In recognition of the growing importance of documentaries in covering world events, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism will launch its first documentary film festival on Apr. 7-8 in New York. The festival will open at the CUNY J-School’s 219 W. 40th St. headquarters on the first day, then it moves on the second night to the Time-Life building’s 8th floor auditorium at 1271 Avenue of Americas (51st St.)
“The World Through Women’s Eyes” will feature films from Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Liberia and the Congo that explore social issues related to women around the globe. The goal is to help further women’s human rights initiatives through the reporting around it.
“Documentary filmmakers, particularly on international stories, have taken a prominent role in covering the intimate stories about people and localities that show the impact of news events. And journalists, particularly foreign correspondents, have become filmmakers, using the web primarily to keep stories alive that they feel aren’t being adequately covered by more traditional foreign desks,” said festival chair Lonnie Isabel, who heads the International Reporting Program at the CUNY J-School.
Participants will include filmmakers Abigail Disney, Virginia Williams, Renée Bergan, Dawn Sinclair Shapiro, and Risa Morimoto; documentary photographer Marcus Bleasdale; and activists Agnes Kamara-Umuna, Naheed Bahram, and Sunita Viswanath from Women for Afghan Women. “We intend to use this series as a platform not just for viewing films but for significant discussions about continuing the wonderful film making and finding ways to forge partnerships among foreign correspondents, filmmakers, producers, and student journalists. We want to listen to activists and come up with ideas to keep the world’s most horrific practices against women in the public discussion,” Isabel said.
This series is planned as the first of an annual festival that will, in subsequent years, award grants for student documentary filmmakers. Co-sponsors include the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting and the International Reporting Project. Partners include the Daphne Foundation, the Overseas Press Club, and Women for Afghan Women.
The films and panels are free of charge. For more information, contact festival coordinator Brianna Hyneman at recreatingbri@gmail.com or visit the festival website.