Human Rights Program

Sara and her sister Yusra fled Syria in 2015. When their boat broke down en route to Greece, the competitive swimmers jumped into the water and towed the boat to safety. Their endurance and heroism made headlines all over the world and inspired the feature film The Swimmers. This documentary picks up where the fiction film ended and shows Sara charged with "people smuggling," "money laundering," "espionage" and "membership in a criminal organization" as a result of her work defending the rights of fellow migrants. As she awaits trial, facing a possible 25-year prison sentence for the outrageous crime of doing humanitarian work, she leads a surreal existence in legal limbo. Long Distance Swimmer – Sara Mardini uses dance and underwater sequences to show Sara’s suspension, rage and release, providing her with a platform to sound off against the infuriating hypocrisy of a society and a system that celebrated her as a refugee but then criminalized her as a rescuer. Angie Driscoll

Subjects: Equity, Law, Politics, World Issues, English, Film Studies, Gender Studies, Challenge and Change, Anthropology, Sociology, and Psychology

Winner - Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 2023 | Winner - Bill Nemtin Award for Best Social Impact Documentary, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 2023

Throughout the COVID pandemic, Toronto has seen a catastrophic increase in homelessness. Sick of seeing his city unable to care for its unhoused people, Khaleel Seivwright quit his job as a full-time carpenter and dedicated himself to building insulated shelters - called “tiny shelters.” Innovatively using body temperature for heating, Khaleel’s efforts garnered international media attention, leading Toronto to propose a possible partnership - only to reverse its decision a week later. Capturing the ups and downs of Khaleel’s brilliant intervention, Someone Lives Here also features the voices of those experiencing homelessness, including the articulate and philosophical Taka. The film poignantly captures the City of Toronto’s costly $1.9 million clearance of Toronto’s park encampments, asking all the right questions: What makes Toronto unable and unwilling to address this humanitarian crisis? Why are people like Khaleel being prevented from trying to find solutions? Who do we prioritize in this city? A sobering and maddening watch. Aisha Jamal.

Subjects: Equity, Canadian Issues, World Issues, Politics, Law, Challenge and Change, Civics, Sociology, English

A Sámi woman fights for her right to claim a tax deduction against the purchase of a dog. Why the Swedish authorities fail to recognize the dog’s use as a reindeer herding tool versus a pet opens up a larger discussion about Indigenous rights and economic discrimination in this humorous takedown of the Swedish government’s ignorance of Sámi culture. Angie Driscoll.

Subjects: Indigenous, Equity, Challenge and Change, Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology, Language, English, Social Studies, Law, Politics