Have you made it to this year’s United Nations Association Film Festival yet? This is the 13th year that the dynamic Jasmina Bojic and her fleet of dedicated and passionate staff and volunteers (including our own Media Center volunteer par excellence Cathy Keys) have brought this burgeoning festival to our community. This “Festival with a Conscience” is screening 60 outstanding documentaries by international filmmakers tackling social, ethical, and political issues from around the world: Afganistan, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, China, Colombia, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Mali, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, New Zealand, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Russia, Sierra Leone, Spain, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Senegal, Sudan, Switzerland, Thailand, Tuvalu, Uganda, UK, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and West Papua.

Once again, the Media Center is a proud sponsor of UNAFF. Each year, we produce an overview of the UNAFF in advance of the festival: a half hour preview of some of the films with guest appearances by some of the filmmakers. Click here for playback times to watch on our channels or watch in simulcast over our website. A team of Media Center staff and volunteers organized by Production Manager Karen Adams is again providing valuable assistance in the taping and archiving of some of the festival events, like the many panel discussions. Where else can you walk right out your door and within a few minutes be rubbing elbows with so many passionate artists who are transforming the world through film?

The festival continues through Sunday, October 31. Visit the UNAFF website for information screening times and tickets. The screenings are either free or very generously priced. These films is is not a for-profit venture, but a real gift from UNAFF’s heart to all of us.

(still taken from “All At Sea”)