Storytelling for Social Change: A Human Rights Film Series
Film has the power to transform entrenched narratives and catalyze social change. The Institute's film series, Storytelling for Social Change, explores the film medium and its potential for mobilizing action to advance human rights and social justice.
Join us to watch extraordinary films and to engage with the filmmakers, activists, and legal advocates who brought them to life.
2022-2023 FILMS

Go-Go City: Protect and Displacement in Washington, DC
"For decades, Washington, DC has been a beacon for Black culture and community. Now, however, a wave of economic and cultural gentrification occurring at breakneck speed threatens to erase this history. Go-Go City: Displacement & Protest in Washington, DC, a documentary film by Samuel George dives into this rich and colorful tapestry and the forces behind the gentrification that stand to mute it. The film interweaves scenes of protest as displaced communities take to the streets to rally around the city’s beloved Go-Go music." — Bertelsmann Foundation Documentary Films

TIME
An Oscar-nominated documentary, TIME delves into the resilience and radical love necessary to prevail over the endless family separations resulting from America’s prison-industrial complex. It follows Sibil Fox Richardson, fighting for the release of her husband, Rob, who was serving a 60-year prison sentence for engaging in an armed bank robbery.
Believing that “to be free is to free others”, Fox and Rob Rich discussed their commitment to educating the public about sustainable solutions to America’s prison-industrial complex.
2021-2022 FILMS

A Most Beautiful Thing
Based on the powerful memoir by Arshay Cooper and narrated by Grammy-winning artist Common, "A Most Beautiful Thing" chronicles the first African American high school rowing team in the United States.
Award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio, an Olympic rower and Georgetown Law alumnus, joined Elisa Massimino to discuss the film, its impact, and her work to advance social change through the power of film.

Flee
A poignant story of belonging and the search for identity—Amin’s life has been defined by his past and a secret he’s kept for over 20 years. Forced to leave his home country of Afghanistan as a young child with his mother and siblings, Amin grapples with how his past will affect his future in Denmark and the life he is building with his soon-to-be husband.
Robyn Barnard, Senior Advocacy Counsel in Refugee Protection at Human Rights First, led a discussion on the challenges that asylum seekers face.

A Fire Within
"A Fire Within" tells the true story of three Ethiopian women who immigrated to the United States after surviving torture in their home country, only to discover that the man responsible for torturing them is not only living in the United States but is working at the same Atlanta hotel as one of the women.
Christopher Chambers, the film's director, joined Elisa Massimino virtually to discuss the making of the film and his efforts to tell this inspiring true story through the survivors' own voices.

Crip Camp
Oscar-nominated "Crip Camp" tells the story of Camp Jened, a Catskills summer camp for teens with disabilities that fostered a sense of community and creativity. Many Jened campers went on to lead the American disability rights movement in the 1970s and beyond. The film documents the power of youth engagement to transform social narratives and deliver revolutionary change.