Yellowknife (Oct 06/06) - It's back! The World Community Film Festival (WCFF) is making its second-annual visit to Yellowknife, starting tonight at Northern United Place.

More than 30 films will be featured over four days this Thanksgiving weekend, focusing on indigenous issues, human rights, the environment and world politics, with a dash of local artistry thrown in.

She said the festival is a chance to bring something a little different to Yellowknife... again.

"We don't often see documentaries at the local theatre," she said. "We can build an awareness of these types of films for Yellowknife audiences."

The WCFF is a travelling festival based in Courtenay, B.C., an outgrowth of the World Community Development Education Society.

According to its website, the aim of the organization is "to foster awareness in our community of development issues and the links between local and global concerns."

To a great degree, the films selected reflect these aims.

One example is Shake Hands With the Devil, following UN commander Romeo Dallaire's return to Rwanda after the 1994 genocide, which won a series of awards at Cannes, the Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Another is Two Worlds Colliding, a National Film Board examination of the infamous freezing deaths in Saskatoon, after police officers allegedly drove a series of aboriginal detainees out of town and leaving them to the elements.

Benoit said another notable film comes from former Yellowknifer Twyla Roscovich.

"Call From the Coast," explores salmon aquaculture and the importance of wild salmon to coastal communities.

The festival will also open with a series of shorts from Western Arctic Moving Pictures.

"Last year was a bit of a gamble for us," Benoit said of the festival's first year in 2005, but one that paid off.

This year, the festival will take advantage of the new sound system WAMP purchased last year. "The sound will be much better, " Benoit promised.

Though she is no longer a board member with WAMP, Benoit said she was still happy to organize the event.