Film screening, discussion to explore economic justice through lens of Occupy Movement

LAWRENCE – The third event in the Global Revolution Film Series at the University of Kansas, featuring “Mic Check: Documentary Shorts from the Occupy Movement,” will take place at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Forum at Marvin Hall. After the screening, a discussion will follow.

“Mic Check” consists of a series of short films made by 18 different activist-filmmakers during the Occupy Movement in 2011-2012. The shorts span topics including economic justice, labor rights and building activist movements. Sheyda Jahanbani, associate professor of history, and Jonathan Hagel, assistant teaching professor, will join series curator and MFA student in visual art Alireza Mirzaeinezhad for a dialogue to offer larger context for the events presented in the film.

Central questions to the Global Revolution Film Series include:

• What can we learn from historical efforts to create change?
• What motivates individuals to come together to launch revolutions?
• What ideals motivate them?
• What defines a revolution, and how does the medium of film express that differently than other forms of sharing information?

Mirzaeinezhad said the series "is a valuable platform to explore the intricacies of the Occupy Movement and the context of social movements in the U.S. pursuing economic equality and justice.”

This event is supported by The Commons, International Affairs, International Support Services, the Center for Global & International Studies, the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies, the Department of Visual Art and the School of Architecture Design.

“One thing about this film that is particularly interesting in the context of ‘Global Revolution’ is that although it is set in New York City, the larger issues — a critique of capitalism, a fight for economic justice and the articulated need for labor rights — are sources for social movements around the world today,” said Emily Ryan, director of The Commons.

The Global Revolution film series is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available.