The power of individuals to make a difference
Still from Inshallah A Boy: A widow pretends to be pregnant with a son in order to save her daughter and home from a relative exploiting Jordan's patriarchal inheritance laws.
Celebrate the power of individuals to make a difference at this year’s Human Rights Watch Film Festival (14-24 March). This year’s edition features the role of youth in the fight for human rights, the convergence of art and human rights, and the rising up to confront systems of power; what shines through is the determination and courage of individuals standing up for their freedom.
Ten films will be screened at the Barbican and Rich Mix with post- film discussions with filmmakers, film participants, activists, and Human Rights Watch researchers..
The opening night film, Mediha, is an intimate account of a teenage Yazidi girl recently returned from Islamic State (ISIS) captivity, who turns the camera on herself as she initiates investigations into the crimes committed against her, and in the process stands up for her family and the Yazidi people.
Coconut Head Generation provides front-row seats for lively, political, and impassioned debates in a student’s film club in Nigeria as they unpack critical issues facing young people today – from colonialism to government corruption, gender and equality.
Power Alley, one of the festival’s three dramas, features a vibrant LGBT-inclusive volleyball team in Brazil who support and fight for each other’s dignity and rights, especially vital when one of their team members must seek an abortion in a country where it is illegal.
The closing night Summer Qamp is an uplifting, funny and moving look at Camp fYrefly in the forests of Alberta, Canada where LGBTQ+ teens explore their authentic selves, make friends and build community – far away from the fierce political battle being waged against them.
Opposing systems of power is the focus of four films in this year’s programme Two are dramas, After the Fire - a powerful look at a family’s fight for truth and justice after their son’s death during a police investigation, pulling back the curtain on France’s long history of racial profiling and police violence. The sharp-witted, beautifully acted Inshallah a Boy introduces Nawal, a quietly powerful Jordanian mother whose husband unexpectedly dies, leaving her to battle against the patriarchal legal system and her brother-in-law who attempts to claim all her assets including guardianship of her daughter.
Two more documentaries speak truth to power loud and clear - Land of My Dreams filmmaker Nausheen Khan draws on her identity as an Indian Muslim woman, intimately capturing the intergenerational, multi-faith women at the forefront of a nationwide non-violent resistance movement to protest the Indian Government’s Citizenship Amendment Act that disproportionately impacts Muslims, denying citizenship to many. And We Are Guardians centres the powerful and dangerous work of indigenous forest guardians battling governmental indifference, politically connected agribusinesses, cattle ranchers and illegal loggers in the increasingly vulnerable Amazon rainforest.
The festival takes a close at art and human rights in two films.A Revolution on Canvas is a remarkable profile of one of Iran’s most revolutionary artists, Nickzad ‘Nicky’ Nodjoumi. The film creates a rich tapestry of family history, artistic freedom, politics and persecution that boldly reveals the power of art in the fight for human rights. Utilising stunning animation that brings to life the work of Russian visual artist and activist Victoria Lomasko,Tree of Violence follows Victoria as she investigates the connection between domestic and state-sponsored violence and patriarchy through her art and her personal safety.