This February the ACT Human Rights Film Festival launches a new “ACT Year Round” initiative to showcase must-see human rights documentary films that don’t make it into the annual festival.
On Thursday, Feb. 7, ACT Year Round is partnering with The Lyric to host a screening of TransMilitary, winner of the 2018 South by Southwest audience choice award for best documentary. The film begins at 6:30 p.m. at The Lyric, located at 1209 North College Avenue in Fort Collins.
TransMilitary chronicles the lives of four individuals (Senior Airman Logan Ireland, Cpl. Laila Villanueva, Capt. Jennifer Peace and 1st Lt. El Cook) defending their country’s freedom while fighting for their own. They put their careers and their families’ livelihoods on the line by coming out as transgender to top brass officials in the Pentagon in hopes of attaining the equal right to serve. The ban was lifted in 2016, but with President Trump now trying to reinstate it – and the Supreme Court backing his vision – their futures hang in the balance again.
“Human rights films give voices to the disenfranchised or to the voiceless,” said Beth Seymour, the managing director of ACT. “Film is a uniquely powerful method of storytelling, and the personal stories shared in Transmilitary are important, moving, and highly relevant. This is a film everyone should see.”
According to Seymour, ACT Year Round offers the Department of Communication Studies at CSU the opportunity to screen excellent films that may not have been available for the festival, while also enabling ACT to reach more people in order to communicate and engage in thoughtful conversations around important issues all year long.
“We will show some films for free and screenings will take place in diverse settings,” Seymour said. “We want to remove geographic and financials barriers and by doing so ACT will be able to reach more people, be more impactful, and better serve the northern Colorado.”
TransMilitary tickets may be purchased online through The Lyric or at the door (while supplies last). General admission tickets are $9.50; student and senior tickets are $7.50.
Attendees are invited to remain after the film to hear local transgender military veterans discuss the film during a Q&A session, and be present for a chance to win all-festival and weekend passes to the 2019 ACT Human Rights Film Festival occurring April 5-13.