Sixth Annual Bay Area International Film Festival
With screenings on both sides of the Bay, Human Rights Watch’s Sixth Annual Film Festival returns to the Bay Area with films that tackle the world’s most pressing human rights issues.
This year’s festival will be held at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley from February 2-24 and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco from March 13-30. The festival features nine films from around the world that follow the pursuit of justice for the victims of war crimes, explore the links between human rights and the protection of the environment, and investigate several countries’ political systems from the ground up – among many other themes.
Human Rights Watch’s Legislative Campaign for Youth in California
In 2007 Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) authored the Juvenile Life Without Parole Reform Act (Senate Bill 999). The bill would eliminate life without parole sentencing for offenders under age 18 and would instead give them access to a parole hearing after 25 years if they show convincing evidence of rehabilitation. Human Rights Watch is calling upon the full Senate and Assembly in California to pass SB 999 which requires a two-thirds majority to become law in the state.
At a press conference in Sacramento in January 2008, Human Rights Watch released the report, When I Die, They’ll Send Me Home: Youth Sentenced to Life without Parole in California, documenting there are 227 inmates in California sentenced as juveniles to life in prison without parole. The California Committee North and Bay Area Network have been working with Human Rights Watch researchersElizabeth Calvin and Alison Parker to pass SB999. Several CCN and Network members traveled to Sacramento with Human Rights Watch staff and other coalition supporters to attend the press conference and hold lobby meetings with state Senators. We urge you to reach out to your Senators and Assembly members as well.
Learn more about this issue and how you can take action.
You can also view a Frontline feature on this subject, featuring an interview with US Program deputy director Alison Parker and reflecting two years of investigative journalism and collaboration with Human Rights Watch.
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The California Committee North
The California Committee North, formed in 2001, is part of a network of committees composed of opinion leaders from a variety of backgrounds in North America and Europe. The committees constitute an informed and engaged constituency that is essential for the defense of human rights. They seek to increase awareness of local and global human rights issues and enlist the public and governments to support basic rights for all. Committee members meet regularly to learn about human rights crises and policies and support Human Rights Watch through outreach, advocacy, and fundraising initiatives. More...
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