Film line-up released for 17th Annual Global Peace Film Festival

PROMO: The Global Peace Film Festival (Facebook | Website) is celebrating its 17th year of operationg from September 16-22.

This year’s festival will be taking place at venues all over Orlando, Maitland, and Winter Park, bringing together filmmakers to weave stories about a more peaceful planet.

Editor’s Note: Bungalower Buddies subscribers should check their emails to redeem their BOGO code for a festival screening of their choice.

The festival programming begins on Tuesday, September 17 at 6 p.m. with a screening of The Public, directed by Emilio Estevez, about a librarian who helps a group of homeless people take refuge at the free public library in order to survive a brutal winter night. The film features Alec Baldwin, Emilio Estevez, Jena Malone, Taylor Schilling, and Christian Slater. The screening will be at Enzian Theater in Maitland and will be followed by a reception at the Eden Bar. Open to the public. Tickets for the screening by donation and $20 for the private reception.

From Wednesday through Sunday, films will be presented in the Bush and SunTrust Auditoria and Tiedtke Concert Hall at Rollins College and at the Winter Park Public Library in Winter Park. Special screenings will be presented at the LGBT+ Center Orlando and the Bronze Kingdom African Art Gallery in Orlando and the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida in Maitland.

The 17^th anniversary of the Festival continues with two films from Central Florida: The New Gatherers by Orlando filmmaker Frank Weaver, features the plight of eliminating the tide of litter with before it reaches our beaches; and Planting Seeds, Growing Justice which introduces the audience to local farmworkers who use indigenous agricultural practices in an effort to replenish local lands and empower the farm-working community.

Other films with Central Florida ties include College Crucible which invites viewers inside contemporary college life directed by Rollins College professor Lisa Tillmann; and Marching Forward, the history of two dedicated high school band directors inspired by music to cross color lines in the Deep South and directed by Lisa Mills, University of Central Florida associate professor of film and documentary. For They Know Not What They Do by award-winner director Daniel Karslake takes viewers on a journey of understanding through four American families whose stories are at the intersection of religion, sexual orientation and gender identity through their experiences of triumph and tragedy, rejection and validation.

Another local film, originally shown in the 2012 GPFF, explores the fight for women’s’ right to control their own bodies, The Uterati, Fighting Back in the War Against Women, will be shown with a new film, Heartbeat Iowa that examines recent issues in the fight over abortion rights, through the stories of a pro-life advocate and pro-choice advocate.

On Thursday, Sept. 19, in partnership with the Downtown Arts District (DAD), the Festival will present an exhibit of The Art of Jimi Hendrix, at CityArts in the Rogers Kiene Building. Throughout his life, Hendrix carried around sketchpads and art boards and was often seen drawing vivid images. More than 20 of his works from Hendrix Original Art Expressions, Inc. will be on display for the first time. An opening reception will take place during DAD’s Third Thursday Gallery Hop. The art will remain on display until mid-October.

And with support from Orange County Government, GPFF and DAD will, for the second year, conduct the FusionFest Short Film Contest during the Festival. Films will be screened at Full Sail University on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and Tiedtke Concert Hall at Rollins College at 7:30p.m. on Saturday.

FILM LINE-UP AND OTHER GPFF EVENTS

In addition to the film screenings, below are additional events that will occur during the GPFF:

Mon., Sept. 16, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.: Reception/Awards Ceremony for the Orange County Public Schools/GPFF Peace Art Exhibit of work by K-12 students.  Selected work will be on display in the Orlando City Hall Rotunda throughout the week. Cost: FREE and open to the public.

Sat., Sept. 21, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.: In partnership with the Peace and Justice Institute at Valencia College on the United Nations International Day of Peace,Peace Day in the Park will include yoga and meditation, non-competitive games, storytelling, arts and crafts, face painting and more. Central Park, Winter Park. FREE.

TICKETS

Tickets to GPFF screenings are $10 each and are on sale now.  Tickets may be purchased online at www.peacefilmfest.org or at each venue during festival hours. Patrons may purchase a Silver Pass for $99 good for admission to all screening and events excluding the opening night film and party or a Gold Pass for $199 that are good for admission to all screenings and events including the opening night film and party. Weekend Pass is also available for $50. Passes are also available at www.peacefilmfest.org.

ONLINE FESTIVAL

This year’s GPFF will again feature an online festival which will contain more than 40 additional films.  These can be viewed throughout the week of the festival at www.peacefilmfest.org.

Films about the environment include: 

• Catching Giants (USA/South Africa, 2018, 50 mins.) which takes viewers on an incredible journey alongside conservationists in their quest to learn more about giraffes.
• The Condor & The Eagle (USA/Canada/Ecuador/France/Peru, 2019, 80 mins.) offers a glimpse into a developing spiritual renaissance as four indigenous environmental leaders learn from each other’s long legacy of resistance to colonialism and its extractive economy.
• In a cinematic letter to the filmmaker’s son, Eating Up Easter (USA/Chile, 2018, 76 mins.) explores the modern dilemma of Easter Island’s people who risk losing everything to the globalizing effects of tourism.
• Through riveting stories of five rural communities, Right to Harm (USA, 2019, 81 mins.) exposes the devastating public health impact that factory farming has on many disadvantaged citizens throughout the United States.
• A Living Earth (Belgium, 2018, 52 mins.) that highlights a self-sustaining community thriving on permaculture in Belgium. This will be shown with two short films: Plant the Seed (USA, 2018, 11 mins.) about the founder of a national leader in the food justice movement; and The Plummery(Australia, 2019, 8 mins.) which showcases how a small permaculture garden can produce more than 900 pounds of food year-round.
• Keepers of the Future: La Coordinadora of El Salvador (USA/El Salvador, 2017, 24 mins.), which explores a peasant movement that puts down roots and establishes a model that may look like the key to the future. This film will be shown with Blue Goes Green: Net Zero Police Station (USA, 2019, 26 mins.) about thefirst Net Zero Energy police station to save taxpayers money and improve police-community relations in Cincinnati.

