Global Issues Film Festival – Nov. 18th-23rd

This fall marks the 13th year for the Global Issues Film Festival!

The festival, sponsored by the University of Michigan-Flint, Kettering University, and Mott Community College, showcases the work of independent filmmakers from around the globe, representing a variety of voices and viewpoints that challenge viewers to reach across the boundaries of language, culture and religion.

The first half of the festival will feature six films. The first will be screened at UM-Flint’s KIVA and the remaining films will be shown at the Mott Community College Regional Technology Center Auditorium on MCC’s Flint campus. The second half of the film festival will feature an additional five films that will be shown at Kettering University January 28 through 31, 2015.

All film screenings are free and open to the public.

The schedule of films for the first half of the Festival is as follows:

HALF OF A YELLOW SUN (2013). Directed by Biyi Bandele. 113 min.
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 5 p.m.
This screening will be in the KIVA of the Harding Mott University Center at UM-Flint.
Based on the novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a UM-Flint Visiting Author in September of this year, this is a saga of love and betrayal set against the 1967-70 Biafran war, when Igbo people mounted a struggle for independence. The privileged lives of two sisters, Olanna and Kainene, unravel in the midst of civil war as they make very different personal and romantic choices. Features performances by Thandie Newton (Crash, ER), Anika Noni Rose (The Princess & the Frog) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave). It will also be screened in the second part of the festival at Kettering University.

UTOPIA (2013). Directed by John Pilger. 110 min.
Friday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m. 
This documentary examines the experiences of indigenous people of northern Australia. The
name of this region, Utopia, belies the harsh reality facing Aboriginal people here: the abject poverty, deep-seated racism, and police brutality they deal with daily are manifestations of a long history of violence. UTOPIA tells of the determination of Aboriginal activists who fight to make their stories known, and find ways for their communities to begin healing.

DEEP GREEN (2010). Directed by Matt Briggs. 102 min.
Saturday, Nov. 22, 1 p.m.
DEEP GREEN travels the world in search of the most promising solutions to global warming. The film investigates the state-of-the-art technologies fuelling China’s green revolution, visits the “greenest city in Europe,” and explores actions individuals throughout Europe are taking to combat global warming. With its emphasis on solutions, DEEP GREEN offers gripping insights and presents a refreshing look at an urgent situation.

A BRIDGE APART (2013). Directed by Virginia Wolf. 56 min.
Saturday, Nov. 22, 3 p.m.
A compelling look at migration from the perspective of migrants from Central America and Mexico to the U.S., exploring why they move and the dangers they face. Usually poor, young and facing the threat of kidnapping by human traffickers, these are people whose struggles have been overlooked. The film investigates strategies that coffee farmers in Guatemala have implemented to increase economic opportunity and prevent migration. It will also be screened in the second part of the festival at Kettering University.

CROSSING BORDERS (2010). Directed by Arnd Wächter. 72 min.
Sunday, Nov. 23, 1 p.m. 
This film is about the inter-cultural dialogue that ensues as four Moroccan and four American university students travel through Morocco for a week. Preconceived notions about “the clash of civilizations” between the West and Islam (both construed in monolithic terms) fall apart as they get to know one another and engage in frank conversations about culture and religion.

THE WISDOM TO SURVIVE: Capitalism, Climate Change & Community (2013).
Directed by John Ankele and Anne Macksoud. 56 min.
Sunday, Nov. 23, 3 p.m. This documentary examines the challenges of climate change and discusses the meaningful actions that can be taken. Unlike many films on the ecological and humanitarian crisis wrought by unchecked economic growth, THE WISDOM TO SURVIVE brings together the perspectives of spiritual leaders, economists and scientists, including Stephanie Kaza, Rev. Daniel Janto, Joanna Macy, Bill McKibben, and Roger Payne.

For more information about the Global Issues Film Festival contact the office of International and Global Studies at UM-Flint: 810.762.3340 or [email protected]