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JAYU Presents the 12TH ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL – featuring We Grow Together, in partnership with the White Owl Native Ancestry Association and Wisahkotewinowak
November 27, 2023 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
JAYU ANNOUNCES 12TH ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL+
WITH WHITE OWL NATIVE ANCESTRY ASSOCIATION EXHIBITION AND 4TH ANNUAL POETRY SLAM FEATURING EDDIE LARTEY
DECEMBER 7 – 10, 2023, AT HOT DOCS CINEMA AND THE ACE HOTEL
Toronto, ON (November 14, 2023) – JAYU Canada is thrilled to announce its 12th annual Human Rights Film Festival+ 2023 (HRFF+). This year from December 7-10, 2023, HRFF+ is excited to present 4 feature-length documentaries including 3 Toronto premieres, as well as accompanying Q&As, and 4 short films.
The festival will screen these films at Hot Docs alongside a moving gallery installation of We Grow Together, in partnership with the White Owl Native Ancestry Association and Wisahkotewinowak, featuring the work of 6 Indigenous youth. On closing night, HRFF + is proud to present its 4th annual JAYU Slams Poetry Competition featuring Eddie Lartey at the Ace Hotel.
This year HRFF + is pleased to share the following films:
- A Bullet Pulling Thread (December 7, 2023): In January 2020, the RCMP killed homelessness activist Barry Shantz at his home in Lytton, B.C during a mental health crisis. In response to this tragedy, his sister Marilyn creates a series of art quilts called Kairos – a Greek word which means ‘an opportune time for action’. The film will be followed by a Q&A with director Ian Daffern and Marilyn Shantz.
- Coming Around (December 8, 2023, Toronto Premiere): Coming Around follows 28-year-old Eman as she weighs the decision to come out to her devout Muslim mother. The film will be followed by a Q&A with Eman Abdelhadi and Sandra Itäinen.
- The Space Race (December 9, 2023, Toronto Premiere): The Space Race weaves together the stories of Black astronauts seeking to break the bonds of social injustice to reach for the stars, including Guion Bluford, Ed Dwight and Charles Bolden, among many others.
- Hong Kong Mixtape (December 10, 2023): Using her own voice to guide us through this time, filmmaker San San F Young pieces together works by underground artists, musicians, dancers, illustrators and performance artists, showcasing how art can provide some of the most powerful forms of activism. The film will be followed by a Q&A with San San F Young and Nikki Parrott.
This year’s festival is accompanied by We Grow Together in partnership with White Owl Native Ancestry Association and Wisahkotewinowak. This exhibition features the work of six Indigenous youth who have completed a painting program led by iAM Program Alum Aneel Vyas with creative writing exercises led by JAYU’s Desiree Mckenzie to explore how their personal growth is tied to land. The 5-day workshop intensive also included a session on mental well-being and expression led by Meghan Yuri Young of the Sad Collective.
The Festival will close on International Human Rights Day with the 4th annual JAYU Slams Poetry Competition at the Toronto Ace Hotel. Headlined by acclaimed poet Eddie Lartey, this competition consists of Toronto’s best spoken word poets going head to head for a $350 prize and title of JAYU Slams champion. Learn more about Eddie at https://www.jayu.ca/hrff23.
HRFF+ is an initiative of JAYU, a charity that shares human rights stories through the arts. Our year round programs include this film festival, quarterly screenings, and iAM – an arts and social justice training program for youth. The Human Rights Film Festival is committed to values of inclusivity and accessibility for all guests, staff, volunteers and artists.
Purchase tickets and find more information about the films, events, and accessibility at https://www.jayu.ca/hrff23.
For interview requests please contact Ashley Belmer, B-Rebel PR at ashley@b-rebelcommunications.
The Human Rights Film Festival(+) is supported by the Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council Strategic Funding, and the Fraser and Frances Deacon Legacy Society at Toronto Foundations.
We Grow Together was made possible by the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, the Government of Canada and United Way under the Community Services Recovery Fund, the Co-operators, and TD Bank Group (TD) as Lead iAM Core Sponsor.
Get Social #HRFF23
JAYU Festival Inc.
401 Richmond Street West Suite 380,
Toronto, ON, M5V 3A8
416-712-3477 [email protected]