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It’s a Wrap!

March 6 | A Love During The War, HRWFF Closing Reception | julie

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anpLun7lm5A[/youtube]

The 5th Annual Toronto Human Rights Film Festival wrapped last night with Osvalde Lewat-Hallade’s moving documentary A Love During The War. The screening was preceded by a reception at Bau-Xi Gallery and a heart-breaking speech by Sgt. Debbie Bodkin about her experiences working as an investigator with the United Nations Commission of Inquiry for Darfur in Sudan. (More to follow in the coming days on Sgt. Bodkin’s speech).

All in all this year’s festival was a rousing success with sold-out houses for all seven films. Highlights included the opening night film, Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame, which continues to grab accolades and awards at major film festivals throughout the world; Chop Shop, an amazing sophomore effort from director Ramin Bahrani; and These Girls for the best opening shot of the festival.

The festival was also honored to have director Alex Gibney in attendance just days after winning the Oscar for his documentary Taxi to the Dark Side. While in Toronto, Alex was interviewed by Anna Maria Tremonti for CBC Radio’s “The Current.” That interview has now been posted to the CBC Website and can be streamed as a Real Audio file. And for those of you who are fans of night-time talk show “The Hour”, Alex’s interview with George Stroumboulopoulous is also online.

Thanks to everyone who attended despite the chilly winter weather. We hope you enjoy the video clip (above), which was shot opening night at the Isabel Bader Theatre.

Tagged alex gibney, cbc, debbie bodkin, human rights watch

Taxi to the Dark Side, Tonight @ 7:30 PM

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March 3 | HRWFF Special Guests, Taxi To The Dark Side | julie

alex gibney, director taxi to the dark side

Director Alex Gibney will be in attendance for tonight’s screening of Taxi to the Dark Side at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario. Gibney will introduce the Oscar-winning documentary, which he directed, wrote, produced and narrated.

Michelle Shephard, National Security Reporter for The Toronto Star and author of “Guantanamo’s Child: The Untold Story of Omar Khadr,” is the second special guest on the evening’s roster.

Earlier today, Gibney sat down with Anna Maria Tremonti of CBC Radio’s “The Current” to talk about the film. He will appear later tonight on “The Hour” with George Stroumboulopoulous. You can also visit the festival’s del.icio.us page for access to additional audio and video interviews.

Tonight’s screening is sold-out. Taxi to the Dark Side will have an extended run at the Carlton Cinema in Toronto, starting Friday, March 7th.

Tagged alex gibney, united states

Taxi To The Dark Side Wins at Oscars

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February 25 | Taxi To The Dark Side | julie

alex gibney oscar win

Taxi To The Dark Side, director Alex Gibney’s look at the US policy on torture in Afghanistan and Iraq, won the Oscar for “Best Outstanding Documentary Feature” at last night’s awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

In accepting the award, Gibney said, “Here’s to all doc filmmakers,” and then went on to dedicate the award to Dilawar, the Afghan cab driver whose death provides the film with its throughline and title, and to his own late father, a former Navy interrogator, noting “his fury about what was being done to the rule of law.”

Taxi to the Dark Side was one of three nominees that touched on the war in Iraq.

Gibney will be in attendance at the March 3rd screening of Taxi to the Dark Side at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, part of the 5th Annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Some tickets still remain for the screening. Call 416-968-FILM (3456) for more information.

Tagged alex gibney, oscars

Video: Human Rights Watch

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February 8 | Taxi To The Dark Side | julie

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtQ80ejoePY[/youtube]

Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch speaks out against against abuses perpetrated and condoned by the Bush administration on the news program Democracy Now!

Later, on the same show, Amy Goodman interviews Taxi to the Dark Side director Alex Gibney.

Tagged alex gibney, human rights watch

Khadr Author To Speak At Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival

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February 5 | 2008 Film Festival, HRWFF Special Guests, Taxi To The Dark Side | julie

khader defence

Michelle Shephard, National Security Reporter for The Toronto Star, and author of “Guantanamo’s Child: The Untold Story of Omar Khadr” (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) will be a guest speaker at the Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival on March 3rd when she will introduce Taxi to the Dark Side director Alex Gibney.

The Oscar-nominated Taxi to the Dark Side has been lauded as a “chilling indictment” on the use of torture in the “war on terror.”

Toronto-born Khadr was captured in Afghanistan in 2002 at the age of 15 after a firefight with U.S. forces. The Pentagon has charged Khadr with five war crimes, including the murder of Christopher Speer, a Delta Force soldier and medic who died 10 days after the firefight from grenade wounds.

Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch along with Amnesty International, the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers and Human Rights First sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper to formally request that the United States either try Mr. Khadr under juvenile justice rules or send him back to Canada.

Mr. Khadr is the only Westerner still held in Guantanamo Bay, and the U.S. administration has previously indicated that even his acquittal in a military court may not necessarily mean he would be released.

Tagged alex gibney, human rights watch, michelle shephard, omar khadr