“Straws” (SeHS) 3:30 p.m. (USA/2017/33 min) History of straws and their plastic pollution issues.
“500 Years: Life in the Resistance” (FCA) 7:00 p.m. (USA/2017/108 min) Popular movement against genocide in Guatemala.

Friday, February 23
“Watch Night” (WCC) 4:00 p.m. (USA/2017/6 min) Inspirational refugee/diversity talk.
“Little Rebel” (WCC) 4:15 p.m. (USA/2017/10 min) Inspiring story of asylee immigrant to Seattle, Washington.
“What Doesn’t Kill Me” (BPL) 6:30 p.m. (UK/2017/81 min) Domestic violence, child custody, and legal issues.
“Yasuni Man” (FCA) 7:00 p.m. (USA/2016/94 min) Indigenous people of the Ecuadorian Amazon are threatened by the outside world.

Saturday, February 24
“Quebec 4 Palestine” (FCA) 12:00 p.m. (Canada/2017/49 min) Israel boycott, divest, and sanctions movement in Montreal, Canada.
“Watch Night” (FCA) 1:15 p.m. (USA/2017/6 min) Inspirational refugee/diversity talk. “Little Rebel” (FCA) 1:30 p.m. (USA/2017/10 min) Inspiring story of asylee immigrant to Seattle, Washington.
“Kokota: The Islet of Hope” (FCA) 2:15 p.m. (Canada-Tanzania/2016/28 min) East African islanders help each other in a changing climate.
“Care” (FCA) 3:00 p.m. (USA/2017/64 min) The world of home health care.
“Straws” (FCA) 4:30 p.m. (USA/2017/33 min) History of straws and their plastic pollution issues.
“The Watershed Guardians of the Fraser River” (FCA) 7:00 p.m. (Canada/2017/68 min) Profiles citizens working against the deterioration of British Columbia’s Fraser River.