BORN IN GOMA (48min, CONGO)
DIRECTOR: CHRIS CARPENTER
CHICAGO PREMIERE
Dr. Chris Carpenter travels to Goma, a war-ravaged city in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to work at the HEAL Africa hospital. Each day, he cares for the sickest and most desperate children in the region. During his journey, he meets three special patients, each trying to survive in the midst of extreme poverty and violence. Born in Goma follows Isaac, Gisele and Dieume as they work against remarkable odds to regain their health and build brighter futures.
PAPER PLANES (15MIN, AUSTRALIA)
DIRECTOR: STORM ASHWOOD
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Paper Planes tells the story of Alier, a young boy who is forced to flee his home in Africa when civil war breaks out. He befriends a UN soldier and is subsequently kidnapped by rebels. A boy confused for a father figure, he soon finds himself trapped between African militia, UN peacekeepers and a country being torn to shreds.
NI UNA MAS (17MIN, MEXICO)
DIRECTOR: ANGELA AGUAYO
CHICAGO PREMIERE
For over a decade, women throughout the State of Chihuahua, Mexico have been disappearing; their unidentified bodies violated and systematically dumped near maquiladoras and other deserted locations. Over 430 young women have been found raped, tortured, murdered and predominantly discovered in the US/Mexico border of El Paso/Ciudad Juarez as well as the state's capital, Chihuahua City. Since 1993, over 1000 women are still missing. NI UNA MAS was filmed during visits to the cities of Juarez and Chihuahua. Having met with delegates, state and federal officials, volunteers, and most importantly the families of the missing women, NI UNA MAS attempts to give voice to the pain, urgency and women who suffer unjustly because of violence directly targeted at them simply because they are women.