The North Dakota Human Rights Film and Arts Festival returns for 2023. The festival opens in January 2023 in Fargo, North Dakota, at the Plains Art Museum and concludes in January 2024 in Jamestown, North Dakota, at The Arts Center. The statewide festival features a traveling art exhibition and film festival. A full calendar of events is available online. All in-person and virtual events for the festival are free and open to the public.

The traveling art exhibition includes the work of seventy-five 2D, 3D, filmmakers, and live performance artists from around the world. Each artist explores human rights, civil rights, or social justice issues through their respective mediums. In addition to paintings, mixed media works, and photographs, avant-garde animated and experimental films are also featured in the exhibition. Two public art opportunities have also been incorporated into the traveling festival.

The first Artist Reception of the season will take place on Thursday, January 19th, at the Plains Art Museum. The reception begins at 6:30 p.m., and the formal event begins at 7:00. Artists will be on hand to speak about their motivations and the inspirations behind their work. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvers will be available. The event is free and open to the public.

The Human Family congratulates the 75 artists selected by the festival’s Jury to participate in the festival. The selected artist include:

STARFULL TEHRAN – Directed by FARNAZ POURKASHEF

Acrylic Paintings

1. A PLACE TO REST – by Paul Noot
2. ANOTHER DAY – by Kayla Branstetter
3. DAUGHTER – by Malls LeMier
4. INCOMMUNICABLE – by Rhoda Elmi
5. JAZZ FAN – by Beth Dian Bradley
6. POWER OF IKWE – by Hillary Kempenich
7. STARFULL TEHRAN – by Farnaz Pourkashef

A BOY OF MAY – Directed by Seung-il Chon

Animated Films

1. A BOY OF MAY – Directed by Seung-il Chon
2. JANUARY – Directed by Ella Brew
3. PLUS – Directed by Bohdan Romanko
4. RAHYNE – Directed by Paulette Moore, Nicole T. Taylor, Queen Kukoyi
5. THE BLACK DISQUISITION – Directed by Quincy G. Ledbetter

AMERICAN SUNRISE ECHO – by Karen Perry

Ceramics

1. AMERICAN SUNRISE ECHO – by Karen Perry
2. COMPASSION AND EMPATHY – by Gretchen Bederman

GOLGOTHA VEGAS – by Adam Bursack

Collage/Mixed Media

1. AMERICAN SACRIFICE – by Kenneth W Andersen
2. BANS OFF OUR BODIES – by Ryan Flynn
3. GOLGOTHA VEGAS – by Adam Bursack
4. internal hyperactivity – by Frances Taylor
5. I CAN’T BREATHE – by Anthony Faris
6. RUTH BADER – by Melissa Kugler
7. PLASTIC OCEAN WAVE – by Angie Swiec
8. THE IMPRESSION OF WORDS – by Rebecca Martens
9. TORRENTE DE AGUA – Lourdes J Hawley
10. SPECTRUM WATCHING – Katherine Shehadeh
11. TOMORROW – by Janelle Stoneking
12. YOUTHFUL SPIRIT – by Alaki Ajang
13. HOME IS WHERE THE BUFFALO USE TO BE – by Delia Touché

BLEED THE SAME – by Carlos Roybal

Digital

1. BLEED THE SAME – by Carlos Roybal
2. CROSSHAIRS – by Kevin R. Tengesdal
3. KEELY & DU – by Jeff Knight
4. NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS – by Carlos Roybal
5. SAFETY NET – by Rebecca Oehler
6. THE TRUTH – by Fali

