Eight powerful films on women, which can be seen online and offline during the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin: Women from all over the world give personal insights into their lives and tell their extraordinary stories. They talk about taboos in their country, rebel against corrupt regimes and fight for their right to freedom and equality. In different ways, the films show their tireless efforts for a better world.
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The incorruptible journalist Carmen Aristegui is one of the few voices in Mexico with the courage to speak the truth. As a result, millions listen as she unveils a corruption scandal involving the president—a story that gets her fired. The population breaks out in protest and the journalist’s fight for freedom of the press begins. We accompany her as she continues to speak out and coordinate a team of investigative journalists through the poisoned Mexican media landscape on her own news platform.
Her first song made her famous, her latest one made her a political refugee. With a single song about her home country, the Vietnamese singer Mai Khoi gained money, popularity, and the blessing of the Communist Party. Now, she realizes that she can no longer remain silent about the current political situation. Despite intimidation from the regime, she steps up her critique and records her new album "Dissent", in which she calls for freedom of speech and democracy — and flees the country the day of its release.
The incredible story of Máxima Acuña and her family, who own a small, remote plot in the Peruvian Highlands. The Acuñas rely solely on the environment for their livelihood, but their land is located directly in the path of one of the world’s largest gold-mining corporations. Faced with intimidation, violence, and criminal prosecution, we follow Máxima’s tireless fight for justice, which takes her from the Peruvian Supreme Court to the doors of the World Bank in Washington, D.C.
Madeline Stuart is the world's first professional supermodel with Down Syndrome: she walked the catwalk during the New York Fashion Week, has over 700,000 followers , and has been on the cover of international fashion magazines. A young girl, who, with her mother as an eternal supporter, challenges our perception of beauty and breaks down barriers for people with disabilities. But does Maddy's career change the industry —or is she just the latest trend in the fashion world?
LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU'RE A GIRL)
A girl learning to skateboard in Kabul seems impossible. The challenge, not just for her but for the society around her, seems insurmountable. But, with every training session, the girls get better: their confidence in their own bodies and abilities grows. Suddenly, for two sisters, getting an education doesn't seem like such an absurd idea. This uplifting film, which shows a different side to Afghanistan, won an Oscar this year for its directors Caroline Dysinger and Zamarin Wahdat.
Imagine a floating theatre stage in Makoko, the largest slum situated on water in Nigeria. Here, Mrs F. wants to unite women and perform the play called "Hear Word". She dreams that this performance will raise women out of oppression, convince them to speak up, and encourage them to connect—the women of Makoko and the women in her own life. Will she succeed or will patriarchy and religion kill her dream?
A film 12 years in the making, YOUTH UNSTOPPABLE documents the struggles and events of the largely unseen and misunderstood Global Youth Climate Movement. Beginning at age 15, Slater Jewell-Kemker tells the story of a generation fighting to be heard but bound by the frustrating and complex process of UN climate change negotiations. Youth Unstoppable shows a powerful vision for the future of our planet and the youth who will lead us there.
What could be more mundane and ordinary than a woman’s period? And yet for many women, periods come with stigma and taboos. WOMENstruate offers an insight into the menstrual experience of seven women across Africa. Shot in six days, the average length of menstruation, this comprehensive documentary defends the trivialization of menstruation, despite its still being emblematic of discrimination against women.
