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Date: Monday, October 6, 2014
Time: 7PM
Location: Brattle Theatre, Cambridge, MA
Details: 88 min, USA, 2013
Filmmaker(s): Ross Kauffman & Katy Chevigny
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Winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Cinematography Award in U.S. Documentary Competition
Academy award-winning filmmaker Ross Kauffman and Carroll Bogert, Deputy Executive Director of External Relations at Human Rights Watch, will attend in person for Q&A moderated by Robb Moss, filmmaker and Professor of Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University.
Synopsis: Anna, Ole, Fred and Peter are four members of the Emergencies Team — or E-Team — the boots on the ground division of a respected, international human rights group. Arriving as soon as possible after allegations of human rights abuse surface, the E-Team uncovers crucial evidence to determine if further investigation is warranted and, if so, to investigate, document, and capture the world’s attention. They also immediately challenge the responsible decision makers, holding them accountable. Human rights abuses thrive on secrecy and silence, and the work of the E-Team, backed by their international human rights organization, has shone light in dark places and given voice to thousands whose stories would never otherwise have been told.
Using a cinema verite approach, our camera follows the E-Team investigators in the field as they piece together the actual events that take place in various troubled spots around the globe. Together we smuggle across the border into Syria to conduct undercover investigations as the civil war rages; amidst bullets and bombs we watch as Fred and Peter work to halt human rights abuses in the aftermath of the Gaddafi regime. We also spend time with each E-Team member at home — from a quiet farm outside of Geneva to bustling urban lives in Berlin and Paris — as they balance the intricacies of family and personal relationships within the challenges of their exceptional work life.
Though they are different personalities, Anna, Ole, Fred and Peter share a fearless spirit and a deep commitment to exposing and halting human rights abuses all over the world.
“a dynamic and immersive piece of you-are-there verite…a documentary that’s devastating, entertaining and inspiring in equal measure.” — Variety
The DocYard is an award-winning film and discussion series at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, and which also sponsors special screenings and co-presentations throughout the year. Each screening is a new experience as we connect audiences directly with filmmakers exploring the documentary form through insightful post-screening discussions.
