New film festival challenges students, teachers to put human rights in focus
Films set to be screened at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre in May
Grade 12 student Jasmine Dhalla can't wait to get going on her short film for the new Film for Human Rights Student Film Festival, but first she has to help get the event up and running.
"I love the entire process of making a film," she said.
"It's a beautiful process because at the end, you made something out of an idea."
With support from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Dhalla is working alongside her Maples Collegiate film studies and English language arts teacher Saul Henteleff to bring the festival to life and promote it on social media.
Henteleff has organized the Seven Oaks Student Film Festival for the past seven years, but decided these unique times called for a deeper focus on human rights.
"Filmmaking is an incredible learning experience," he said.
"There's just so many things that kids are thinking and talking about, and when we get an opportunity to see them on film, it's exciting, it's wonderful and it's important."
When Henteleff pitched his idea to Lise Pinkos, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights' director of programs, she was immediately interested.
"It seemed like a really great way to help students learn more about human rights locally and what matters to them," Pinkos said.
The museum plans to support the film festival by holding in-person screenings of the students' work during the festival in May — pandemic allowing.
Reel education
In the meantime, it will also host filmmaking workshops for teachers in the Seven Oaks School Division who want to help students create a short film for a class project. It's also offering free admission to the division's teachers and students who are looking for inspiration.
Henteleff also received just under $23,000 from the province's Teacher's Idea Fund, which will go to five filmmaking packages, with gear such as laptops and tripods, to help teachers and students put their films together.
While the funding and workshops are just for Seven Oaks, submissions are welcome from all Manitoba school divisions.
Hentelleff would love to get at least 20 submissions.
If a film's submitted, it will be screened.
Dhalla's still deciding whether she wants to centre her film around climate change, LGBTQ issues or racism.
She doesn't want fellow students to be intimidated by choosing a topic or lacking experience.
"You should definitely go for it," she said.
"This is a great platform for you to raise awareness on the issue you want to talk about."
Screenings are planned for the end of May at the Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
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