The 2017 Peace on Earth Film Festival (POEFF) kicks off on Friday at the Music Box Theatre.

The annual fest strives to raise “awareness of peace, nonviolence, social justice and an eco-balanced world”. This year, the POEFF will screen over 30 films from at least 13 countries, combined with panel discussions.

The festival will also feature a special showing for Chicago school students at the Chicago Cultural Center. 

Nick Angotti, festival co-founder and executive director, joins us again to preview this year’s films. Joining him is Jenny Phillips, a cultural anthropologist, filmmaker, writer and psychiatric nurse. She co-directed the documentary Beyond The Wall which follows five ex-convicts as they attempt to start over their lives with little or no support from the criminal justice system.