Individuals have the power to make a difference. Inspiring films about inspriing people show how they have drawn on enormous personal strength to dedicate their lives to trying to make human wrongs right. Activism through individual acts, or as part of a movement, is often the grass roots beginning of crucially important change.
Come and see the following films and you will leave, quite simply, inspired.
The Day After Peace 2008, 81mins, UK, Jeremy Gilley
Against all odds an individual creates an UN day of global ceasefire. But will he silence the cynics? Can an artificially created day make any difference and save any lives?
As the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights approaches (10th Dec) is it time to consider if international days and treaties make significant difference?
Link The official website http://peaceoneday.org More about the whole initiative: Peace One Day. Also a place to make a committment, buy the DVD and get involved by marking the next UN day of global ceasefire.
A Lesson of Belorussian 2006, 56mins, Poland, Miroslaw Dembínski
Lukachenko rules Belarus as a dictatorship. Despite brutal repression young Belarusians get organised and call for a democracy.
Students still embody the spirit of resistance- be inspired by the lengths these ones go to in a country that is part of Europe.
Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai 2008, 81mins, USA, Lisa Merton and Alan Dater
An inspiring story of the human rights environmentalist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. The movement she created was evidence of grass roots democracy working in the face of Daniel Arup Moi's dictatorship. An inspiration to all of us, and an in-depth look into Kenya and the context that this Nobel Prize winner worked in.
A Walk to Beautiful 2007, 85mins, USA, Mary Olive Smith
Five Ethiopian women who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries and embark on a journey to reclaim their lost dignity. Rejected by their husbands and ostracized by their communities, these women are left to spend the rest of their lives in loneliness and shame.
Knowing this is going on in your country what do you do?
Links The official website http://www.walktobeautiful.com More information on the film and on fistula, buy the DVD, support the film.
Dictator Hunter 2007, 75mins, Netherlands, Klaartje Quirijns
"If you kill one person, you go to jail. If you kill 40 people, they put you in an insane asylum. But if you kill 40, 000 people, you get a comfortable exile with a bank account in another country, and that's what we want to change here," Reed Brody, Human Rights Watch.
Follow one man's job working with Human Rights Watch as he tries to bring justice to former dictator of Chad, Hissène Habré.
Faces 2007, 83mins, France, Gmax
A group of friends, artists, activists, use giant photographs pasted in unavoidable positions to question why Palestinians and Israelis do not get on with each other. Each portrait features a pair of people, with the same job, from the different communities. How people react to these pictures is the film.
Activism through art - an alternative way to challenge irresolvable differences?
The Yes Men
2004, 80min, USA, Dan Olman, Sarah Price and Chris Smith The film follows anti-corporate pranksters Andy and Mike from their beginnings with GWBush.com and on to their presentations as invited speakers from WTO. These intelligent, truthful, daring and extremely funny activists show what can be achieved to bring greater media attention to global issues of the Human Wrong type.
Activism through pranks - some of the very best and funniest actions against corporations. A real classic - come and see it.
Andy has done it again - on Novemeber 12th 2008 one million fake copies of the New York Times were distributed on the streets - with the headline Iraq War Ends and some fantastic parody articles inside.
