(W) Pablo Fajardo (A) Damien Roudeau
Oil waste was everywhere - on the roads, in the rivers where they fished, and in the water that they used for bathing, cooking, and washing. Children became sick and died, cases of stomach cancer skyrocketed, and women miscarried or gave birth to children with congenital disorders. The American oil company Texaco extracted crude out of the ground in Amazonian Ecuador - and left behind millions of gallons of spilled oil and more than eighteen million gallons of toxic waste. Ecuadorian lawyer and activist Pablo Fajardo gives his first-hand account of Texaco's involvement in the Amazon, as well as the ensuing legal battles between the oil company, the Ecuadorian government, and the region's inhabitants. Crude brings to light one of the least well-known but most important cases of environmental and racial injustice of our time.
(W/A) Fabien Toulme
After being rescued from the Mediterranean, Hakim and his son reach European soil, full of hope. But before they can get to France, they face a new series of challenges: overcrowded detention centers, run-ins with border police, and a persistent xenophobia that seems to follow them almost everywhere they go. Will Hakim's determination and the kindness of strangers be enough to carry him to the end of his journey and reunite his family? Based on true events, it lays bare the tremendous effects that the policies of wealthy countries and the attitudes of their people have on the lives of the displaced and dispossessed.
(W) Hannah Chute (A) Espe
Bastien is eight years old, and his mother is ill. She often has what his father and grandparents call "episodes." She screams and fights, scratches and spits, and has to be carted away to specialized clinics for frequent treatments. Based on the creator's own childhood experiences, The Parakeet is the story of a boy whose only refuge from life's harsh realities lies in his imagination. In his eyes, we see the confusion and heartache he feels as he watches his mother's illness worsen and the treatments fail. Through his eyes, we see how mental illness can both tear families apart and reaffirm the bonds of love.