Human Rights Experimental and Animated Film Series Screening Thursday in Minot

7 avant-garde films screening at Oak Park Theater for one special night

MINOT, ND (July 6, 2020) – The Third Annual North Dakota Human Rights Arts Festival presents a special one-night theatrical screening of 7 experimental and animated films at the Oak Park Theater on Thursday, July 9. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the screening begins at 7. The series is free and open to the public. Good-will donations to support the festival are accepted. 

The film series showcases avant-garde artists using innovative techniques in storytelling to highlight important human rights issues. 

Due to pandemic seating is limited and reservations are encouraged. Social distancing protocols will be in place, and free masks will be distributed by the festival for all attendees. Seats may be reserved at www.human-family.org.

The film series includes 7 films from around the world, including: “Gulf” from Walter Mzengi of Tanzania; “The Scar Runs Through the Pupil” from Amanda May of Canada; “Eviction” from Oscar De Leon of North Dakota; “Once Upon a Territory” from Fiona Morrison of Andorra; “Passage” from Asavari Kumar of India; “Umbrella Dance for Hong Kong” from Ben Wong of Hong Kong; and the feature length film “Wardi” from Mats Grorud of France.

The films speak to human rights issues including human migration, foster care and the education system, economic security, Native American Territories, democracy in Hong Kong, and the plight of the Palestinian people.

The special theatrical screening is part of the North Dakota Human Rights Arts Festival, which is currently on display at the Taube Museum of Art. It is the first time for the festival in Minot. The art exhibition is free and open to the public.

The art festival includes the work of 67 2D, 3D, filmmakers, writers and live performance artists from around the globe. Each artist explores human rights, civil rights or social justice issues through their respective mediums. In addition to paintings, mixed media works and photographs, a series of experimental films is also part of the festival. “The Taube is excited to work with the Human Family and display all of the impactful works and voices that are a part of the North Dakota Human Rights Festival,” said Taube Executive Director Rachel Alfaro.

The exhibition will be on display at the Taube Museum of Art through July 15. Due to the pandemic, the Taube is following protocols put in place by the North Dakota Smart Restart program. In addition to following protocols for cleaning and safety, special limited hours are in place through the exhibition: Tuesday through Friday, 1 – 4 p.m. The exhibition is also available for viewing by appointment. Contact the Taube for additional information at (701) 838-4445. Free masks for attendees are being provided by exhibition.

Minot features the last opportunity to view the exhibition in person. The North Dakota Human Rights Arts Festival opened in January in Fargo at the Plains Art Museum. The exhibition moved in February to the Bismarck Downtown Artist Cooperative in Bismarck, North Dakota. The exhibition will permanently close on July 16, and preparations will begin for the Fourth Annual Festival which will open in January 2021 at the Plains Art Museum.

The mission of the North Dakota Human Rights Arts Festival is to educate, engage, and facilitate discussion around local and worldwide human-rights topics through the work of filmmakers and artists. The exhibition and screening in Minot are supported in part by a grant a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. The experimental and animated film screening at the Oak Park Theatre is made possible by J&S Productions.  For more information about the festival, contact Sean Coffman, Executive Director of the Human Family at sean@human-family.org. 

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