Now in its 28th year, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in London, from 14-22 March, 2024, presents a line-up of 10 award-winning, international feature-length films.
This year’s edition celebrates the convergence of art and human rights and highlights the role of youth in rising up to confront systems of power.
The opening night film, Mediha, made by a documentary filmmaker, Hasan Oswald, is a heartfelt and intimate account of Mediha Alhamad, a teenage Yazidi girl, recently returned from Islamic State (ISIS) captivity, who turns the camera on herself as she initiates investigations into the crimes committed against her, and in the process stands up for her family and the Yazidi people.
In the closing night film, Summer Qamp, non-binary filmmaker Jen Markovitz brings an uplifting, funny and moving look at Camp fYrefly in the forests of Alberta, Canada, where LGBTQ+ teens explore their authentic selves, make friends, and build community—far away from the fierce political battle being waged against them.
John Biaggi, director of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, said: “This year our programme of seven documentaries and three dramas spotlights the energy and determination of young people, art and human rights and opposing systems of power – told through the lens of women and girls, queer and trans youth, Indigenous environmental activists and exiled artists. We are very happy to present this year’s programme at two of London’s stand-out cinemas, our long-standing venue partner the Barbican, and for the first-time at Rich Mix, a venue we’ve long admired for its ambitious and community-based programming.”
The festival programme, presented at the Barbican and Rich Mix , includes in-depth Q&As and panel discussions with filmmakers, film participants, activists and Human Rights Watch researchers following all screenings. The majority of the programme will also stream across the UK and Ireland on the festival website from 18-24 March.
28th Human Rights Watch Film Festival, London Programme:
Opening Night
Mediha
Iraq/Syria/Turkey / 2023 / dir Hasan Oswald (he/him) / doc / English, Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish with English subtitles / 90m
UK Premiere
In 2014, ISIS committed atrocity crimes against the Yazidis, a small religious and ethnic minority in Northern Iraq. Those who survived are still unable to return home. Mediha Alhamad and her brothers, Ghazwan and Adnan, must now rebuild their lives with the whereabouts of their parents and brother unknown. Alhamad takes viewers on her quest for justice by initiating investigations to uncover the truth about the people who caused her family harm and sharing her story with the world. Executive produced by Emma Thompson.
Winner, U.S. Competition Grand Jury Prize, DOC NYC 2023
“It’s empowering to see Mediha as both a character and creator. As a viewer, you really empathise with her and understand why it’s so important to bring home the thousands of Yazidis who are still missing, compensate survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable.” Sarah Sanbar, Middle East and North Africa researcher, Human Rights Watch
Closing Night
Summer Qamp
Canada / 2023 / dir Jen Markowitz / doc / English / 80m
UK Premiere
Summer Qamp follows a group of LGBTQ+ youth as they attend a camp like no other: a judgement-free zone where they explore their authentic selves while building community, finding joy, and making memories that will last a lifetime. Uplifting, funny, and moving, Summer Qamp joins the campers as they make friends, explore crushes, and share experiences around transitioning and intersectionality, while never losing sight of the bravery of these young protagonists whose identities are challenged by society outside of the camp boundaries.
Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival 2023
“The film captures such a range of conversations, everything from coming out to your parents, to working through self-harm, to how an alien looking at earth through a telescope would perceive it.”
Bill Van Esveld, associate children’s rights director, Human Rights Watch
We Are Guardians
Brazil, USA / 2023 / co-dirs Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, Rob Grobman /Portuguese, Tupi, English with English subtitles / doc / 82m
Meet Brazilian Indigenous activists fighting to protect their home, an illegal logger in a desperate financial state, and a landowner driven to preserve the rich ecosystem at all costs. Directed by an Indigenous activist and environmental filmmakers, produced by Fisher Stevens, and executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, this film’s intimate storytelling provides a human entry-point into the Amazon’s critical situation that impacts us all.
“We Are Guardians is a poignant portrayal of the diverse group of people on the front line of efforts to save the Brazilian Amazon. The filmmakers expertly dissect the economic drivers that fuel large-scale environmental destruction, while exposing the corruption and partisan politics that enable it. A loud call to action.” Luciana Téllez Chávez, senior environment and human rights researcher, Human Rights Watch
A Revolution on Canvas
USA / 2023 / co-dir Sara Nodjoumi, Till Schauder / doc / English & Farsi with English subtitles / 95m
UK premiere
This art-heist-thriller-meets-portrait-documentary delves into the disappearance of over 100 “treasonous” paintings by the co-director’s father, the revolutionary Iranian artist Nickzad (Nicky) Nodjoumi.
After an exhibition of Iranian artist Nicky Nodjoumi’s work in 1980 is declared critical of the regime, it is vandalised by Islamist radicals, and he is forced to flee Iran. Decades later, as protests erupt in Iran again, Nicky and his daughter Sara dive into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of more than 100 of his “treasonous” paintings. The result is a political thriller with intimate conversations that reveal the power of art, sacrifice, and family.
Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films
“Eventually the central event of my father’s life—the revolution and subsequent vandalisation of his art show in Tehran—led us to a film that hopefully pays tribute to both my parents’ art and life while also helping me understand the origins and mysteries of our homeland and family better.” Sara Nodjoumi, co-director, A Revolution on Canvas
Land of My Dreams
India / 2023 / dir Nausheen Khan / doc / Hindi, English with English subtitles / 74m
UK Premiere
In 2019, protests broke out after the Indian government enacted the Citizenship Amendment Act, which overtly discriminates against Muslims. Nausheen Khan follows the women at the forefront of the resistance.
“Land of My Dreams encapsulates so much that is good in India, and what is being lost. In a celebration of diversity, various communities came together to peacefully protest a patently discriminatory law. And in crushing the protest with hate, violence, and arrests, the authorities snatched from the young their right to dissent in a democracy.” Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director, Human Rights Watch
Coconut Head Generation
Anietie Ewang, Africa researcher, Human Rights Watch
France/Nigeria / 2023 / dir Alain Kassanda / doc / English, Pidgin English, French, Yoruba with English subtitles / 89m
Every Thursday in the University of Ibadan, the oldest university in Nigeria, the student-run Film Club discusses films from around the world. Contrary to stereotypes of the new generation embodied in the Nigerian expression “Coconut Head Generation”—used to describe “stubborn and brainless youth”—these students transform a small lecture hall into an essential space for debate on pressing social issues from education and elections to gender and equality.
Winner, Grand Prix, Cinéma du Réel 2023
Official Selection, IDFA 2023
“Coconut Head Generation showcases the brilliance and resilience of young Nigerians who are coming together despite individual and collective struggles to create a space for themselves and reclaim their power. Their raw and rich perspectives challenge received wisdom as they engage ideas and each other, seeking new ways to shape society for good.”
Inshallah a Boy
Jordan, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar / 2023 / dir Amjad Al Rasheed / drama / Arabic with English subtitles / 113m
This gripping, sharp-witted, feminist drama – the first Jordanian feature to have an official screening at Cannes accompanies Nawal, who is forced into a series of rash situations to hold onto her family and claim what should rightfully be hers. The result is a suspenseful and engrossing portrait of resistance and strength, and a snapshot into the many forms of systemic oppression facing women in Jordanian society and its legal system.
Official Selection, Cannes Critics’ Week 2023
Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival 2023
“Tense, gripping, and unflinchingly honest, the film sheds light on the oppression faced by women under archaic laws. By refusing to focus solely on women’s suffering, Inshallah A Boy takes a survivor-centred approach, adding a powerful angle to its narrative.” Negar Mohtashami, women’s rights research assistant, Human Rights Watch
Power Alley (Levante)
Brazil, France, Uruguay / 2023 / dir Lillah Halla / drama / Portuguese, Spanish with English subtitles / 99m
A promising Brazilian volleyball player, Sofia, 17, a member of a vibrant LGBTQ+-inclusive volleyball team, is on the brink of a future-defining game she has worked tirelessly for. When she discovers her pregnancy, Sofia is forced to seek help in a country where abortion is criminalised in most circumstances. Desperate, she becomes the target of a fundamentalist group determined to stop her at any cost. Luckily neither Sofia nor her boundlessly loving father and fiercely loyal teammates are willing to surrender to the blind fervour of the swarm.
Winner, FIPRESCI Prize, Cannes Critics’ Week 2023
“A compelling story that could happen to anyone in Brazil, or even in other countries, where there is no access to abortion.” Regina Tamés, deputy women’s rights director, Human Rights Watch
After the Fire
France / 2023 / dir Mehdi Fikri / drama / French with English subtitles / 96m
UK Premiere
The suspicious death of Karim, killed by police during an investigation, ignites pain and passion in his Strasbourg suburb community as he becomes yet another victim in France’s history of racial profiling and police violence. Malika, Karim’s sister, must decide whether the battle against authorities who are determined to cover up their crime is worth the cost to her family and wellbeing. Starring Camélia Jordana (a French-Algerian pop singer) and Sofiane (a French-Algerian rapper).
Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival 2023
“Filled with palpable mourning, tension and rage, After the Fire tells the story of one family dealing with a death at the hands of the police – with a visually stunning backdrop that captures the strained police-community relations, structural racism, and socioeconomic deprivation of today’s urban France.”
Kartik Raj, Europe & Central Asia researcher, Human Rights Watch
Tree of Violence
Belgium, Luxembourg / 2024 / dir Anna Moiseenko / doc / Russian with English subtitles / 81m
UK Premiere
For over a decade, the internationally recognised Russian artist Victoria (Vika) Lomasko has exposed truths about Vladimir Putin’s Russia through graphic reportage. Her ambitious new work on the long reach of state-sponsored violence—from domestic violence to the crackdown on free speech—is particularly timely. As Putin wages war against Ukraine and brands dissidents “traitors, to spit out like flies,” Lomasko faces increasing safety threats and must decide if a future in Russia is possible.
Tree of Violence is part of the series Draw for Change created by Vincent Coen & Guillaume Vandenberghe.
“This stellar combination of motion picture and animation tells the story of contemporary Russia—entrenched rights abuses and violence, lawlessness and impunity, and evisceration of civil society by a ruthless government—through the eyes of a brilliant graphic reporter. Tree of Violence is a work of art and a harrowing portrait of tyranny.” Tanya Lokshina, associate Europe and Central Asia director, Human Rights Watch