3rd UNAFF TFF Houston

February 3-5 Cullen Theater University of St. Thomas

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If you have questions about purchasing films, please visit the UNAFF website contact page.

3rd United Nations Association Traveling Film Festival Houston (UNAFF TFF Houston)

The UNA is proud to announce the Third UNAFF Traveling Film Festival in Houston, which was originally conceived to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was founded by Stanford educator and film critic Jasmina Bojic with the participation of the Stanford Film Society and the UNA Midpeninsula Chapter, a grassroots, community based, nonprofit organization. 

The theme for this year is EDUCATION IS A HUMAN RIGHT.   (See film schedule below)

UNAFF celebrates the power of films dealing with human rights, environmental themes, population, migration, women's issues, refugees, homelessness, racism, health, universal education, war and peace. UNAFF has screened some of the most awarded and talked about documentaries in the industry including five that went on to win Academy Awards.

Over 600 submissions from all over the world have been reviewed for the 14th annual UNAFF. The UNAFF final program consists of a record 70 films related to Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Benin, Belgium, Bhutan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Canada, Chad, China, Congo, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Italy, Mali, Morocco, Mexico, Moldova, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, The Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia Singapore, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, UAE, Uganda, United Kingdom, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. 

The UNAFF year round screenings through our Traveling Film Festival have taken place in San Francisco, Berkeley, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Davis, Saratoga, Sonoma, Sebastopol, San Diego, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Honolulu, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington DC, New York, Burlington, New Hampshire, Bellevue, La Crosse, Houston, Durham at Duke University, New Haven at Yale University, Waukesha at University of Wisconsin, Boston and Cambridge at Harvard University and internationally in Paris, Venice, Belgrade, Phnom Penh and Abu Dhabi.

3rd UNAFF Traveling Film Festival Houston 2012 Film Festival Selections

February 3-5, 2012
Cullen Theater at the University of St. Thomas

3rd UNAFF Traveling Film Festival Houston 2012 Ticketing and Film Schedule

TICKETING

UNA Houston has selected the following films for its 2012 UNAFF TravelingFilm Festival Program to be held in Houston on February 3-5, 2012 at the Cullen Theater on the campus of The University of St. Thomas. Schedule and pricing are as follows. Tickets will be available on the website PayPal and at the door.

SCHEDULE

UNAFF Traveling Film Festival Houston Film Descriptions

“Climate Refugees”
(89 minutes) Bangladesh/China

Director: Michael Nash
Producers: Michael Nash, Justin Hogan

Description:

A climate refugee is a person displaced by climatically induced environmental disasters. Such disasters result from incremental and rapid ecological change, resulting in increased droughts, desertification, sea level rise, and the more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, cyclones, fires, mass flooding and tornadoes. These are causing mass global migration and border conflicts. For the first time, the Pentagon now considers climate change a national security risk, and the term "climate wars" is being talked about in war-room like environments in Washington DC. The UN currently states that more refugees are now displaced by environmental disasters than by war, more than 25 million climate refugees (ecologically induced migrants), and experts have projected that the number will double within the next five years to over 50 million. Several organizations, like the IPCC, Red Cross, and The Christian Monitor, estimate that between 150 million and 1 billion climate refugees will be displaced within the next four decades, yet not one single international law gives asylum, or even a helping hand to environmental refugees.

“The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan”
(52 minutes) Afghanistan/UK

Director/Producer: Jamie Doran

Description:

As the West pours billions of dollars into the fight against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, an ancient tradition (banned when the Taliban were in power) has re-emerged across the rest of the country. Many hundreds of young boys living in extreme poverty are lured off the streets on the promise of a new life away from destitution, unaware their real fate is to be used for entertainment by the warlords and other powerful men of Afghanistan. Having gained remarkable access inside a sexual exploitation ring, award-winning Afghan journalist Najibullah Quraishi investigates this illegal practice, the consequences of which are shrouded by a focus on the war. The film exposes the lack of support from those in authority and explores possible responses to the plight of children in this conflict zone.

