Crossroads Film Series: Breaking the Chains of Trafficking
“Brave Girl Rising”

Join the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire for a documentary film showing of Brave Girl Rising. The film showing will be followed by a moderated discussion featuring Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, a distinguished and respected voice on key human rights concerns ranging from advancing rule of law globally and fighting for Internet freedom in closed societies, to combatting the persistent and growing threat of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. We hope to see you there!

Wednesday, March 11th, 7 PM
Red River Theatres
11 S Main St #L1
Concord, NH 03301

Tickets are $13 for the general public,
$10 for WACNH members.

Watch the Trailer:
https://youtu.be/0EME3jObeJo

About “Brave Girl Rising”:

Brave Girl Rising was made in collaboration with The International Rescue Committee (IRC), whose Women’s Protection and Empowerment programs support Nasro, the 17-year-old girl featured in the film, in Dadaab refugee camp, and with support from the project’s Founding Partner, Citi. To coincide with the film’s release, Girl Rising (GR), IRC, and Citi are teaming up with HP and Amplifier to launch a major campaign that will include screening toolkits, curricula, take action guides and a street art initiative.

Warsan Shire, the UK’s former young poet laureate and social media phenom behind Beyoncé’s Lemonade, incorporates elements of magic realism and moving poetry in the screenplay. Tessa Thompson, who is the voice of the film, is not only Hollywood’s hottest new star (Creed 2, Westworld, Thor), but as one of the founding members of Time’s Up, she’s a powerful advocate for women in her own right.

“At a moment when 68.5 million people are displaced worldwide, around half of whom are women, this film brings much-needed awareness to the challenges faced by women and girls in crisis”, said Nicole Behnam, Senior Director for Violence Prevention and Response at the IRC. “Campaigns like this ensure the most vulnerable women are part of the global conversation, and show the importance of prioritizing their safety, education and wellbeing. The IRC is proud to support and empower girls like Nasro around the world, so that they can recover from violence and take control of their lives.”

Nasro arrived at Dadaab when she was only 7 years old. Shire wrote the screenplay based on hours of conversation with Nasro—and the story weaves together true events in Nasro’s life and her dreams with the award-winning poet’s own experience as a refugee.

“We want to get people talking about the reality for refugee girls all over the globe, the barriers they face in securing basic human rights and the truly transformative power of education for girls living as refugees”, said Christina Lowery, CEO of GR. “We believe films like ours can turn bystanders into activists and we have seen first-hand the results of people who become engaged in the issue and are inspired to act.”

The IRC is a global leader in providing services and resources to adolescent girls in crisis, to help them regain control over their lives and futures. Through psychosocial support, skills-building activities, mentorship, and other interventions, the IRC engages girls, their parents, caregivers, and community leaders to combat harmful gender norms and practices, including gender-based violence.

GR launched its global campaign in 2012 with the goal of changing how people value and invest in girls and girls’ potential. Since then, GR has created media-driven campaigns and grassroots programming with on-the-ground partners in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is expanding into Kenya and Guatemala in 2019. Through creative storytelling in the form of films, PSAs, social media campaigns, radio programming, mobile games, and by teaming up with local organizations, GR is reaching girls, boys, parents, teachers, community and government leaders, sparking conversation and locally-led action in support of girls’ education and girls’ rights. The results include girls re-enrolling in school, parents deciding against early marriage, brothers standing up for their sisters, girls learning their rights and teachers creating gender-equal classrooms.

About Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett:

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett serves as President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, established in 2008 to continue the legacy of her father, the late Congressman Tom Lantos, who served as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and was the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to the US Congress. Congressman Lantos was the founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and was widely acknowledged as one of our nation’s most eloquent and forceful leaders on behalf of human rights and justice.

Under her leadership, The Lantos Foundation has rapidly become a distinguished and respected voice on key human rights concerns ranging from advancing rule of law globally and fighting for Internet freedom in closed societies to combatting the persistent and growing threat of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.

Dr. Lantos Swett is the former Chair and Vice-Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and teaches Human Rights and American Foreign Policy at Tufts University. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Board of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) and the Budapest based Tom Lantos Institute. Dr. Lantos Swett also serves on the US State Department’s Commission on Unalienable Rights, the Advisory Board of UN Watch, the annual Anne Frank Award and Lecture, the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership, and Public Policy, and the Advisory Council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Dr. Lantos Swett is the co-editor of The Noble Banner of Human Rights, a book of essays on human rights published by Bill Nijhoff Press in 2018.

Lantos Swett earned a Political Science degree from Yale University at the age of 18, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and a PhD in History from The University of Southern Denmark.

This project was made possible with support from:
The Lantos Foundation