"Cinema is a great medium for questioning ourselves as a society and as humanity"
Connexio develop is now supporting the Bajo Nuestra Piel film festival. The festival was created in Bolivia and aims to raise awareness of the importance of human rights. The film festival can be seen throughout the country and is accompanied by workshops and discussions.
A bricklayer dies in an accident at work and the owners of the construction company evade responsibility for compensation. The film "Mano de obra" by David Zonana deals with social and labor inequality. How does this relate to human rights? Where are they respected in society and where are they not? These are the kinds of questions the film festival Bajo Nuestra Piel and bring it to the people through the movie theater.
"I think cinema is a great medium for questioning ourselves as a society and as humanity," says Christopher Wilstermann Auza. He is part of the film festival team and is convinced that "...these films can serve as a motor to reflect on the world we live in."
Old, young and diverse opinions
Sergio shares this view. He is 17 and found out about the festival via Facebook. He liked the discussions after the film: "There aren't many people around me who want to develop critical thinking. Here I see other people and that's nice."
Fátima and Rodolfo are retired and think that the cinema is an excellent place to show current topics. Fátima appreciates the accompanying program because it allows the topics to be explored in greater depth. Marcela, manager, has seen more than one movie: "I liked the short films, they are not ordinary films. They show us the experiences, the feelings that many of us share, so that we can empathize." She appreciates the debates after the films because she can hear people who think differently and that helps her to change
Why Connexio develop supports the festival
Flavia Contreras and Roman Gnägi, our local colleagues, were in Cochabamba, Bolivia, from July 15 - 21 and took part in the discussions.
We asked Flavia what it was like. "It was mostly in an intimate setting, very informal," she says. The participants were an interesting mix of young students, middle-aged men and women and older people. "The visitors showed a genuine curiosity and interest in learning and talking." For Roman and Flavia, supporting the festival is a perfect fit for Connexio develop. "The sustainability goals are essential to our work. We are convinced that the festival's activities will help to involve Bolivian society in important discussions about human rights."
Danka Bogdanovic
All photos by Flavia Contreras
The festival takes place all year round and stops in each of the six departments in Bolivia. The aim is not only to show films but also to create space for a dialog between viewers to discuss the themes and questions raised by the short, feature, documentary and fiction films.
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