Constitutional Law

Check Out Media That Matters Film Fest Winners

By Ateqah Khaki, ACLU

Recently, the ACLU's film, "Justice Denied: Voices from Guantánamo," was awarded the "Global Justice Award" at the 10th annual Media That Matters (MTM) Film Festival. Every year, the festival presents a diverse collection of 12 short films less than 12 minutes long that take on pressing social issues and encourage audiences to take action.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival, this year's collection will be screened in 10 cities throughout the month of June. Additionally, the films stream online in their entirety and are available as a collection on DVD. The Media That Matters website provides tools to host your own screening event.

Our film, "Justice Denied: Voices from Guantánamo," features former detainees who were held by the U.S. in Afghanistan and Guantánamo for years, without charge or trial, and without any meaningful opportunity to challenge their detention. The men in the video were captured, abused, and imprisoned — some for as long as five years — before being released without any explanation, criminal charge or apology. (The film and additional short films documenting their individual stories can also be viewed on the ACLU's website).

We're honored to be included in this year's festival alongside films that tackle topics ranging from racism, homelessness and the uninsured in America to explorations of gender identity, a critical look at American's addiction to bottled water, and a commentary on unrealistic standards of beauty in the age of digital manipulation.

If you can't make it to one of the 10 city screenings, be sure to check them out online.

Full post as published by Blog of Rights on June 11, 2010 (boomark / email).