Film Screening of Courage (2021) & Panel Discussion on Academic Freedom in Belarus


Date: Wednesday, June 29th from 5-7:30 pm PST
6476 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z2, Canada
Parking can be found at the Fraser River Parkade 
Cost: Free

Click here to register!

Please note that we can only guarantee light refreshments for people who pre-register (with the form above) by June 24th EOD.

About the Event

Through this in-person screening of the critically acclaimed film Courage (2021) and panel discussion, the UBC Human Rights Collective (UBC HRC) intends to express its solidarity with wrongfully imprisoned Belarusian students. The film captures the state of the pro-democracy movement in Belarus amidst the ongoing human rights violations under the oppressive regime of Alexander Lukashenko. View the trailer and content warnings at the bottom of the page. 

The purpose of this event is to:

  • Raise awareness about the dire state of academic freedom in Belarus by highlighting the experiences of wrongfully imprisoned student protestors. 
  • Facilitate discussion about violations of Belarusian student protectors’ human rights and how these rights can best be protected.
  • Learn about human rights activism and where to direct advocacy efforts through the discussion panel with Belarusian guest speakers that have lived experience in the field of human rights.

As an extension of the Scholars at Risk’s Scholars in Prison Project, this film screening provides an important opportunity for community engagement in human rights advocacy. Event participants will have the chance to partake in a Scholars at Risk’s action campaign, which may include initiatives such as writing letters to imprisoned students and/or signing petitions calling for the release of imprisoned students. 

This event is sponsored by the UBC International Relations program and the Department of Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies (CENES). Student club sponsors include the UBC Ukrainian Student Union and UBC Sociology Students’ Association. 

Film Trailer

The following content warnings apply to both the movie and the trailer. View the trailer below. 

Content Warnings:

  • Violent Content (police/state violence, physical abuse of protesters)
  • Frightening Scenes