The Human Rights Film Festival Berlin returns to the heart of the German capital from 30 September to 10 October 2020 under the theme The Future Is Now as a hybrid on- & offline festival. Over the course of 10 days, the festival highlights 40 documentary films from around the globe that powerfully address and reflect on human action, the sociopolitical status quo, and fundamental issues such as democracy, justice, freedom, and environmental protection. The festival is organised by Action Against Hunger, in main partnership with Save the Children and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The opening film, Softie by Sam Soko, tells the story of war photographer and activist Boniface Mwangi, also known as Softie, who fights corruption and post-colonial tribalism with optimism and hope – until harsh reality sets in when his wife and children are threatened. The Kenyan documentary, like all the other films at the festival, powerfully demonstrates that we need courageous individuals both in front of and behind the camera to bring about global change.
Honorary Patron 2020 - Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad
"Documentary films in particular help to raise awareness of atrocities that happen in remote parts of the world that may have otherwise been forgotten."
HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM
In 2020, the festival was accompanied for the first time by a Human Rights Forum, creating an interdisciplinary platform for exchange, knowledge transfer, and idea development. At the heart of the forum was a multi-day Climate Story Lab, where experts, activists, and storytellers worked together to develop new strategies for communicating the climate crisis. Additionally, the forum focused on the debate surrounding resistance to populism and fake news (in the time of Corona), explored various approaches to storytelling about (conflict-based) sexual, sexualised, and gender-based violence, and provided space for a conference on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
COMPETITION
In 2020, the Willy Brandt Documentary Film Award for Freedom and Human Rights, awarded by the Bundeskanzler-Willy-Brandt-Stiftung in collaboration with the festival, recognised a film for its outstanding artistic and thematic achievement. The winner was the opening film Softie von Sam Soko. For the first time in 2020, the Audience Award was also given, with the film Máxima von Claudia Sparrow taking home the prize. The Belarusian opposition politician Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was honoured with the Special Peace and Democracy Award.
IMPRESSIONS
