'Riffing on the dream' a film produced by the Black Student Union at Chief Sealth International High School will be part of the The Social Justice Film Festival when it returns Oct. 18-30. The festival will feature 52 documentary and narrative films exploring immigration policy, prisoner justice, and human rights around the world.

The film will be presented on Saturday, October 25, 3pm, at the NW Film Forum located at 1515 12th Avenue Seattle, WA 98122.

Tickets are available here.

Inspired by The Question Bridge (Artist Chris Johnson), the Sealth filmmakers asked the student body: ‘What questions do you have for us?’ and the students responded. The intention of the project is to raise the dialogue about racism and break down stereotypes both within the school and in our society.

Members of the Black Student Union selected the challenging and meaningful questions from those submitted by students, they recruited students to answer the questions on camera, they conducted the interviews, ran the audio and video equipment and selected the clips for the final cut. African American students volunteered to answer the questions off the cuff without knowing the question ahead of time. Tech support was provided by adult mentors including teachers and industry professionals.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FESTIVAL

· Immigration spotlight with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas
Vargas will discuss his journey from the Philippines to America as a child to becoming one of America's most prominent activists and writers, and his hope that outing himself as an undocumented immigrant can help emancipate millions stuck in the disaster of American immigration policy. The evening will include features and shorts: Vargas's autobiographical film Documented, plus The Vigil, Los Olvidados, and Floating Borders. (Oct. 24, 5 pm, University Christian Church). Watch trailer. A panel discussion will also feature Jose Baron, Northwest Immigration Rights Project; Pramila Jayapal, founder of OneAmerica; and Aurora Martin, Columbia Legal Services.

Preempting Dissent and Civil Liberties discussion with Will Potter
Preempting Dissent explores overzealous protest policing, specifically the “Miami model” policing method implemented following 9/11. The film shows how this method threatens to extinguish rights guaranteed under the First Amendment. Stay after the film to discuss civil liberties with journalist Will Potter, author of Green is the New Red. Cosponsored by the National Lawyers Guild, Occupy.com and CineCity Pictures, and Columbia Legal Services. (Oct. 20, 7:30 pm, UW Ethnic Cultural Center Theatre).

Invitation to Dance and Kickoff Party
Celebrate our festival launch with Invitation to Dance, a film that reminds us why life is beautiful. It tells the story of a young woman and dancer, passionate about social justice, who suddenly finds herself paralyzed from the waist down. Simi Linton's motto: Equality, justice, and a place on the dance floor. Sponsored by Disability Rights Washington. (Oct. 19, 6 pm, Northwest Film Forum).

Seven Seattle and Washington state films:

Return of the River follows a group of Washingtonians who persuaded a community to bring the Elwha Dam down and restore an ecosystem.

Oil and Water looks into the lives of two boys wanting to change toxic environmental conditions. Hugo—now a Seattle resident—struggles to survive in his Amazonian tribe, and David seeks to revolutionize the oil industry.

One Generation's Time profiles two Seattle Filipino-American activists, murdered for their involvement in labor reform and workers' rights.

Honor Totem explores the legacy of Native-American master carver, John T. Williams, killed by Seattle police in 2010.

Other shorts include: We do the Work, Maikaru, Dose for Dominic, and LFOs & the Modern Day Debtors' Prison.

The Social Justice Film Festival is produced with support from 4Culture, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Washington State Arts Commission/National Endowment for the Arts, CineCity Pictures and Occupy.com, ProForum, Northwest Film Forum, Columbia Legal Services, The Stranger, ACLU of Washington, National Lawyers Guild, Books to Prisoners, KBCS-FM and Disability Rights Washington.