Human Rights Film Festival Berlin shows 25 documentaries from October 4 to 12
From 4 to 12 October, the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin will be showing a total of 25 documentaries on the themes of democracy, human rights and freedom of the press. Democracy Noir by Connie Field opens the festival on 4 October. Numerous filmmakers, protagonists and activists will come to Berlin to engage in discussions with the audience. The full programme has now been released and tickets are available now.
‘We are delighted to present an outstanding programme this year with films that look at topics such as the loss of democracy, human rights violations and freedom of the press from various perspectives. This year, we are also focussing in particular on Europe. Because humanity, the guiding principle of this year's festival, begins right on our own doorstep,’ explains Jan Sebastian Friedrich-Rust, who is co-directing the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin with Lydia Spiesberger. Spiesberger adds: ‘Democracy, freedom of the press and freedom of opinion are unfortunately no longer a matter of course, even in Europe. Films have the power to draw attention to grievances, move people and provide impetus for a better world.’
Democracy in danger
Right-wing populist movements are increasingly gaining influence around the world, undermining fundamental values such as freedom, equality and the rule of law. Even on our doorstep. The opening film Democracy Noir by Emmy award-winner Connie Field uses the example of Hungary to illustrate how authoritarian forces are purposefully undermining democratic institutions. The film focuses on three women who resolutely oppose these developments and fight for a democratic and free society. Director Connie Field and protagonist Babett Oroszi will be present.
In An Hour from the Middle of Nowhere, directing duo Ole Elfenkaemper and Kathrin Seward accompany late-career lawyer Marty Rosenbluth as he represents people stuck in the largest US immigration detention centre. The conditions there are almost indistinguishable from US prisons. The film will celebrate its Berlin premiere following the award ceremony on 11 October; the director duo and protagonist Marty Rosenbluth will be present.
In Drawing a Line, we get to know illustrator Rachita Taneja, who uses her political comics to campaign for freedom of art and expression and against hatred and the loss of democracy in India. Forest by director Lidia Duda shows how the home of a family on the Polish border with Belarus becomes the centre of European refugee politics. Director and photographer Jean-Baptiste Bonnet also addresses the topic of flight in his film Save our Souls. In his film, he accompanies asylum seekers and sea rescuers on the rescue ship ‘Ocean Viking’.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the genocide of the Yazidis. Mediha (German premiere) by Hasan Oswald is a documentary film and video diary by the young Yazidi woman Mediha, who uses it to come to terms with the trauma of her abduction by the so-called ‘Islamic State’ and the sexualised violence she experienced. Activist and documentary filmmaker Düzen Tekkal from HÁWAR.help and co-director David Körzdörfer present another film on the subject, Bemal - Heimatlos, which also reflects on the question of German responsibility.
We won't shut up – a film for Freedom shows the consequences of a law to combat terrorism for freedom of art and expression in Spain: Three Catalan rappers were sentenced to prison for political statements in their lyrics. Prominent musicians such as Ana Tijoux support the protest and reinterpret the lyrics. Adriano Galante, producer, co-author and musician himself, is coming to Berlin for the screening.
Our Land, Our Freedom by Zippy Kimundu and Meena Nanji tells an alternative colonial history of Kenya. Wanjugu Kimathi's search for her father's remains becomes an investigation into the atrocities of the British colonial era, which drove hundreds of thousands of Kenyans into poverty.
Willy Brandt Documentary Film Award
Once again this year, seven films have the chance to win the prestigious Willy Brandt Documentary Film Prize for Freedom and Human Rights. The prize, sponsored by the Federal Chancellor Willy Brandt Foundation, is endowed with 3,000 euros. The international jury awards this prize annually to a competition film for outstanding artistic and content-related achievements.
In order to make the perspectives of young people heard, a youth jury prize will also be awarded this year. Viewers can also take part and vote for their favourite film. The film with the most votes will receive the Audience Award.
The full programme of the festival has been published here: www.humanrightsfilmfestivalberlin.de/en/programme-2024
Note to editors: For interview requests with the festival management, the patron Can Dündar or the directors and protagonists of the films as well as for electronic press kits and screeners, please contact presse@aktiongegendenhunger.de
About the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin
The Human Rights Film Festival Berlin was founded in 2018 by Jan Sebastian Friedrich-Rust, Managing Director of the humanitarian and development organisation Action Against Hunger. Today, it is the most important German human rights film festival with an international reach. The film festival shows films from all over the world that tell of human rights violations and the resistance against them in an impressive way. With a comprehensive accompanying programme, the festival also offers a unique platform for exchange and networking between NGOs, filmmakers, activists, politicians and the public. Prominent human rights activists, politicians and artists such as Ai Weiwei, Nadia Murad, Filippo Grandi, Loujain al-Hathloul, Gesine Schwan and Enissa Amani have taken on the patronage of the festival in recent years.
The Human Rights Film Festival Berlin 2024 will take place from 4 to 12 October and is organised by Action Against Hunger in partnership with Reporters Without Borders, which campaigns for freedom of the press and information worldwide.
Press accreditations and contact:
Vassilios Saroglou / Markus Winkler
presse@aktiongegendenhunger.de
030 279 099 776
