2018 North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival Opening Night

FARGO, N.D. (November 8, 2018) – 2018 The North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival opens Thursday, November 8 at the Empire Arts Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. 10 unique films will screen throughout the day, and the program will conclude with the panel discussion, “The Immigrant and Refugee Experience”.

“We’re extremely excited by the festival program,” said Sean Coffman, Executive Director of the Human Family and Chair of the 2018 North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival. “The films speak profoundly to important content relevant to many streams of conversation taking place contemporary society.”

The opening night film for the 2018 festival is “This is Home“, a feature-length documentary about a Syrian family’s journey through the refugee self-sufficient resettlement program in suburban Baltimore.

The film will be followed by the panel discussion, “The Immigrant and Refugee Experience”. In the midst of racial tensions in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the panel discussion will focus on dispelling the myths around immigration processes and services, and identify ways the Grand Forks community can become a welcoming community for all who call it home.

The panel will be moderated by Ifrah Esse, a Grand Forks Attorney and small business owner who arrived in the U.S. with her parents and 8 siblings as a refugee.

Panelist for the discussion include: Jaylani Hussein, Executive Director of CAIR-MN; Cynthia Shabb, Executive Director of the Global Friends Coalition; and Reggie Tarr, Resettlement Coordinator for Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota.

The North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival will take place November 8 through November 16, 2018 in three cities in North Dakota: In Grand Forks, North Dakota on Thursday, November 8 at the historic Empire Arts Center; in Bismarck, North Dakota on Tuesday, November 13 at the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum; and for two days in Fargo, North Dakota on Thursday, November 15 and Friday, November 16 at the historic Fargo Theatre in Fargo, North Dakota. 31 films from 10 countries will screen as part of the festival.

Pre-sale tickets for the 2018 North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival are currently available. Tickets for individual screenings are $12 in advance and $15 at the door, and $2 for Seniors and Students. A Festival Pass to all screenings in Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks is available for $40. Follow the following links to get your tickets today: Grand Forks, Bismarck or Fargo.

The mission of the North Dakota Human Rights Film and Arts Festival is to educate, engage, and facilitate discussion around local and world-wide human rights topics through the work of filmmakers and artist. 2018 is the second year for both the film and art festivals.

The 2018 North Dakota Human Rights Film and Arts Festival is made possible through the generosity of the Consensus Council, the City of Fargo’s Human Relations Commission, the City of Fargo’s Native American Commission, the Awesome Foundation: Cass Clay, and The High Plains Reader, and through partnerships with Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota, the NDSU Memorial Gallery, the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition. The Fargo screening of the film “Home.” was funded in part by Humanities North Dakota, a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the screening of “Home.” do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities North Dakota or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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