“In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee”
(64 minutes) South Korea/USA

Director: Deann Borshay Liem,
Producers: Deann Borshay Liem, Charlotte Lagarde

Description:

Her passport said she was Cha Jung Hee. She knew she was not. So began a 40-year deception for a Korean adoptee who came to the US in 1966. Told to keep her true identity a secret from her new American family, this 8-year-old girl quickly forgot she was ever anyone else. But why had her identity been switched? And who was the real Cha Jung Hee? In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee  is the search to find the answers. The film follows acclaimed filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem as she returns to her native Korea to find her "double," the mysterious girl whose place she took in America. Traversing the landscapes of memory, amnesia, and identity, while also uncovering layers of deception in her adoption, this moving and provocative film probes the ethics of international adoptions and reveals the cost of living a lie.

“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”
(96 minutes) USA

Directors/Producers: Judith Ehrlich, Rick Goldsmith

Description:

The Most Dangerous Man in America is the story of what happens when a former Pentagon insider, armed only with his conscience, steadfast determination, and a file cabinet full of classified documents, decides to challenge an "imperial" presidency—answerable to neither Congress, the press, nor the people—in order to help end the Vietnam War. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg shook America to its foundations when he smuggled a top-secret Pentagon study to the New York Times that showed how five presidents consistently lied to the American people about the Vietnam War—a war that was killing millions and tearing America apart. President Nixon's National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger called Ellsberg "the most dangerous man in America," who "had to be stopped at all costs."

“Rapping in Tehran”
(37 minutes) Iran

Director/Producer: Hassan Khademi

Description:

Rapping in Tehran is a documentary film focusing on the lifestyle and activities of rap music singers in Iran. Since the beginning of the 1990s, practically every kind of pop music has been forbidden in the Islamic Republic, but the state security forces crack down particularly hard on rappers. Their outfits, modeled on Western idols, their lyrics about identity conflicts and sexual deprivation, or the fact that young women sing about themselves and their problems are reason enough to keep raiding the few studios in town and closing down the web sites of the most famous singers and bands. The only consequence is that every closed down site spawns four new ones; the studios that are closed in one place reopen somewhere else and become more attractive to the scene. Rapping in Tehran is about young people's tough struggle against the rigid rules of a government of old men whose resistance in the long run will be in vain, for the music keeps spreading: via the Internet, through exiled rappers who broadcast their lyrics into the country from Dubai, via mobile phones and secret parties. In any case, the courage with which they insist on the right to lead their own lives is cause for admiration.

“Rescuing Emmanuel”
(70 minutes) Kenya/USA

Directors: Len Morris, Georgia Morris
Producer: Len Morris

Description:

Setting out to make a film about street children, the filmmakers are hijacked by a 13-year-old street boy in Nairobi, Kenya. Emmanuel is running from hunger, police, his mother's death, and a horrific life in Nairobi's most notorious slum. Alone, undocumented, a nobody, he stinks, eats garbage, is raped by the big boys, swept off the streets by police, and sent to adult jail cells. Who will notice if this child's life is snuffed out?

“Satellite Queens”
(60 minutes) Egypt/Lebanon/Palestine/Saudi Arabia

Director: Bregtje van der Haak
Producers: Femke Wolting, Bruno Felix

Description:

By focusing on the popular women's talk show Kalam Nawaem (Sweet Talk or Women Talk), this lively documentary explores how Arab satellite TV influences lifestyles and public opinion in the Middle East. Hosted by four women from different Arab countries, this hugely successful prime-time TV show brings the world seen from the vantage point of women to millions of Arab viewers worldwide. Discussing controversial issues, Lebanese Rania, Egyptian Fawzia, Palestinian Farah and Saudi Muna are the stars of a record-breaking television format, bringing in millions of dollars in advertising revenue for its Saudi owners. Who are these charming women breaking new ground? How do they use the power of media to change their world? And what does their talk bring about in Arab living rooms?

