(Miami, Florida)- The United Nations Association of Greater Miami in collaboration with the City of Miami Office of Community Relations Board, Human Services Coalition, and Temple Israel of Greater Miami will host the First United Nations Association Traveling Film Festival Miami (UNAFF) on Wednesday, January 30th and Thursday, January, 31st. 

UNAFF is a national project of the United Nations Association of USA. The UNAFF Traveling Film Festival screenings are tailored to the interests of the community. The 1st UNAFF TFF Miami will showcase four documentaries at Temple Israel of Greater Miami, 137 NE 19th Street, in the Wolfson Auditorium from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.  Two documentaries will be shown on each night. Admission is free. 

Conceived in 1998 at Stanford University by film critic and educator Jasmina Bojic in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF) screens documentaries by international filmmakers dealing with topics such as human rights, environmental survival, women’s issues, children, refugee protection, homelessness, racism, disease control, universal education, war and peace. By bringing together filmmakers, the academic community and the general public, UNAFF offers a unique opportunity for creative exchange and education among groups and individuals often separated by geography, ethnicity and economic constraints.

Schedule of the feature screenings is as follows:

Wednesday, January, 30, 2008
Rosita – 6:15 p.m.
Rosita is a documentary, by award-winning filmmaker Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater, that traces a young girl's journey from innocent victim to unwitting victor.  When a nine-year-old Nicaraguan girl becomes pregnant as a result of rape, her parents - illiterate campesinos working in Costa Rica - seek a legal "therapeutic" abortion to save their only child's life.  Their quest pits them against the government of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, the medial establishment, the Catholic Church.  When their story gains international media attention the repercussions ripple across Latin American and Europe.

Beyond the Call – 7:45 p.m.
Beyond the Call is a wonderful, heartfelt documentary about three older gentlemen who risk their lives in the name of adventure and altruism.  It is a wakeup call for those of us content to believe that most charities are simply doing everything they can with the money we give them. Just 20 minutes into the film people begin to comprehend the sad truth that there are many places that standard humanitarian organizations just will not reach.  

Thursday, January 31, 2008
God Sleeps in Rwanda – 6:15 p.m.
This film relates the stories of five women who survived the Rwandan genocide.  The filmmakers wisely keep themselves out of the picture and instead let the women tell their stories in their own words.  Their experiences were so horrific that it’s hard to watch without crying. Yet there’s nothing self-pitying in their words. What happened, happened, and now they must go on as best as they can. One of the most moving stories is that of a young girl who at the age of 12 became the head of the household when her parents were killed.

True Whispers – 7:45 p.m.
This is a documentary about the people of the Navajo nation. It begins with how they  were herded out of their land, interred, forced to sign a treaty that they will homogenize into the general population. Their children were forced into mainstream schools, penalized for speaking their native language and kept away from home. Later World War II broke out. The Allies suffered defeats and the Japanese entered the war, bombed Pearl Harbor, and the USA got involved in the conflict. The Japanese had elite code breaking corps and a solution was needed. A man who had lived among the Navajo suggested that they be utilized to develop a unique code based on the Navajo language. Suddenly immersion was out of the window and the Navajo youth were drafted into the Marine corps. The story is told through a series of interviews and vignettes from actual retired Navajo marines. These brave men developed an unbreakable code, served on the front lines and were the major reason for triumph in the take over of Iwo Jima and the eventual end of the war. 

For more information or for free tickets, please contact the Office of Community Relations at 305-416-1035, or via email at ncolebrook-williams@miamigov.com.