A clip from Erasing Hate

Making the world a better place is a lofty goal, but there are all kinds of ways to contribute. Thus does the Hope and Freedom Film Festival land at the Art Theatre Long Beach Saturday, “offer[ing] people an opportunity enjoy FREE movies for a day while fostering discussion, dialogue, and organization for making our world a better place to live.”

Organized by current and former CSU Long Beach students, this third annual installment of the festival will feature nine films on a variety of topics. A brief synopsis (provided by the Festival) of each:

  • Bringing King to China is a father’s “love letter” to his adult daughter, a young woman struggling to bring Mr. Luther King, Jr.’s dream to China. Her life is thrown into turmoil when she learns that her father, a journalist covering the war in Iraq, has been killed by a suicide bomber. The film documents a cross-cultural dialogue about the current relevance of Dr. King’s philosophy of peace and nonviolence; and documents the first time in the modern history of Chinese theater that Chinese and African-American actors have shared the same stage.
  • Erasing Hate is an unforgettable story of transformation and redemption. Violent skinhead Bryon Widner’s face, neck, and hands were covered with intimidating, racist tattoos. Then he began a series of painful and extensive laser tattoo-removal procedures. But the tattoo removal was just the outward sign of an inner transformation. This film presents a first-person look inside the dark world of racist skinheads, yet offers hope in the story of one man’s escape from a life of violence, addiction, and bigotry.
  • #whilewewatch is the gripping portrait of the #OccupyWallSt media revolution. Citizens came together at Zuccotti Park with energy, intelligence, and guts to impassion their message, “We are the 99%!” The film discovers the #OWS media team who had no fear of a critical city government, big corporations, hostile police, or a lagging mainstream media to tell their story. This film provides witness to a new dawn of the power of social media and captivatingly covers the intelligence, imagination, information, and raw emotion that ruled every second of the gathering at Zuccotti Park in NY.
  • The End/Beginning: Cambodia: On April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh. The war was over, but instead of celebrating the end of the conflict, all citizens of the capital were ordered to evacuate their homes. Life was perilous. This film captures the story of a family’s harrowing escape from Cambodia under the rule of the Khmer Rouge. A journey through Cambodia, Vietnam, France, and America unfolds. Sometimes the end is the beginning of something precious. Hope may be fragile, but the human spirit is strong and fearless.
  • Connected: Have you ever faked a restroom trip to check your e-mail? Slept with your laptop? Or felt so overwhelmed that you unplugged from it all? In this funny, eye-opening, and inspiring film, we are taken on a roller-coaster ride to discover what it means to be connected in the 21st century. From founding the Webby Awards to being a passionate advocate for The National Day of Unplugging, Shlain’s love/hate relationship with technology serves as the springboard for a thrilling exploration of modern life…and out interconnected future. It may be time for us to declare our interdependence.
  • “The brave are those who see imminent danger and then still walk into it.” That’s how Maureen Fanning, widow of Fire Dept. Battalion Chief Jack Fanning describes the selfless sacrifice the FDNY made on September 11, 2001. From the Ground Up is the story of their widows. It is the story of trying to make sense of madness, of comforting their children and mourning their losses while the world watches. It’s the journey, taking two steps forward and one step back, through tears, depression, and laughter to triumph through tragedy.
  • Narrated by Robert Redford and Warren Miller, The Movement: One Man Joins an Uprising is the story of one man returning to the mountain where his life was changed forever. He receives inspiration in his quest from four people who overcome physical disabilities to discover the freedom of movement. Peppered with humor and drama, this is a story of people who face adversity with an intense inner fire. As Redford stated, “Our movement started with the word ‘never’ — ‘You’ll never walk again. You’ll never see. You’ll never live to age 5.’ Never? Our heroes refused to accept that word.”
  • Good Things Are Always Happening: It was a good thing when Steve Ledoux and Mark Becktold met in 2005 and later decided to become a family. They consider themselves marriage pioneers since they legally married in West Hollywood, CA, before Proposition 8 passed. Here, they share their story and testify to the importance marriage equality holds in their lives. Since they met, good things are always happening. This is a three-minute film that is uplifting and inspiring for the struggle for marriage equality.
  • The End of the World: “The Economic Fall” has brought hunger, war, and despair to what is left of society. A solitary man in search of work and food rummages his torn down city, encountering other survivors of the crash. A silent movie with a riveting soundtrack, this film artistically posits the irony of de-developed countries.

Prior to the noontime beginning of the film screenings, beginning at 10 a.m. the Festival will host the inaugural Southern California Student Congress, where selected high school and college students from around the United States will gather “to debate each other on a topic selected from those proposed by the general public. After receiving public feedback, the hosts [namely, The Center for First Amendment Studies and the Speech and CSULB Debate Team] will select the issue to debate from the comments.”

Two winners of the debate — one chosen by the CSULB Debate team, one by the audience — each will receive a $250 scholarship.

Also featured throughout the day will be guest speakers ranging from some of the filmmakers to Dr. Sam Keo, a clinical psychologist for the L.A. County Dept. of Mental Health who emigrated from Cambodia to the United States in 1981. He is the author of Out of the Dark: Into the Garden of Hope, a memoir documenting his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from his experiences living under the Khmer Rouge.

The Hope and Freedom Film Festival is yours to experience for free at the Art Theatre (2025 E. 4th Street, LB 90804; 562.438.5435) on Saturday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. — after which time festivalgoers are invited to adjourn across the street to 4th Street Vine, which will remain open until midnight. For complete information, visit http://www.hopeandfreedomfilmfestival.org/.