A Human-Rights Periscope: ALBA’s Documentary Film Festival Returns
Join us in September!
From September 21 through 23, “Impugning Impunity” presents 15 short and long documentaries from around the world. More info at www.iiff-docs.com
Underscoring ALBA’s commitment to uphold the values of the U.S. volunteers who fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War, Impugning Impunity, ALBA’s annual human-rights film festival, sparks dialogues about justice, equality, and humanity. In addition to screening new independent documentaries, the festival features post-screening Q&A sessions with filmmakers, human-rights advocates, and activists.
Embodying the festival’s motto, EXPOSE – RESIST – TRANSFORM, the documentaries make us see, feel, and think. The stories told in the films focus on justice, well-being, and human happiness—identifying what, and who, impedes them. Together, they provide a comprehensive glance of human rights struggles past and present, and around the world.
More than 130 films from over 35 countries—including Spain, the U.S., Guatemala, Ecuador, India, Germany, Australia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, and Puerto Rico—were submitted to be part of this year’s final lineup. The selected features will be screened September 21-23 at the historic Downtown Community Television Center (87 Lafayette St.) in New York City.
Three stellar films featured this year include The Silence of Others, by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar, on the epic struggle of victims of Spain’s 40-year dictatorship; Milicianas, by Tània Balló and Jaume Miró, on women militia during the Spanish Civil War; and Spain in Two Trenches by Francesc Escribano and Lluís Carrizo, made with original archive material, digitized and colorized, from the Spanish Civil War.
The members of the jury—noted documentarian Kathy Brew, Emmy-Award winning cinematographer Matt Porwoll, and highly acclaimed human-rights film producer Paco de Onís—will honor the best film from the official selection with the Harry Randall Award, created in memory of Harry W. Randall, Jr. (1915-2012), who served as Chief Photographer of the 15th International Brigade.
Born in Bolivia, Natalia Chávez Gomes da Silva is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish at New York University. Her short-story collection Humedad won the National Award of the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Municipal Government in 2010.
