Join us for a screening of Vieques: A Living Archive, followed by a discussion of the film’s exploration of the lasting environmental, health, and social impacts of U.S. military presence on the island. Light refreshments will be provided, and we invite you to stay afterward for a conversation about environmental justice, community resilience, and the long-term consequences of militarization. We look forward to seeing you there and continuing the discussion together.

Registration requested.

About the Global Media Festival

The Global Media Festival is Georgia Tech’s annual film and discussion series that brings global stories into conversation with pressing social, cultural, and ethical questions across languages and cultures.

The theme for 2026 is Sustaining Empathy in a Fractured World. We approach empathy not as a simple feeling, but as a capacity — the ability to listen, to imagine another person’s reality, and to stay engaged even when doing so is difficult or uncomfortable. In this sense, empathy is not passive or soft; it is something that has to be sustained, practiced, and protected, especially in moments of conflict, fatigue, and polarization.

Seen this way, empathy becomes a form of sustainability. It helps prevent social and emotional disconnection and holds together relationships, communities, and conversations that might otherwise fall apart. The films in this year’s program explore what happens to this capacity under pressure — in war zones, in digital and media-saturated spaces, within families, and in moments of silence, loss, or moral uncertainty. Together, they invite us to think about how empathy is strained, reshaped, and, at times, quietly sustained in fractured contexts.

This year’s program includes 11 events: 10 film screenings from around the world, each followed by a conversation with directors, scholars, or guests. We are also introducing a new format this year — an introductory directing workshop — to give students a more hands-on way to think about how stories are shaped and told on screen.

All screenings are free and open to the public, and each event is followed by national food, creating space to continue the conversation in a more informal setting.

Sponsored by: School of Modern Languages, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, Atlanta Global Studies Center, Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, Charles A. Smithgall Institute Chair Fund, IAC ADVANCE Professorship, School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Korean Foundation USA, Front Row Filmed Entertainment