Tenth annual ACT Human Rights Film Festival to showcase unforgettable stories from around the world

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From April 2 through 6, CSU’s ACT Human Rights Film Festival will celebrate its tenth year showcasing excellent new films that educate and inspire in Fort Collins. As the only Colorado human rights-themed film festival, this milestone is a momentous occasion.

ACT will present more than 20 human rights documentaries on campus and at The Lyric. Award-winning filmmakers and film participants will join to connect with local audiences.

“ACT Human Rights Film Festival is a unique cinematographic, cultural and community-building event,” said Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager, ACT’s faculty program director. “It ignites transformative conversations and crafts democratic citizenship with a global mindset.”

Kickoff party and a music-filled opening night

On Tuesday, March 11 at 7 p.m., ACT kicks off its tenth festival with a free party at Odell Brewing in Fort Collins. For newcomers, this celebration is perfect for learning the ins and outs of attending your first film festival. Partygoers will enjoy free ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s Fort Collins; festival selection film trailers; ticket giveaways; trivia and Odell’s signature festival beer, the ACT Screening Session Ale.?Please RSVP for ACT’s kickoff party here.

The festival officially opens on Wednesday, April 2 with a 5 p.m. reception in the Lory Student Center Theatre lobby. Attendees will enjoy heavy appetizers and more of Odell’s limited ACT Screening Session Ale. Opening night festivities include a powerful hip-hop performance from New Bloodline, a talented group of Fort Collins Cultural Enrichment Center youth. After the 6:30 p.m. performance, ACT will screen Following Harry, followed by a discussion with the film’s Emmy-nominated director, Susanne Rostock.

Following Harry examines the last twelve years of famed musician and Civil Rights activist Harry Belafonte’s life. Longtime ACT festivalgoers will remember Harry Belafonte’s 2017 visit to ACT to discuss the work of his contemporary, acclaimed writer James Baldwin. “Belafonte brought the power of art and imagination to the Civil Rights movement,” said Greg Dickinson, director of the Joe Blake Center for Engaged Humanities and ACT’s former festival producer.

In Following Harry, Belafonte mentors emerging artists and activists while learning from those who shaped his life’s work, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela. “The questions Harry raised, the answers he unearthed and the radical challenges he put forth as to where we are as a nation, as a world, inspired and motivated the next generation of leaders, creators and activists,” said Rostock.

With increased accessibility, ACT welcomes all

ACT’s tenth festival celebrates human rights for all. Tickets for individual ACT events are pay-what-you-can ($0+). All tickets are available starting March 12. Full festival passes are available now at act2025.eventive.org.

New this year, CSU’s Student Leadership, Involvement & Community Engagement office (SLiCE) is sponsoring a free shuttle service from CSU campus to The Lyric, where most festival events Thursday, April 3 through closing night take place. (And yes, The Lyric is open—even while up for sale.) Additional accessibility features include ADA-accessible facilities and many films with captions or live language interpretation when appropriate. For additional accommodations, please email info@actfilmfest.org and the festival will do its best to accommodate.

“Not only does ACT encourage and elevate conversations about human rights through our film selections, but we welcome all to join us in experiencing these stories,” said festival producer Elizabeth Williams. “By prioritizing access and the transformational power of learning in and with community, ACT helps fulfill CSU’s Land-Grant Mission.”

Friday at ACT promises great local art and meaningful conversation

On Friday, April 4 at The Lyric at 7:30 p.m., ACT will screen Life After, which just won Sundance Film Festival’s US Documentary Special Jury Award. Director Reid Davenport will be present for a Q&A following the screening. Friday at ACT is especially celebratory as it coincides with monthly art event First Friday. Festivalgoers will enjoy live music and poetry as well as photographs by CSU’s Brigid McAuliffe of Hyphens & Hemispheres.

Life After follows the story of Elizabeth Bouvia, a disabled Californian woman who in 1983 sought the right to die throughout years of court battles and divisive news coverage. The film delves into questions about how our institutions meet and fail to meet the needs of disabled people. ACT’s screening of Life After is sponsored by Rocky Mountain Public Media and assisted by CSU’s Student Disability Center.

Be inspired by community

Another film of note, Film Is a Journey / El Cine es un viaje, which screens at The Lyric on Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m., journeys alongside a human rights film festival on tour through rural Guatemala, where many audiences experience the big screen for the first time. A documentary about a human rights film festival is a particularly fitting selection to celebrate ACT’s tenth year. “Cinema can have much more meaning than mere entertainment,” said director Uli Stelzner, who is traveling from Guatemala for a Q&A immediately following the screening.

“For the last ten years, ACT has worked to share stories that inspire us and create bridges toward better understanding human rights work near and far,” said managing director Beth Seymour. “It’s a tremendous privilege to share these powerful films.”

The complete festival lineup and schedule, as well as festival passes and individual film tickets, can be found at act2025.eventive.org. Tickets may also be purchased day of show, pending availability.

Passes offer the most flexibility, priority seating and special perks to best experience the festival. In addition to all regular screenings, passholders receive entrance to opening and closing night films and receptions, and ticket vouchers to bring friends.

ACT is produced by CSU’s Department of Communication Studies with generous support from the City of Fort Collins, Rocky Mountain Public Media and many other sponsors.

Learn more at www.actfilmfest.colostate.edu or follow ACT on social media @actfilmfest.