Films with themes on migration, human rights screen Oct 15 to 19

The Migrant Center of the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi invites you to attend the Indie & Foreign Film Festival from October 15 -19. Screenings start at 6 p.m. in the Church’s San Damiano Hall each night. The Indie & Foreign Film Festival focuses on the critical issues of migration and human rights, subjects that fuel all and everything that we do at the Migrant Center.

The Indie & Foreign Film Festival is an ongoing film exhibition. Five years ago, when we opened the Migrant Center at the Church of St. Francis, we saw the need to raise people’s awareness and keep immigration on their radars. We launched forums and seminars to achieve this goal finding that a yearly curated festival with expert presentations was a powerful vehicle to reach the hearts and minds of the public. The Indie & Foreign Film Festival is dedicated to uplifting immigrant voices, stories, and art for all of the public to view.

This year’s Indie & Foreign Film Festival line-up includes 18 short films, feature-length fiction films plus documentaries, animated films, and a film produced and directed by young people. Each evening will feature a selection of short films, a feature-length film, presentations on the specific issues of migration and human rights that the films illuminate, and filmmaker appearances.

Three outstanding films included in this year’s festival are:

“Estrellita,” a short animated fiction film that tells the story of a young girl who lives in a fantasy of her surroundings, which are suddenly torn apart when her father is detained and her world literally comes crumbling down. The animation style is vibrant similar to the girl’s initial view of her world, but becomes tainted when her family is split apart by ICE operatives.

“The Language of Ball” is a short fiction film that portrays New York’s unique multiple immigrant identities and also beautifully highlights the city’s landscape. This film shows how a common love for basketball leads to an unexpected friendship across language and cultural barriers among NYC’s youth.

“What Will People Say” is a feature length narrative that’s been getting a lot of buzz among film fanatics! A young women rebels against her controlling father and is sent to live in Pakistan, the land of her father, but one she barely knows.

For a full schedule of the screenings visit https://www.indieforfilmfest.com. Suggested donation of $25. Free for students with valid ID. — Migrant Center of the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi