Everything Under The Sun: Motivating Change With Thoughtful Films And Discussion

What it's all about at the Global Peace Film Festival.

There might be a number of ways to inspire people. Pair the inspiring with educating those people to make positive changes in their communities and around the world, and the possibilities would probably narrow. One way envisioned, and first established in 2003 in Orlando, Florida, is the annual GLOBAL PEACE FILM FESTIVAL (GPFF), held in mid-September.

Organizers envisioned peace as a way of resolving conflicts without violence, rather than an absence of conflict. When differences do occur, the way towards resolution is dialogue, airing differences, debating what would work. One way of stimulating discussion is to show films, which can present issues in an artistic, political, social, and even personal, way.

Films presented at each festival year can come from anywhere in the world, but specifically highlight current peace issues. Besides the films, there are educational panels, an opportunity to meet the filmmakers and special guests, and hear the latest from local activists. Attendees can also choose ways to become involved by working on various issues.

Let's take a look at some of the films shown at GPFF venues (there is also an online film festival that can still be viewed). After Spring, looks at what happened to the families displaced by the fighting in Syria during the past six years. It is focused on the struggle of aid to keep the refugee camp in Zaatari open and running, and what it is like for families to live there. It has great relevance, as refugee families have been on the move, seeking asylum in wealthier nations of Western Europe, the UK, and the US.

A Bold Peace looks at the influence of the Civil War of 1948 in Costa Rica, with the resulting government decision to dissolve their military, rely on alliances with other countries, and develop one of the bolder democracies in the world. The country maintains such benefits as a free university education, universal health care, and a vibrant middle class. In Memories of a Penitent Heart, director Cecilia Aldorando utilizes old family home movies, video, written documents, and interviews to portray the drama and conflict in her family over an uncle developing AIDS, the search for his partner some ten years after his death, and how faith is used and abused in times of crisis.

People from many backgrounds come together at the Global Peace Film Festival.

Puzzles: When Hate Came to Town is the story of a hate crime committed by a teenager, who brutally attacked patrons of an LGBTQ lounge in Bedford Massachusetts. The film explores how economic difficulties, hate, and intolerance of LGBTQ individuals joins with violence in tragedy. It is a distinct reminder of the hate crime perpetrated at PULSE nightclub in Orlando. Speed Sisters talks about the first all-women race car driving team in the Middle East. On tracks all over the West Bank, these five women strive to drive faster than anyone else in the almost exclusively male street racing scene.

That's just a few of the movies that could be seen at least year's GPFF, but now it's time to think about the 2017 festival. So, in line with that idea, the festival organizers are accepting film submissions for this year's festival, details on the website.