{"id":245727,"date":"2013-01-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-19T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/mopa-highlights-human-rights-films\/"},"modified":"2013-01-19T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-19T08:00:00","slug":"mopa-highlights-human-rights-films","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/mopa-highlights-human-rights-films\/","title":{"rendered":"MOPA highlights human rights films"},"content":{"rendered":"

Human Rights Watch festival hopes to \u2018create change in our global community\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Anthony King |\u00a0SDUN Editor<\/p>\n

Leading off the Human Rights Watch Film Festival at Balboa Park\u2019s Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) is the film \u201cCall Me Kuchu,\u201d documenting the struggle of the LGBT community in Uganda through the stories of five activists.<\/p>\n

Kuchu, which loosely translates to \u201cqueer,\u201d is a term embraced by some LGBT people in Uganda and a rallying cry for filmmakers Katherine Fairfax Wright and Malika Zouhali-Worrall. The film screens Thursday, Jan. 24 at MOPA, with an opening reception at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

The festival continues through Jan. 28, screening six films over five days in an effort to provide outreach and education as a part of the museum\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cMOPA strives to inspire, educate, and engage our audience,\u201d said Priscilla Parra, MOPA film and public programs manager. \u201cPresenting a film festival like the Human Rights Watch Film Festival allows us to accomplish this, with the strength of cinematic excellence, in hopes to create change in our global community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MOPA<\/a>
A scene from “Reportero,” also part of the festival. (Courtesy HRW)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Additional films being screened include \u201cReportero,\u201d which follows a Tijuana, Mexico-based reporter, and \u201cThe Invisible War,\u201d a documentary about underreported rape in the U.S. military, two films Parra said she is particularly looking forward to showcasing.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Reportero\u2019 explores the risks and consequences of journalists who report on the Mexican drug cartels in and around our neighboring border city,\u201d Parra said, and \u201c\u2018Invisible War\u2019 highlights a topic new and alarming to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now in its third year presenting the Human Rights Watch festival, MOPA uses film and photography to educate and change minds, a central component to both nonprofits.<\/p>\n

\u201cFilm and photography have the ability to inform an audience by documenting often unseen realities of turmoil and distress,\u201d Parra said. \u201cWhen you are confronted with the perspective of the lives and places being affected, the lens evokes emotion and action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following each screening, guest speakers and filmmakers will be present to discuss the film, offering attendees the chance to have a conversation about the topics they explore.<\/p>\n

\u201cCall Me Kuchu\u201d filmmaker Wright will join Human Rights Watch (HRW) LGBT Program Advocacy Director Boris Dittrich in a talkback discussion after the Jan. 24 screening.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe selected this movie because it\u2019s such a clear picture of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity,\u201d Dittrich said. \u201cWe want to show this film in a mainstream \u2026 festival because we don\u2019t want to talk only to the LGBT community, we want to show other people as well what it is like to be discriminated [against].\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MOPA<\/a>
“Call Me Kuchu” profiles David Kato, shown here with his mother before his death. (Courtesy HRW)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One activist highlighted in the film is David Kato, who was murdered in 2011 for being gay.<\/p>\n

Dittrich visited Kato before his death, and the HRW director said he was saddened by Kato\u2019s murder. \u201cIt was in a time that he really had hopes and expectations that things would improve in Uganda,\u201d Dittrich said, \u201cand unfortunately, after his murder, we see homophobia has become stronger and more ardent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wright and Zouhali-Worrall began filming a year before Kato was murdered, and the film provides some of the last and most detailed footage of the activist\u2019s life. He is profiled with his closest friend, Naome Ruzindana; Bishop Christopher Senyonjo; Stosh, a female-to-male transsexual; and Longjones, a kuchu activist compelled to come out after Kato\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the course of two years, we documented the daily lives and courageous work of David and his fellow kuchus,\u201d Wright and Zaouhali-Worrall said in a statement. \u201cIn telling this crucial story, we explore the paradox of democracy in a country where a judiciary recognizes the civil rights of individual kuchus, yet the popular vote and daily violence threaten to eradicate those rights altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, a new anti-homosexuality measure that is since been dubbed the \u201ckill the gays\u201d bill was being introduced. Exploited by the Ugandan media, the bill proposes death for all HIV-positive men and prison for anyone who fails to turn in a known homosexual. The bill has gone back and forth in Uganda\u2019s Parliament and is currently being discussed, making the screening of the film at MOPA\u2019s festival particularly timely.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you watch this film, you cannot just go home and forget,\u201d Dittrich said. \u201cYou want to do something. You feel engaged, and you want to help people.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Dittrich, listening to people\u2019s life stories is one of the best aspects of his job, which takes him around the globe to some of the most dangerous places for LGBT people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I go to these very difficult countries where LGBT people are extremely discriminated [against], what I love doing is talking to them and listening to their stories,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes, I\u2019m the first one who really wants to listen to them because they live in an environment where everyone is homophobic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MOPA<\/a>
Myla Haider from “Invisible War” (Courtesy U.S. Army\/HRW)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Including Uganda, Dittrich said there are over 76 countries that criminalize homosexual conduct. Uganda\u2019s anti-homosexuality bill resonates in those nations as well, however he also said he sees hope when he talks to individuals about advances in LGBT rights in places like the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn their context, they talk about \u2018don\u2019t torture me, don\u2019t discriminate against me [and] don\u2019t throw me in jail,\u2019\u201d he said, but they remain inspired to \u201cfight for social injustice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three other festival films include \u201cPutin\u2019s Kiss,\u201d a personal look at the Kremlin-created Nashi youth movement through the eyes of a Russian teen; \u201cSalaam Dunk,\u201d documenting an Iraqi women\u2019s basketball team; and \u201cBrother Number One,\u201d Rob Hamill\u2019s story of his brother\u2019s death at the hands of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.<\/p>\n

Tickets for individual films are $4 for MOPA members, $6 for students, seniors and active military, and $8 for guests. Festival passes are also available. For more information visit mopa.org.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Human Rights Watch festival hopes to \u2018create change in our global community\u2019 By Anthony King |\u00a0SDUN Editor Leading off the Human Rights Watch Film Festival at Balboa Park\u2019s Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) is the film \u201cCall Me Kuchu,\u201d documenting the struggle of the LGBT community in Uganda through the stories of five activists. Kuchu, […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":245728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"MOPA highlights human rights films","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11551,11550,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-245727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-news","category-top-stories","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}