Most people do not equate law with art -- or inspiration. The Boyd Public Interest Law Film Festival, now in its third year, sets out to change all that.
The festival celebrates connections between art, culture, politics, law, and social justice through documentary films, speaker panels, and lively question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers, policymakers, and community leaders.
This year's festival, titled "Economic InJustice: Global, National & Local Challenges & Opportunities," explores what economic justice and revitalization might look like as we approach the fifth anniversary of the "Great Recession" and the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty. The festival features:
- Local filmmakers, including Freeman White III of Freemont East Studios and William J. Swaney of V3 Arts, who will screen short films documenting the developing downtown scene
- Award-winning documentary filmmaker Melissa Young, talking about her newest film, Shift Change
- Presentation of the inaugural Humanitarian Award, which will be awarded to Las Vegas civil rights icon Ruby Duncan
The festival kicks off Thursday, Sept. 19, with an evening of short films followed by a roundtable discussion on the role of filmmaking in documenting -- and even building -- community in times of change.
On Friday, Sept. 20, the festival will screen three award-winning films at Boyd School of Law:
- Shift Change (read professor Ruben Garcia's preview article, "All-American Workplaces")
- Made in LA (read professor Addie Rolnick's preview article, "Unraveling Unfair Work Practices"
- We Are Not Broke (read professor Francine Lipman's preview article, "Tax Issues Can Be Fascinating"
Boyd will also host a panel on Friday in connection with the festival, "Organizing for Economic Justice," featuring activists and organizers from Culinary Union Local 226, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, and organizations in California and New York, who will talk about opportunities and challenges for achieving economic justice for all.
