In today's conflict-ridden world, peace can seem elusive. That only makes its pursuit all the more important, according to Dr. Marty Branagan, convenor of Peace Studies at the University of New England.
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The tenth week-long Nonviolent Film Festival, starting on Monday, May 6, highlights the importance of peace education and the power of nonviolent solutions for ending conflict and rebuilding lives and communities.
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This year's festival starts on Monday, with the acclaimed documentary Shadow World, about the global arms trade.
Prison Songs, featuring Indigenous inmates seeking to maintain their cultural identity in a Northern Territory prison, will be shown on Tuesday. Sacrifice Zone, which explores the unprecedented coalition of farmers, Traditional Owners and conservationists formed to protect farmlands, sacred sites, forests and the water table from coal mining and coal seam gas, will be screened on Wednesday.
Screenings of Venezuela: Revolution from Inside Out (Thursday), about the Bolivarian Revolution, and A Simpler Way (Friday), about an Australian community embarking on a more ecologically responsible lifestyle, will round out the program, with this final film preceded by drinks and nibbles to celebrate the festival's 10-year anniversary.
Screenings start each day at 1pm at the Oorala Lecture Theatre at UNE. Entry is free, and members of the public are welcome.
Far from being a purely academic course, Dr Branagan believes Peace Studies at UNE is practical and powerful.
"Many of our students come from places of turmoil, including some of the poorest communities on Earth. They come to UNE to learn so that they can return home and assist with peace-building."
In its 35-year history, hundreds of individuals graduating from UNE's Peace Studies have gone on to play a pivotal role in propagating seeds of peace at international, national, and grassroots levels, Dr Branagan said.
Former students include the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) at Solomon Islands National University; a Commissioner for Trade in Nigeria; and the Head of the Church of Scotland's Legal Department.
One graduate founded a Cairo NGO where people affected by poverty, war, and displacement are learning the transformative power of theatre, drama and art, while another designed a Smartphone project to help new Americans to navigate social and humanitarian services in their neighborhood using their own languages.
For further information, contact Dr Marty Branagan on 67733951 or at mbranag2@une.edu.au
