The Utah State Bar Pro Bono Project, in collaboration with the Salt Lake City Film Society and Entertainment One is sponsoring a public film screening and panel discussion of the film "Chasing Freedom". CLE credit for attorneys is also available.

"Chasing Freedom" tells the story of a young Afghan woman (played by Layla Alizada) who is persecuted by the Taliban for running a school for young girls and the pro bono attorney (played by Juliette Lewis) who reluctantly takes on her asylum case after the woman is detained when she arrives at a U.S. airport in search of refuge. The film was inspired by a real asylum case handled by a team of dedicated pro bono attorneys from Human Rights First. It is a sobering depiction of the nearly insurmountable obstacles that asylum seekers face when they arrive in the U.S.

Panelists:

Barbara M. Szweda, Legal Director, Utah Health and Human Rights Project

Leonor Perretta, Immigration Attorney, Perretta Law Office, member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association

Jon Hill, Immigration Court Administrator

Free and open to public