Now in its 16th year at HIFF, the 2015 Conflict & Resolution (C&R) program includes both feature films and shorts, all of which recognize and celebrate films that deal with the complex issues and the human dramas associated with war and violence.
The program, presented by the Tribeca Shortlist, recognizes one of the films in the series with a cash prize of $5,000 from the Brizzolara Family Foundation and a panel discussion after its screening, encouraging dialogue about the topic and providing a platform to learn, react and engage in worthy causes and issues.
“It is exciting to see our programs continue to successfully thrive,” said Anne Chaisson, HIFF Executive Director. The Conflict & Resolution program, now in its 16th year, supports such meaningful causes, and it is a pleasure to see this section return.”
HIFF 2015 Films of Conflict & Resolution: FEATURES
THE ARMOR OF LIGHT
USA | Directed by Abigail E. Disney
With her directorial debut, The Armor of Light, Abigail Disney presents a candid portrait of a brave evangelical minister who questioned whether someone could be both pro-life and pro-gun. A leader of the anti-abortion movement and his church, Reverend Rob Schenck was forced to reconsider his position after meeting Lucy McBath, a fellow Christian and gun control activist, whose son, Jordan Davis, was shot in Florida. Forming an unlikely alliance, the two embarked on a courageous journey, taking on the NRA and the church, giving hope to the idea that we can unite across party lines and find common ground.
DEMOCRATS
Denmark | Directed by Camilla Nielsson
More than two decades after president Robert Mugabe’s corrupt dictatorship began, international pressure forced Zimbabwe to assemble a bipartisan committee to begin writing the country’s first democratic constitution. With remarkable access and over the course of three years, director Camilla Nielsson traces the arduous process of negotiations led by two rivals appointed to head the committee as they compete and debate the democratic process. At times dramatic and often comical, Democrats balances the clash of personalities against the backdrop of Mugabe’s regime with intimate moments of honesty and respect.
HE NAMED ME MALALA
USA | Directed by Davis Guggenheim
Academy Award® winner Davis Guggenheim’s (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman) latest documentary is a candid look into the life of Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. An advocate for education and children’s right, Malala was rushed to the hospital after being attacked by the Taliban on October 9th, 2012. With the entire world rallied behind her, Malala recovered and co-founded The Malala Fund to empower girls worldwide by facilitating access to education with the belief that “one child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”
THE HIGH SUN
Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia | Directed by Dalibor Matanic | US Premiere
The inter-ethnic wars that tore Yugoslavia apart loom large in the background of Dalibor Matanić’s latest film The High Sun, winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Although never shown on screen, the tumult of the conflict seeps through and disrupts the lives of three young couples in stories that mirror the turmoil and healing process of a nation at war with itself. The tryptic spans decades: the first story is set in 1991 at the beginning of the war, the second one in 2001 at the end of the war, and the final one a decade later. With superb performances by Tihana Lazovic and Goran Markovic, The High Sun illuminates the tenacity of love across hatred and ethnic divides.
THE UNCONDEMNED
USA | Directed by Michele Mitchell, Nick Louvel | World Premiere
Beneath Rwanda’s lush, scenic greenery lies the brutal story of a genocide that fostered not only the systematic massacre of Rwandan citizens, but also the gruesome rape of its women. Up until this point rape had not been considered a war crime and was committed with impunity. The Uncondemned tells the story of a group of international lawyers who fought to redefine the term genocide to include rape. With the heroic testimony of the genocide survivors the filmmakers paint a vivid and moving account of the brave fight for justice for those still living with the ghosts of others’ crimes.
HIFF 2015 Films of Conflict & Resolution: SHORTS
KINGDOM OF GARBAGE
Iraq, UK, USA, Netherlands | Directed by Yasir Kareem
Zahraa, an Iraqi refugee, dreams of going to school while scouring a landfill site with her brother. When a trade between Zahraa and the self-proclaimed ‘King of Garbage’ goes wrong, the siblings’ relationship is tested to the breaking point.
LAST DAY OF FREEDOM
USA | Directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman | New York Premiere
When Bill Babbitt realizes his brother Manny has committed a crime, he agonizes over his decision—should he call the police?
PLAMEN
USA | Directed by Dress Code | East Coast Premiere
In early 2013, angered by high electric and heating bills, Bulgarians took to the streets. In acts of protest, at least seven Bulgarian citizens set themselves on fire. One of them was Plamen Goranov, a 37-year-old construction worker and artist from the Black Sea city of Varna.
TAKE ME TO THE MOON
China, Spain | Directed by Enric Ribes and Oriol Martinez | North American Premiere
In the Antex textile factory in Hangzhou, China, dreams of a better future are within reach, and the charismatic boss seeks the utopia of a happy factory of more than 2,000 workers.
The Conflict & Resolution (C&R) program is sponsored by the Tribeca Shortlist.
Join us at HIFF 2015: October 8–12, 2015. Passes and packages are on sale now. The HIFF Box Office will open September 26.
