2 Fowler Law Students Will Travel to Laos for Summer Documentary Film Program

January 28, 2015

Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law students Anna Caludac
(JD ’16)
and Neusha Ghaedi
(JD ’16)
have been selected to participate in the Chapman University International Documentary Scholarship Program that will take place in Laos during the summer of 2015.

The Chapman University International Documentary Scholarship Program is a unique interdisciplinary documentary film program that allows a mix of undergraduate and graduate students from Chapman colleges such as,
Dodge College of Film and Media Arts
,
Fowler School of Law
and
Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences
. Participants travel overseas and work together to make films about human rights issues. The resulting films are entered into film festivals, and have won numerous awards and prizes nationally and internationally.

With this program, Fowler School of Law Professor
John Hall
has taken Fowler Law students to Mozambique, Ghana, Cambodia, and Uganda. In the summer of 2014,
two Fowler Law students traveled to Uganda
to participate in the
Destination: Africa
International Documentary Scholarship Program. This summer, Professor Hall and the two Fowler Law students will provide expertise on international human rights law in Laos.

“The program is one of Chapman University’s defining and unique programs. The film topics have ranged from the problem of environmental degradation, discrimination against women with HIV, labor conditions in illegal goldmines, gay rights activism in Uganda, and the negative impact on tribal peoples when state parks are created in Africa. It is a golden opportunity for law students to get their hands dirty (literally) while trying out both human rights fieldwork and documentary film-making. Indeed, two Fowler Law graduates of the program have turned their summer experience into full-time careers working in the documentary film-making arena.” – Fowler Law Professor John Hall

The Fowler Law students selected to travel to Laos

Anna Caludac is a Fowler Law second year student on a merit-based scholarship. She has a B.A. in French from the University of Southern California. Anna has been an extern at the Human Rights Project in Los Angeles, California; an intern for Equitable Cambodia in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; and will be a law clerk for the Orange County District Attorney’s TARGET gang unit in the spring. She is also currently Professor Michael Bazyler’s research assistant, performing research on international criminal law and prosecutions for war crimes and genocide.

“I am passionate about international human rights and working with disadvantaged communities. During my internship in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last summer, I saw firsthand how a documentary can effectively empower communities, raise awareness for pressing human rights issues and ultimately, be used as a tool for advocacy. I am honored to contribute to a project that could dignify the experiences of people in Laos. I anticipate this experience to be one of the highlights of my legal education.” – Anna Caludac (JD ’16)

Neusha Ghaedi is a second year Fowler Law student. She earned her B.A. with a double major in political science and communication from the University of Colorado Denver. In Colorado, she worked with Women’s Global Empowerment Fund, connecting with people from Northern Uganda. This opportunity provided her with a deeper understanding of human rights issues. Neusha was most passionate about courses such as International Human Rights, Indigenous Politics, and Arab-Israeli Peace Process.

“A documentary can have a huge global impact; with today’s technology it can be viewed by billions of people worldwide. This summer will not only build a foundation for my future in shaping human rights, it is an opportunity to send a message to the world and inspire the progress of human rights.” – Neusha Ghaedi (JD ’16)