On Friday, April 5, the 4^th annual ACT Human Rights Film Festival returns to Fort Collins for a 9-day run, closing the evening of Saturday, April 13. This year’s festival will open and close at the Lory Student Center Theatre on the campus of Colorado State University with films that celebrate resilience and the human spirit. Between April 6 and 12, festival films will screen at The Lyric in north Fort Collins. Filmmakers, producers, and other special guests will be in attendance for talk back sessions following all films that screen April 5, 6, 7, 12 and 13. Film, ticketing, and festival information is available at www.actfilmfest.org.
Programming for the 2019 festival features an exciting line-up of curated films, including documentaries that recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as well as a wide-ranging thematic collection of short films that will screen together on Saturday, April 13, at 1 p.m. Several short films will also attend the start of feature length screenings throughout the festival.
“We are thrilled to include short films in our 2019 program,” says ACT Managing Director Beth Seymour. “It is truly impressive what our short filmmakers were able to accomplish in just minutes. These films are every bit as moving, important, and challenging as many feature length films.”

This year’s films explore human rights issues ranging from human trafficking, refugee migration, and the holocaust, to war, Native American rights, racism, and more. Countries featured in films include, but are not limited to, South Africa, China, Nicaragua, Hungary, Afghanistan, Canada, Syria, Austria, Germany, Palestine, the United States, and Colombia. Several films will make their Colorado debut at the festival. “Trapped in the City of a Thousand Mountains,” a short that explores the underground Chinese hip-hop scene, is making its North American premiere at ACT.
“ACT showcases films that explore the whole range of human emotions,” Seymour says. “While some films explore painful, important and hard issues that we as humans have a mandate to confront, other films celebrate the individuals and stories that make our world a more just, resilient, and inclusive place. In the end, every film at ACT confirms that regardless of all else – every one of us has the right to be treated with dignity and respect and to be given the opportunity to thrive.”
Festival passes are on sale until April 4, although quantities are limited. All Festival passes include entrance to all films between April 5-13, priority seating (encore screenings excluded), and an ACT T-shirt. Opening Weekend passes include entrance to all films screening April 5, 6 and 7. Closing Weekend passes include entrance to all films screening on April 12 and 13. Tier 2 priority seating is included with both weekend passes. Encore films that screen April 6 through 11 at The Lyric are not included in either weekend pass. All pricing information for general audience and student pass products and links to purchase are detailed on the ACT website.
The complete festival program will be announced on Tuesday, March 5, when advance ticket sales begin through the ACT website. Opening and closing night films both feature a reception. Encore screenings do not include talk-back sessions, unless noted on the ACT website. General audience and student ticket prices vary and are detailed on the ACT website. Tickets for all screenings will be available for purchase at the door, pending availability.
On the evening of March 5, from 7 to 9 p.m., ACT will celebrate the forthcoming festival with a Kick-off and Tapping Party at Odell Brewing Company. The evening will feature the release of Screening Session, the festival’s signature beer brewed exclusively for ACT by Odell, sneak peeks at coming films, pass, ticket, and T-shirt giveaways, light snacks, and a free pint on ACT to the first 40 guests. Entrance is free. Volunteers will be on hand to facilitate online ticket and pass sales.
The ACT Human Rights Film Festival is produced by the Department of Communication Studies at Colorado State University and is presented by CSU’s College of Liberal Arts, the City of Fort Collins Fort Fun, and The Lyric.