To be human is to feel love, happiness, anger, hatred, and everything in between. We come into the world without any user manuals. As soon as we are conscious of our surroundings, we not only have to make sense of our own thoughts and emotions, but we also have to make sense of the world around us; a world that has existed before us and will continue to exist without us. Whether we are set up for success or we are meant to face many struggles may be determined by the circumstances of our birth and may change during the journey through life.
To be human is to learn and to grow. Social campaigns are there to help us to live our own lives better but also to show us the perspectives of others. A lot of these campaigns use educational films, some of which teach through direct lessons and others through emotional or humorous stories. This program brings together films that show us different aspects of human lives. The films touch on issues concerning women’s rights, social life, migration, war, and death. Some are from well-known campaigns while others weren’t so widely circulated.
To be human is to have the right to exist. The first set of films portrays what it means to be women in a world where they are thought of as lesser than the rest. It starts with stories depicting the struggles of young girls and continues with issues of sex and consent. We also see active women in their different roles.
To be human is to live and let live. The next set of shows the struggle of being born in a politically volatile or economically unstable situation. It starts with the poignant poem about urban migration, then moves on to different stories of displacement. Furthermore, we must still keep our eyes on Gaza, so the next set of films are from the project “To Gaza With Love: A Global Anjem”.
Finally, to be human is to learn to come to terms with our body and our mind. The last few films deal with stories of just being human.
Naima Alam
PROGRAM:
• The letters, UN Environment Programme, 1’59’’
• Meena: Dividing the Mango, Unicef, 13’02’’
• KOMAL A film on Child Sexual Abuse CSA English, 10’01’’
• Tea and Consent, Thames valley police, 2’49’’• Global Women “Career-Limiting Move”, Anna Malin Mantzaris, 1’
• Bon Voyage, 6’13’’
• PRAVAASI – The migrant, Climb, 1’42’’
• Mustafa Goes For A Walk, Unicef, 2’15’’
• Floating Like Water on a Taro Leaf – A Poem by Rohingya Artist, Asma Nayim Ullah, 2’20’’
• Some Strings – Animated Short Film – Palestine, From To Gaza With Love: A Global Anijam, 1’32’’
• Childline: Nobody Is Normal, Catherine Prowse, 1’28’’
