The votes are in from the recent World Community Film Festival and the audience pick for a “Best of Fest” re-screening is Bending the Arc (102 min.) to be held on Tuesday, Feb.13 at 7 pm in the Stan Hagen Theatre at North Island College, Courtenay.

Bending the Arc is an uplifting documentary about medical students and activists: Jim Kim, Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl, who went on to redefine health care on a global scale as founders of Partners in Health. These pioneers of global health invented an international framework of utilizing community health workers for fighting diseases such as tuberculosis, AIDS, SARS, and Ebola.

We travel from Haiti to Peru and Rwanda with dedicated health professionals who believe in the right to healthcare for all and who understand the power of utilizing the knowledge of local people.
This is a compelling tale about friendship and how dedicated individuals can make a difference and change the world. It’s a rousing, feel-good story about overcoming barriers, even when the challenges — poverty, lack of medical access — seem overwhelming.

Variety‘s Geoff Berkshire gave Bending the Arc a strong review: “For anyone who wants to believe in the promise of Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote ‘the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice,’ a film like Bending the Arc is downright inspiring.

Everyone is welcome. Admission is by donation. FMI: (250) 337-5412

Janet Fairbanks