From Wednesday, April 3 to Sunday, April 7, the ninth annual ACT Human Rights Film Festival brings award-winning documentaries and filmmakers from around the word to Fort Collins.
Special opportunities to connect and make a difference
Conversations with filmmakers and activists, catered receptions and screenings of 22 films will all take place over five days at both the Lory Student Center and the Lyric (1209 N. College Ave., Fort Collins). Festivalgoers will have unique opportunities to make a difference and engage with the human rights issues explored in this year’s films.
“Folks come to ACT because they are moved by the struggles and successes of people all around the world,” said festival producer Greg Dickinson. “We watch ACT films to learn — not just about global issues, but about what we can do to make a difference. This is why ACT invests in bringing filmmakers, participants and activists to Fort Collins. Connecting with them and their work is one of the best things ACT makes happen year after year.”
Throughout the festival, audience members will have many opportunities to learn more about filmmaking and human rights issues in post-film Q&A sessions with filmmakers and film participants. There will also be several opportunities to connect between film screenings at receptions, a guest mingle, a First Friday celebration at the Lyric and an afterparty at Ace Gillett’s (239 S. College Ave.).
ACT is also offering two free, capacity-building trainings for community organizing and activism led by Fort Collins Community Action Network (FCCAN). Participants will receive two free tickets to see any film at the festival. The trainings are open to all and will take place at the Lyric on Friday, April 5 at 2 p.m. and Sunday, April 7 at 10 a.m. RSVP and learn more about these workshops at ACT’s online festival hub here.
ACT Human Rights Film Festival is a unique cultural and political space for inclusive dialogue, invitational rhetoric in-action, and for reciprocal social transformation. It’s also a space of learning from and with each other and creating a caring community.
“Filmmakers from different corners of the world contribute to ACT by sharing their visions, cinematographic journeys, and sparking eye-opening conversations,” said Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, the festival’s artistic director. “We are particularly grateful for our brave and inspirational ACTors: the protagonists of the films, like Mediha, Dante Johnson, and Luz Marina Bernal, who will be honoring ACT with their presence, and who – having lived through and survived truly intolerable human rights abuses – stayed resilient, preserved their humanity and dignity, and are now coming to Fort Collins to ACT together and to share their stories with our community.”
Inspiring films and activists from around the world
“In an election year, where the news cycle seems endlessly challenging, ACT’s films often show how perseverance and uniting community can work toward creating positive change,” said Beth Seymour, the festival’s managing director. “Inspiring heroes, brave and artistic filmmakers, and the power of the big screen bring it all together. ACT’s films can change hearts and minds. They remind us of the work we have done toward equity and justice, and they also offer inspiring pathways forward to continue the work.”
Many 2024 ACT films are being shown in Colorado for the very first time. An impressive cohort of films and guests appearing in Fort Collins includes the following:
On Friday, April 5 at noon, Colorado filmmaker T.C. Johnstone’s In the Dirt will screen at the Lyric. In the Navajo Nation there are no bike shops, but a grassroots, Native-led group of dedicated cyclists and their families have built a strong culture and community, making cycling the fastest-growing recreational sport there. Johnstone and the film’s producer, Kristen Johnstone, will both appear virtually alongside in-person guests Franklin Cook and Lorenzo Manuelito, both film participants, for a Q&A with the audience immediately following the film.
Several films at this year’s ACT Human Rights Film Festival offer a deeper look into life and people in Palestine. Two such films are screening together at the Lyric on Saturday, April 6 at 1:30 p.m., Bye Bye Tiberias and Zoo. Feature film Bye Bye Tiberias follows Emmy-nominated actress Hiam Abbass (Succession, Ramy, Blade Runner) years after leaving her Palestinian village to pursue a career in France as she returns home with her daughter, who directed the film. Animated short Zoo, in which a boy wanders through Gaza’s “worst zoo in the world.” Both films are premiering for the first time in Colorado at ACT.
Later on Saturday, 2016 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Luz Marina Bernal will be at ACT in person for the Colorado premiere of Until the Sun Dies (Hasta que se apague el sol) at the Lyric at 7:30 p.m. Until the Sun Dies showcases two intimate portrayals, told side-by-side on simultaneous struggles, woven together into a universal story of courage in “post-conflict” Colombia. In one thread, Bernal seeks justice after the extrajudicial killing of her son. She and the other film participants demonstrate an uncompromising, inspiring fight for a world where life wins over death, equality over inequality, and the voice of the people over the imposed silence of violence. An audience Q&A with Bernal will immediately follow the screening. The event will be presented in Spanish and interpreted into English.
ACT will close out its 2024 festival at the Lyric on Sunday, April 7 with the 5:30 p.m. Colorado premiere of The Body Politic, a portrait of Baltimore’s youngest Black mayor during his mayoral campaign and first year presiding over a city plagued by gun violence. With unfettered access, cameras followed Mayor Brandon Scott and his team of young leaders throughout their first year in city hall, unveiling an ambitious plan to lower Baltimore’s murder rate. Director Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough and film participants Dante Johnson and Erricka Bridgeford will be present at the screening for a Q&A.
Festivalgoers are invited to enjoy dessert, coffee, and live jazz at a reception following The Body Politic, also at the Lyric.
How to attend
For the full festival schedule and lineup, please visit the 2024 ACT Human Rights Film Festival hub at act2024.eventive.org, where tickets and passes can also be purchased.
CSU employees can take advantage of the Commitment to Campus discount to receive 20% off a festival pass or 20% off any individual tickets. Log into the c2c site for the discount code. CSU students can redeem the SLiCE-sponsored discount code “SLiCE24” to receive two free tickets using their Rams email address. Student IDs will be checked at the festival.
ACT is produced by the Department of Communication Studies at Colorado State University with generous support from both off-campus and CSU partners. To support ACT, please visit https://ramfunder.colostate.edu/project/40812. Learn more about ACT at www.actfilmfest.org.
