In 1998, Vancouver gained DOXA, a non-profit society dedicated to presenting innovative documentaries to local audiences. The Vancouver branch of the UN Association in Canada (UNAC-V_V) is proud to have sponsored films for the Justice Forum category of this festival since 2012.
This year, UNAC-V-V has chosen, “The Cleaners” to support. A film about social media and its hidden secrets, it is especially relevant to global issues when considering recent news about the impact of disinformation and subsequent national, even international events. The film will be screened Wednesday, May 9th at 6pm. The location is 149 West Hastings Street in the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. Please visit representatives of UNAC-V-V at their table located on the 3rd floor near the entrance of theatre! We would love to see you there. We are always looking for supporters to join which would assist us financially in supporting important local events such as DOXA.
Social media breathes life into democracy; Arab Spring and #BlackLivesMatter comes to mind. Unfortunately, more sinister forces are cultivated using social media, sometimes consciously and often inadvertently, but seemingly unabated. A United Nations report has blamed social media for genocide in Myanmar, with concern about “high levels of hate speech…particularly on social media”. Facebook has declared it has clear rules against hate speech and the incitement of violence, and that efforts have been improved to keep it off the platform. It’s what makes up these efforts at cleaning up Facebook that is the subject of this DOXA film, “The Cleaners”.
This year, 2018, is the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. In honour of this most important international document let us consider the ways that human rights are breached, and then support the UN in prevention and eradication efforts of these breaches. By supporting and joining the UN Association in Canada, you would be contributing to this important process of education and action. (Tip: Use the Google Chrome browser to see the online form.)