Chicago Girl - documentary screening and discussion

As the refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe has unfolded in recent months, the public have watched with a mixture of anticipation, fear and anger, their opinions ranging from ‘Enough is enough’ to ‘Enough is never enough’. The mass media have been dominated by extreme and sometimes extremist rhetoric, and surprisingly little time has been spent in rational discussion.

In this context, Prague College offers a chance for students, lecturers and the general public to come together to debate the issues. Wednesday 14 October sees a special screening of 'Chicago Girl', the prizewinning 2013 documentary about Ala'a Basatneh, a 19-year-old American student who orchestrates elements of the Syrian uprising against President Assad from her bedroom via social media.

Following the public screening (courtesy of the One World Film Festival project 'Promitej i ty!') a debate will be held consider the phenomenon of social activism - particularly among young people; the use of online social media to show the world what is happening in Syria; and the wider issues arising from the crisis. Representatives from the charity People in Need will speak about their experience of providing help and support for refugees.

Chairing the discussion will be Eva Rybkova (One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival), and the panel will include Klára Bednářová (Project Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, People in Need) and Arabic specialist Chima Youssefová from Prague's Arabesque Institute.