The human rights monitoring group, Human Rights Watch, is running its film festival at a series of venues in London, screening a variety of documentaries, animations and dramas, which it hopes will use the power of film to educate a broad range of concerned citizens, it says.
The organisers say they concentrate equally on human rights content and artist merit, when they select works that help to put a human face on threats to individual freedom and dignity, celebrating the power of the human spirit and intellect to prevail.
Human Rights Watch say no films will be ruled out because of their particular point of view — although any factual errors would lead to films being barred from the festival.
Highlights of the festival include a drama about Rwanda and a comic documentary about Afghanistan’s version of the X-Factor. Most of the screenings have the film-makers present.
The event began in New York in 1994, but since 1996, it has also run in London, at venues including the Ritzy in Brixton, the ICA and the Renoir.
The festival’s deputy director, Andrea Holley, said she was surprised that – given the nature of the festival – so many of this year’s films had a happy ending, and she hoped that the humour would inspire people.