These Birds Walk - Global Visions Film Festival screening

"I come from ordinary people and to find me, look among ordinary people. My story is there.”

The story of one man's quest to save the orphaned, homeless, and runaway children on the streets of Pakistan, join the Edmonton chapter of Amnesty International as we host a screening of the documentary "These Birds Walk" for the 2014 Global Visions Film Festival, featuring an excellent guest speaker. The doc currently has 100% critical praise, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

The film's description (from Hot Docs):

"Driven out of their homes by poverty, abuse or neglect, runaway children in Karachi, Pakistan have few safe havens from life on the city's streets. The Edhi Home and Ambulance Centre, however, accepts them all, providing shelter, food, schooling and an even rarer necessity—love. Some children are quickly collected by a tearful parent, while others instinctively know their stays will be indefinite.

Filmed over three years, a patient camera finds young boys at play, their teasing only a thin veil masking a deeper desire for understanding and friendship. Meanwhile, the home's aging founder mentors a young ambulance driver, once a street kid himself, to put the children first no matter what the cost. As one youngster is driven home through Taliban country, however, both caregiver and charge must face an unexpected reality. Tender and beautifully composed, These Birds Walk crafts an unforgettable portrait of where a city's most vulnerable and dedicated souls meet."

Our guest speaker for the evening will be Dr. Zubia Mumtaz of the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, who specializes in maternal health in Pakistan.

Please visit our table before the film in the lobby to sign letters for human rights cases Amnesty is working on all over the world (including Pakistan), as well as find out more about what Amnesty does and how you can get involved in the Edmonton chapter. As well, our table will be located in the Metro Cinema lobby for the duration of the Global Visions Film Festival (May 8-15), so even if you can't make it to this screening, stop by and sign letters any time (we send all the letters)! And please invite your friends!

Tickets:

A full list of ticket prices and packages, and how/where to buy them, can be found at Global Vision's website (http://globalvisionsfestival.com/venue-tickets/). Early bird tickets and passes available until April 27th!

The Edmonton chapter of Amnesty International is a proud sponsor of the 2014 Global Visions Film Festival and this year has an amazing lineup. For a full schedule and descriptions for all the films, check out http://globalvisionsfestival.com/

Our chapter is also sponsoring two other films in this year's Global Visions festival you may be interested in:

Dangerous Acts: https://www.facebook.com/events/1425049067753453/

I Will Be Murdered: https://www.facebook.com/events/477095382391178/

For more info about These Birds Walk, check out the film's website: http://www.thesebirdswalk.net/

Critical praise for These Birds Walk:

"A touching portrait of youthful resilience and displacement set amid the drab backdrop of war-ravaged Karachi, Pakistan." - John Oursler, Village Voice

"These Birds Walk serves as a reminder of the resilience of children and how little it takes to keep hope alive." - Betsy Sharkey, L.A. Times

"These Birds Walk might be the single most beautiful documentary of the year so far." - Daniel Walber, Film.com

More Information

Event Location

Garneau Theatre
8712 109 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
T6G 2L5