By Vic Cox

Dislocation and disorientation, deception and humiliation, prejudice and torture, all these expected elements are on view in six films centered on the issues of human rights. So, too, are resilience, courage, idealism, outrage, even humor and the warmth of community.

The selections presented at the 2nd Annual Santa Barbara Human Rights Film Festival, which begins a three-day run on May 21, include a historical dramatization of the 1927 Sacco-Vanzetti trial and execution in the United States and the 21st-century, true saga of three Sudanese youths who overcome huge obstacles to move to America.

Four other films, some dramatizations and others documentaries, look at women fighting for change in Afghanistan, the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal in Abu Ghraib, a family drama set in Sarajevo during the Yugoslav wars, and what happens to a teen-ager who discovers that her biological parents “disappeared” after criticizing the Argentine government in the 1980s.

Some of the festival films share a thematic connection to UCSB’s Critical Issues in America series, which topic this year is “Torture and the Future: Perspectives from the Humanities.” Festival organizer Roman Baratiak, Arts and Lectures manager for films and lectures, confirms the link: “This year, we tried mixing fictional and documentary films. You will find two films, one from each category, about torture.”

He refers to “Cautiva (Captive),” a fictionalized re-creation from Argentina of the aftermath of the era in which citizens who criticized military rule often disappeared. The documentary, “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib,” by Rory Kennedy explores the psychology of those involved in the prisoner abuse scandal that catapulted torture to the top of the national discussion, if only temporarily.

Showing different films at 7 and 9 each night over three days in Campbell Hall will, Baratiak hopes, draw in more students than last year’s weekend festival. “The all-day thing was a bit challenging for many people,” he acknowledged, “and we hope the three-day format will be appealing.”

Prices remain reasonable, with the general public’s tickets going for $6 an individual film or $10 for a day pass, and $25 for the six-film series. UCSB students pay less. For details, go to <www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu> or call x3535.