Films with Central Florida ties are:

• The New Gatherers (USA, 2019, 2 mins.) by Orlando filmmaker Frank Weaver, features the plight of eliminating the tide of litter before it reaches our beaches.
• Planting Seeds, Growing Justice (USA, 2018, 13 mins.) which introduces the audience to local farmworkers who use indigenous agricultural practices in an effort to replenish local lands and empower the farm-working community.
• College Crucible (USA, 2019, 41 mins.) which invites viewers inside contemporary college life directed by Rollins College professor Lisa Tillmann.
• Marching Forward (USA, 2018, 60 mins), the history of two dedicated high school band directors inspired by music to cross color lines in the Deep South and directed by Lisa Mills, University of Central Florida associate professor of film and documentary.
• For They Know Not What They Do (USA, 2019, 91 mins.) by award-winner director Daniel Karslake takes viewers on a journey of understanding through four American families whose stories are at the intersection of religion, sexual orientation and gender identity through their experiences of triumph and tragedy, rejection and validation.
• Originally shown in the 2012 GPFF, The Uterati, Fighting Back in the War Against Women (USA, 2012, 51 mins.), explores the fight for women’s’ right to control their own bodies; and will be shown with a new film, Heartbeat Iowa (USA, 2019, 31 mins) that examines recent issues in the fight over abortion rights, through the stories of a pro-life advocate and pro-choice advocate.

Films that introduce the audience to people inspired to do something to make a difference in their communities include:

• Community First, a Home for the Homeless (USA, 2018, 65 mins.) showcases the transformational lives of the homeless in Austin, TX through the power of community.
• Decade of Fire (USA, 2018, 75 mins.) tells the unseen story of the South Bronx after the 1970s fire and offers a roadmap for building the community. It will be shown with the short The Robo Con (USA, 2019, 16 mins.) about Wall Street’s quest to turn the foreclosure process into a for-profit business.
• Narrated by award-winning actor and activist, Danny Glover, The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution (USA, 2018, 56 mins.) tells a poignant chapter in the historic struggle to secure equal and adequate access to healthcare for all Americans.

Films about historical events include:

• Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066 (USA, 2018, 65 mins.) examines the false information and political influences that led to the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans.
• The events leading up to the development of John F. Kennedy’s final speech are documented in JFK: The Last Speech (USA, 2018, 58 mins.). 
• The plight of Israel’s great political hope turned controversial figure and cynical politician is documented in King Bibi (Israel/USA, 2018, 87 mins.).

A global perspective is expressed in:

• The Sequel (UK/Greece, 2018, 61 mins.) that recognizes the fundamental unsustainability of today’s society and dares to ask about the future.
• The story of billion-dollar enterprise entrepreneur, Frank Lowy, story is told in What Will Become of Us (USA/Australia, 2019, 72 mins.).
• The Worst Thing (Germany//USA, 2019, 84 mins.) chronicles the travels of a woman to Germany to make peace with the military group who killed her brother.
• Syrian refugees in Canada are the subject of the latest film by two-time Academy Award-winning director, Barbara Kopple, in New Homeland(USA, 2018, 93 mins.). The film tells the story of a group of displaced boys from war-torn Syria and Iraq spending the summer at a campsite in the Canadian wilderness. 
• Undeterred (USA, 2019, 75 mins.) tells the story of community resistance in a rural border town in Arizona; how residents have mobilized to demand their rights and provide aid to those funneled across a desert.

Films about gun safety are:

• Incompatible Allies (USA, 2019, 43 mins.) which captures local black students’ experiences with gun violence and their perspectives on prevention and community safety. This will be shown with At Arm’s Length (USA, 2018, 15 mins.) about two journalists who try to reconcile their relationships with the victims of a mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, TX.

Other films from around the world include:

Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook With Jeffrey Wright Trailer from Redux Pictures on Vimeo.

• Changing the Game (USA, 2019, 95 mins.) takes viewers into the lives of three transgender high school athletes and their urgent, articulate plea for acceptance.
• The impact of social media on our lives and the effects of technology on the brain is explored in LIKE (USA/Hong Kong, 2019, 49 mins.).
• Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook (USA, 2019, 79 mins.), narrated by Jeffrey Wright, identifies a shrewd 10-part strategy developed by Republicans to suppress votes that would be cast against them in the 2016 election.
• The comedy Travel Ban: Make America Laugh Again (USA, 2018, 84 mins.) is about being brown and immigrant in America as seen through the eyes of comedians of Middle Eastern background.
• A Theater of Witness performance explores societal wounds and shares performers’ stores and visions of the future in Walk in My Shoes (USA, 2018, 60 mins.).