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The United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF) was originally conceived to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Now in its 12th year, this year's theme is "Energy and the World." Opening Night, sponsored by Fact and Junnoon, will commence with words by the Mayor of Palo Alto Peter Drekmeier followed by Session I's films. 

Session I:

Battle for the Xingu (Brazil/USA): The Xingu, a tributary of the Amazon, is home to over 10,000 indigenous people who rely on the river for survival. The Brazilian government, however, keen to develop the region, is proposing what would be the world’s third largest hydroelectric dam, threatening to destroy the biodiversity of the Xingu River Basin and deprive these people of their rights to a sustainable future. Cultures of Resistance was in Altamira in 2008 for the Xingu Alive Encounter—one of the largest-ever gatherings of indigenous Brazilians—to witness the spectacular determination of the Amazon people to protect their way of life. Today, plans to build the dam continue. Thankfully, so do the protests. In January 2009, over 100,000 Brazilians gathered in Belem for the World Social Forum, where once again the people of the Xingu made their voices heard, and made clear that they will not stand by to watch the death of the river and the extinction of their culture.

Power Paths (USA): Power Paths, narrated by Peter Coyote, tells an important human story about America’s struggle to understand, accept and implement a new path toward true energy security. By revealing the experiences of unsung heroes among America’s native Indian Tribes, a wider public interest is raised in a dynamic and entertaining way as energy visionaries pursue the vast potential of America’s renewable energy field. Power Paths depicts the struggle Indian leaders and their allies face in harnessing the abundant natural forces of the sun and wind found on millions of acres of Tribal lands. The film’s characters are revealed as we watch them work towards an energy agenda aimed at securing both the futures of their people and America at large. The inspiring stories in this film portray our potential for success in producing the power we need while preserving our planet’s livability; and in telling these stories, Power Paths exposes fundamental truths that will change the way we look at energy forever.

Gold Rush (The Neharawalas) (India): In the city of Kolkata, India, is the market Bowbazar where gold ornaments are made and sold. People come here from all over the country to buy ornaments for different festive occasions. Gold ornaments are important to Indian culture and festivals, and people consider buying gold an important part of their life. This is where you will also find the Neharawalas. The Neharawalas are people from all age groups that come from far away villages to hunt out the gold from the dirt, sweeping the drains and streets of Bowbazar. They normally distill out the gold from scraps they bargain for from the goldsmiths shop, but they also have another more difficult method. They are very hard workers and are very serious about what they do. The film shows the Neharawalas at work and their process of procuring gold from the gutter, using a secret method they do not share with outsiders. This film is co-presented with "3rd i" South Asian Film Festival.

The Garden (USA): The Academy Nominated film The Garden tells the story of the country’s largest urban farm and the backroom deals, land developers, green politics, money, poverty, power and racial discord that accompany it. The fourteen-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South Central Los Angeles is the largest of its kind in the United States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating LA riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers have since created a miracle in one of the country’s most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food. Feeding their families. Creating a community. But now, bulldozers are poised to level their 14-acre oasis. The Garden follows the plight of the farmers, from the tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall. Mostly immigrants from Latin America, from countries where they feared for their lives if they were to speak out, we watch them organize, fight back, and demand answers: Why was the land sold to a wealthy developer for millions less than fair-market value? Why was the transaction done in a closed-door session of the LA City Council? Why has it never been made public?