Honorary Patrons

Patron 2024: Can Dündar

Can Dündar is patron of the Human Rights Film Festival 2024 and one of the most prominent Turkish-speaking journalists and filmmakers. As editor-in-chief of the newspaper Cumhuriyet, he reported on arms deliveries by the Turkish secret service to Syria, whereupon he was sentenced in absentia to over 27 years in prison for espionage and treason of state secrets and an assassination attempt was made on him. Today he lives and works in exile in Berlin, where he heads the project #ÖZGÜRÜZ (Engl. ‘We are free’). Dündar has written several books, made highly acclaimed documentaries and received numerous awards, including European Journalist of the Year and the Reporters Without Borders Human Rights Prize.

Patron 2023: Enissa Armani

The German-Iranian comedian and human rights activist Enissa Amani is the daughter of a writer who was imprisoned during her studies and a doctor who was politically persecuted in Iran; the family fled to Germany in 1985. Amani says of her motivation to become politically active: “I am the daughter of two human rights activists who have dedicated their lives to these issues. I don't need any special motivation for this. I believe it is every person's duty to stand up for life, humanity and justice.”

Patron 2022 : Filippo Grandi 

In 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) supported us as honorary patron. Who else would know more about the status quo of human rights worldwide than him. As the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, he is tasked with protecting refugees and stateless people. Unfortunately, this is a mandate that is not limited to a specific area, but must be implemented in many places around the world.  

Patron 2021: Loujain al-Hathloul

The Saudi Arabian women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul is supporting us as a patron of the Human Rights Film Festival 2021. In May 2018, Saudi Arabia's best-known women's rights activist was arrested along with more than a dozen other women human rights defenders. She was detained for more than three years. She is still not allowed to speak freely.

Patron 2020: Nadia Murad

Nadia Murad, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and UNODC Goodwill Ambassador, is a leading advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence. Nadia's peaceful life was brutally interrupted in 2014 when ISIS attacked her home in Sinjar to ethnically cleanse Iraq of all Yazidis. Since her escape from ISIS captivity, Nadia has told her story to raise awareness of ISIS and its genocidal campaign against the Yazidi people. She has become a strong advocate for women in conflict situations and survivors of sexual violence worldwide. 

Patron 2019: Prof. Dr. Gesine Schwan

The 2019 festival was opened by political scientist Prof. Dr. Gesine Schwan, the patron of the HRFFB 2019. Many of her publications focus on the topic of “democracy” and who is responsible for democratic processes.

“Representative democracy [must] be supplemented, supported and underpinned by much more participation of the people (...) This also increases the chance that citizens can contribute more of their interests and skills, which ultimately leads to a renewed interest in democratic processes through this identification.” (The European 21th April 2019)

Patron 2018: Ai Weiei

At the first Human Rights Film Festival Berlin, it was a great honor and pleasure to have the Chinese conceptual artist, filmmaker and human rights activist Ai Weiwei at our side as patron of the festival.