The 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival closed Saturday night with Presumed Guilty, a powerful documentary about the judiciary process in Mexico and one young man’s fight to prove his innocence amid systemic corruption and entrenched mediocrity. Mary Jo Leddy, Director of Romero House and Adjunct Professor, Regis College, University of Toronto delivered the opening address.
Prior to the screening, the Toronto Network hosted a cocktail reception at Moose Factory, a private gallery and studio owned by artist Charlie Pachter. Speakers included Dan Guttman (Chair of the Toronto Network) and Samer Muscati, a researcher with Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa division.
This year’s festival was the largest to date with 10 films screened. Cudos to programmers Helga Stephenson and Alex Rogalski for putting together such a powerful and nuanced schedule.
The festival also saw over 300 post-secondary students from Humber, Ryerson, the University of Toronto and York University attend. Please stay tuned for special student screenings in the coming months.
If you’d like to lend your support to Human Rights Watch Canada, contact Jasmine Herlt at 416-322-8448 or e-mail herltj@hrw.org.
