The Human Rights Film Festival Berlin invites you to the Human Rights Forum from 20 to 23 September 2021. The four-day international and transdisciplinary conference offers exciting insights into the work, ideas and current projects of inspiring international guests. Some highlights.
Aya Chebbi
Keynote: The Transformative Power of Storytelling
Conference day "Realistic Utopias"
22 September 2021 | 02.15 pm
Multi award-winning Pan-African feminist and diplomat. She rose to prominence as a voice for democracy and shot to global fame as a political blogger during 2010/2011 Tunisia’s Revolution. She served as the first ever African Union Special Envoy on Youth and the youngest diplomat at the African Union Commission Chairperson’s Cabinet (2018 – 2021). She received the Gates Campaign Award and was named in Forbes Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women, New African Magazine List of 100 Most Influential Africans, and Top 20 List of Apolitical 100 The World’s Most Influential Young People in Government. Her story and talks have been critically acclaimed by the Guardian, Huffpost, Jeune Afrique, France24, Deutsche Welle and more.
Wim Wenders
Project pitch: Peace by Peace
Conference day "Storytelling for the Common Good"
21 September 2021 | 02.45 pm
A giant kaleidoscope composed of many short films or episodes, Peace by Peace will show all sorts of surprising aspects of peace around the world, through history and all across (wo)mankind. These vignettes will tell unusual stories in various genres: documentary, science fiction, drama, comedy and animation, and together form a new language of peace.
Ece Temelkuran
Keynote: The European Future
Conference day "European Future - European #DocDay II"
20 September 2021 | 02.15 pm
Ece Temelkuran is an award-winning Turkish novelist and political commentator, whose journalism has appeared in the Guardian, New York Times, New Statesman, Frankfurter Allgemeine and Der Spiegel. She won the Edinburgh International Book Festival First Book award for her novel WOMEN WHO BLOW THE KNOTS and the Ambassador Of New Europe Award for her book TURKEY: THE INSANE AND THE MELANCHOLY. She is the author of the internationally acclaimed book HOW TO LOSE A COUNRTY. Her latest book is TOGETHER.
Graeme Smith
Panel discussion: Journalism and Activism – Joining Forces?
Conference day "Storytelling for the Common Good"
21 September 2021 | 03.30 pm
The former war reporter lived in Afghanistan for almost a decade and followed the international troops during the war. He was one of the first journalists to make contact with the Taliban in the early years and was allowed to talk to them. He has received many awards for his nuanced and courageous reporting, including the prestigious Canadian Michener Award (2007) and the Emmy Award (2009) for his video series on the Taliban.
Today, he is a writer and policy advisor for international organisations and NGOs, including the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the Norwegian Centre for Conflict Resolution (NOREF) and the International Crisis Group (ICG). From 2015 to 2018, he led the Domestic Policy Unit for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan as Political Affairs Officer. He teaches politics at the US Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
Katja Riemann
Podiumsdiskussion: Storytelling & Activism
Conference day "Storytelling and Activism"
23 September 2021 | 12:00 am
Katja Riemann is a German actress (e.g. "Fack ju Göhte" & "Das Perfekte Geheimis"), director and fierce advocate of human rights. In her directorial debut ...AND HERE WE ARE! she accompanies young refugees who learn to tell their world in pictures in a film training programme run by the NGO 'ReFOCUS Media Labs'. She is part of the 'Innovation Advisory Board' of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2000. She received the Federal Cross of Merit for her commitment.
Franziska Heinisch
Panel discussion: Putting a Halt to Climate Change
Conference day "Realistic Utopias"
22. September 2021 | 04.30 pm
Franziska Heinisch fights for climate prevention from below. For this, she organises people, brings them onto the streets, argues with decision-makers at all levels. She is the author of the book "Wir haben keine Wahl. Ein Manifest gegen das Aufgeben" (We have no choice. A manifesto against giving up), which was published by Blessing Verlag in May 2021. Together with other activists, she founded the organising collective Justice is Global Europe in autumn 2020.