“Slaves—An Animated Documentary”
(15 minutes) Norway/Sudan

Directors: David Aronowitsch, Hanna Heilborn

Description:

"We were abducted, my mother, father, sister and me. Then they killed my parents and separated me from my sister. I was five," Abouk tells us in a low voice. "I stayed with one of the men who kidnapped us and took care of his goats." Slaves is about Abouk, nine, and Machiek, fifteen. Like thousands of children they were taken by the government-sponsored militia in Sudan and used as slaves. They were later liberated by an organization headed by James Auger. Slaves—An Animated Documentary is based on an interview conducted in 2003 and is the second film in a series of animated documentaries with and about children in difficult situations by David Aronowitsch and Hanna Heilborn.

“Streetball”
(90 minutes) Australia/South Africa

Director: Demetrius Wren
Producers: Michael Smith, Demetrius Wren

Description:

The Homeless World Cup is an annual soccer tournament comprised of the homeless and the excluded that draws teams from over fifty-six countries. The South African team consists of ex-convicts, former gangsters, orphans, and recovering drug addicts that band together to represent their country, proving that no one is beyond redemption. Out of 250 athletes who try out for the country's team, only eight are chosen. After years of neglect, abuse and rejection by society, these players are recognized for their sporting talent and grab the opportunity to train daily to the peak of fitness before they leave for Melbourne. With tougher rules and higher stakes, these eight players compete not only to win the cup but also to leave life on the streets and begin the life of prosperity promised to them. Streetball is a story of hope and of the resilience that dwells within the human spirit.

“Which Way Home”
(83 minutes) Mexico/USA

Director/Producer: Rebecca Cammisa

Description:

As the United States continues to build a wall between itself and Mexico, Which Way Home shows the personal side of immigration through the eyes of children who face harrowing dangers with enormous courage and resourcefulness as they endeavor to make it to the United States. The film follows several unaccompanied child migrants as they journey through Mexico en route to the US on a freight train they call "The Beast." The filmmaker tracks the stories of children like Olga and Freddy, 9-year-old Hondurans who are desperately trying to reach their families in Minnesota, and Jose, a 10-year-old El Salvadoran who has been abandoned by smugglers and ends up alone in a Mexican detention center. The film focuses on Kevin, a canny, streetwise 14-year-old Honduran, whose mother hopes that he will reach New York City and send money back to his family. These are stories of hope and courage, disappointment and sorrow. They are the ones you never hear about—the invisible ones.

“World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements”
(57 minutes) USA

Director/Producer: Chris Farina

Description:

A nine-year-old girl reads the letter that she wrote to the parents of a fictional soldier killed in battle. Another student struggles to explain how his propensity for warfare has led to his realization that he is living in a world that Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu described 2500 years ago. World Peace and other 4th Grade Achievements documents these and other important insights as children participate in a program called the World Peace Game in a public school classroom in Charlottesville, Virginia. Their teacher John Hunter developed this exercise during the course of a three-decade teaching career. The film tracks one of his 4th grade classes over a two-month period as the students grapple with issues of war and peace, poverty and prosperity, economic vitality and environmental responsibility. Hunter's story is central to the film, which reveals how one man has utilized his role as a public school educator to make his contribution as a true peacemaker. An African-American educated in the segregated schools of rural Virginia, where his mother was his 4th grade teacher, he was selected by his community to be one of seven students to integrate a previously all-white middle school. After graduation, he traveled extensively to China, Japan, and India, and his exposure to the Gandhian principles of non-violence led him to ask what he could do as a teacher to work toward a more peaceful world. Upon becoming an educator Hunter, brought his depth of interest and understanding of other cultures to his students. His goal is to teach the students how to be comfortable with the unknown, and how to think and adapt in our ever-changing world. He teaches peace, not as a utopian dream, but as an attainable goal worth striving for, and he provides the children with the tools to reach the goal.