UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION
FILM FESTIVAL
TRAVELLING FILM FESTIVAL
MONTREAL 2019
IMAGE & NATIONS
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Yellow Pad Sessions is proud to have been chosen to host the Canadian premiere of the United Nations Association Film Festival, Traveling Festival (UNAFF TFF MTL) titled Image & Nations on September 21, 2019 at the historic McCord Museum. The aim of UNAFF TFF MTL is to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
UNAFF was conceived in 1998 at Stanford University by film critic and educator Jasmina Bojic in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF) screens documentaries by international filmmakers covering issues such as human rights, environmental themes, women’s issues, refugee protection, homelessness, racism, universal education, and war and peace. By bringing together filmmakers, the academic community and the general public, UNAFF offers a unique opportunity for creative exchange and education among groups and individuals often separated by geography, ethnicity and economic constraints. For more details please visit unaff.org
UNAFF TFF MTL 2019 PROGRAMME
IMAGE & NATIONS
THROUGH MY EYES: HANI'S JOURNEY
O.V. English | st English
Year: 2017
Length: 30 mins
Director: Zahra Mackaoui
Theme 1: Refugees
UN Sustainable Development Goal #16
Begins at 9:45 AM
Through My Eyes follows the journey of blind Syrian refugee Hani Moulia from the camps in Lebanon to Canada. Told through his photos, it is a story of triumph against adversity, set against the backdrop of the Syria crisis.
Panelists Hani Moulia & Muzna Dureid
To gain insight into Hani's story, check out this article by the UNHCR:
https://www.unhcr.ca/news/through-the-eyes-of-a-refugee/
SOUFRA
Soufra follows the unlikely and wildly inspirational story of intrepid social entrepreneur, Mariam Shaar – a generational refugee who has spent her entire life in the Burj El Barajneh refugee camp just south of Beirut, Lebanon. The film follows Mariam as she sets out against all odds to change her fate by launching a successful catering company, “Soufra”, and then expand it into a food truck business with a diverse team of fellow refugee woman who now share this camp as their home.
Panelists: Hani Moulia & Muzna Dureid
O.V. Arabic | st English
Year: 2017
Length: 1h 13mins
Director: Thomas Morgan
Theme 1: Refugees
UN Sustainable Development Goal #16
Begins at 9:45 AM
LIYANA
LIYANA tells the story of a Swazi girl that embarks on a dangerous quest to rescue her young twin brothers. This animated African tale is born in the imaginations of five orphaned children in Swaziland who collaborate to tell a story of perseverance drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams. Their fictional character’s journey is interwoven with poetic and observational documentary scenes to create a genre-defying celebration of collective storytelling.
Panelists: Aaron Kopp & Petrina Lee Poy
O.V. English & Swahili | st French
Year: 2017
Length: 1h 17mins
Directors: Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp
Theme 2: Children’s Health (HIV/Africa)
UN Sustainable Development Goal #3
Begins at 12:30 PM
DEMAIN
In 2012, Nature published a study led by more than twenty researchers from the top scientific institutions in the world predicting that humankind could disappear between 2040 and 2100. It also said that it could be avoided by drastically changing our way of life and take appropriate measures. French actress and director Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) and activist Cyril Dion decided to travel the world in search of solutions that can help save the next generations. The result is Tomorrow, an inspiring documentary that presents concrete solutions implemented throughout the world by hundreds of communities.
Panelists: Colleen Thorpe & Maxime Lakat
Theme 3: Climate Change
UN Sustainable Development Goal #13
Begins at 2:30 PM
JOIN US ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2019
FOR IMAGE & NATIONS
When: Saturday, September 21, 2019, from 9h30 to 5h30
Doors open at 9h30
Where: Musée McCord Museum