MEMORIES – by Diana Alhalabi

Drawing

1. BEAR PAW TATTOOS – by Ryan Netterville
2. MEMORIES – by Diana Alhalabi

MIGRANTS – Directed by Masoud Ahmadi

Experimental Films

1. BAD CHILD – Directed by Nicole Emiliana Mendez
2. COURTHOUSE POEM – Directed by Liz Minette
3. JUMPING FENCES – Directed by Alfred M Hernandez
4. MIGRANTS – Directed by Masoud Ahmadi
5. SEED POLLINATE BLOOM – Directed by Katrina Brook Flores & Johnathan Woods
6. STUDIO WITH A VIEW – Directed by Mara Wollong
7. THE EYE BEGINS IN THE HAND – Directed by Yehuda Sharim
8. THE HUNDRED YEARS’ BINGE – Directed by Pamela Falkenberg and Jack Cochran
9. THE SPACE BETWEEN US – Directed by Gabriel Diamond
10. TransStyX – Directed by Moncef Zahrouni
11. VeRONAka – Directed by Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore

THE MISSISSIPPI – Directed by Keely Kernan

Interactive Media

1. MAHARAJA’S CHILDREN: A BRAVE BUNCH IN INDIA – Directed by Tomasz Patryk Stankiewicz
2. THE MISSISSIPPI – Directed by Keely Kernan

SHOW ME THE VISION – by OVISION

Musical Performance

1. FACE ON A COIN – Performed by Brayden Ryle
2. SHOW ME THE VISION – Performed by OVISION

ONE TIME I HAD A BRAIN AND IT WENT CRAZY – by Kimble Bromley

Oil Paintings

1. ONE TIME I HAD A BRAIN AND IT WENT CRAZY – by Kimble Bromley

THINGS WE LEARNT FROM EACH OTHER – by Gaurav Datta

Photography

1. THINGS WE LEARNT FROM EACH OTHER – by Gaurav Datta
2. WITHOUT A CHOICE – by Shane Balkowitsch

WOMAN.LIFE.FREEDOM – by Parnian Pourmovahed

Screenprinting

1. WOMAN.LIFE.FREEDOM – by Parnian Pourmovahed

WHERE THE SPIRIT MEETS THE BONE – by Jeremy Colbert

Sculptures

1. LACK OF MOTIVATION – by Anonymous
2. WHERE THE SPIRIT MEETS THE BONE – by Jeremy Colbert

THIS IS A HARD PLACE TO LEAVE – by Rebecca Oehler

Textile

1. decolonizingPRIDE – by Penny Kagigebi
2. GATHERING OF MANY WAYS – Rick Kagigebi
3. LOVED BEYOND WORDS – by Agnes Yellow Bear
4. MASHKIKIIWAABIGWANIIN MEDICINE FLOWERS CANISTER SET – by Penny Kagigebi
5. STILL HERE – by Agnes Yellow Bear
6. THIS IS A HARD PLACE TO LEAVE – by Rebecca Oehler
7. WALK THE TALK – by Lisa Arnold

STAY ALIVE, MY SON – by Victoria Bousis

Virtual Reality

1. STAY ALIVE, MY SON (Chapter 1) – Directed by Victoria Bousis
2. WATER & COLTAN – Directed by Daniel Kötter

patriarchal knot – by Farah Art Griffin

Written Word

1. A ROOM WITHOUT A VIEW – by Rhonda Gilbertson-Evans
2. ABORTION MADE ME A BETTER MOTHER – by Anonymous
3. CAMP – by Liz Minette
4. patriarchal knot – by Farah Art Griffin
5. PRAYER FOR CHILDREN AT THE BORDER – by Karen Van Fossan
6. PUT DOWN YOUR GUN – by Kelly Kaur
7. SOLIDARITY IS NOT A FAVOR – by Karen Van Fossan
8. THE HYMEN TEST – by Kelly Kaur
9. THE NORTHERN MIRROR #1-6 – by Red River Creatives Collective
10. WOUNDS FROM WHIPLASH – by Katie Ryan-Anderson

The North Dakota Human Rights Film and Arts Festival’s mission is to educate, engage, and facilitate discussion around local and worldwide human rights topics. The festival was founded and is managed by The Human Family, a non-partisan 501(c)(3) based in North Dakota founded to change our communities through art.

The 2023 North Dakota Human Rights Film and Arts Festival is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. The festival’s public art project is supported by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the North Dakota Council on the Arts. Institutonal support of The Human Family is provided in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, and The Arts Partnership, with support from the cities of Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo.