Watch Out! The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival (London, 18-27 March 2009), featuring AFGHAN STAR by Havana Marking, BACK HOME TOMORROW by Fabrizio Lazzaretti & Paolo Santolini, BURMA VJ – REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY by Anders Ostergaard, CRUDE by Joe Berlinger, IN THE HOLY FIRE OF REVOLUTION by Masha Novikova, LOOK INTO MY EYES by Naftaly Gliksberg, MY NEIGHBOR MY KILLER by Anne Aghion, ON THE FRONTLINES, PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL by Gini Reticker, PROJECT KASHMIR by Senain Kheshgi & Geeta Patel, REMNANTS OF A WAR by Jawad Metni, TAPOLOGO by Gabriela Gutiérrez Dewar & Sally Gutiérrez Dewar, and THE RECKONING – THE BATTLE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT by Pamela Yates.

A film festival that wagers hope against injustice, imagination against apathy. (Ariel Dorfman)

Courtesy of www.hwr.org

The number thirteen isn’t exactly a popular one, but don’t let that put you off the opening of next week’s Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. The thirteenth of its kind, the festival will run for nine days in London from March 18th with some fascinating documentaries on offer…

The London premiere of Afghan Star (2008) by Havana Marking.

After 30 years of war and the Taliban’s repression, Afghan Pop Idol is taking the nation by storm. But this is more than just a TV show. In Afghanistan you risk your life to sing. 

There are also a number of UK premieres on show:

Back Home Tomorrow (2008) by Fabrizio Lazzaretti and Paolo Santolini.

A cinematically stunning examination of two lives affected by conflict that illustrates how hope prevails in even the most desperate of settings.

Burma VJ – Reporting from a Closed Country (2008) by Anders Østergaard.

Armed with video-cameras, a tenacious band of Burmese reporters face down death to expose the repressive regime controlling their country.

Crude (2009) by Joe Berlinger.

Can 30,000 plaintiffs from five indigenous Ecuadorian tribes find justice from Chevron, one of the world’s largest oil producers?

In the Holy Fire of Revolution (2008) by Masha Novikova.

A unique take on Putin’s Russia as seen through the experiences of chess champion turned activist Garry Kasparov.

Look Into My Eyes (2008) by Naftaly Gliksberg.

Is anti-Semitism a buzz-word for all kinds of real or imagined slights? Is it an arcane expression that should be retired or is there legitimacy to outcries worldwide that anti-Semitism is again on the rise?

Pray the Devil Back to Hell (2008) by Gini Reticker.

A story of the power of women’s solidarity in Liberia in the face of almost impossible odds.

Project Kashmir (2008) by Senain Kheshgi and Geeta V. Patel.

What happens when two friends from opposite sides of the divide enter the conflict in Kashmir and find their friendship tested?

Tapologo (2008) by Gabriela Gutiérrez Dewar and Sally Gutiérrez Dewar.

A moving story of women in South Africa who have turned their tragedy into a tool.

The Reckoning – The Battle for the International Criminal Court (2009) by Pamela Yates.

An insightful documentary that follows two riveting dramas—the prosecution of unspeakable crimes and the International Criminal Court’s fight for justice.

Courtesy of www.hrw.org

 

And if that little lot isn’t enough to get excited about, the festival will also be hosting the World premiere of My Neighbor, My Killer (2009) by Anne Aghion who asks, Could you ever forgive the people who slaughtered your family? and the European premiere Remnants of a War (2009) by Jawad Metni who poses the question, How does life continue in the midst of war and its ever-present remains in Lebanon?

The festival will also be featuring several dramas:

Eden is West (2009) by Costa-Gavras.

The journey of an emigrant in search of a better life – full of heart, humour and wondrous complexities.

Endgame (2009) by Pete Travis.

A gripping and sophisticated political thriller full of unexpected heroes.

Firaaq (2008) by Nandita Das.

A layered and diverse look at the impact of communal violence on the lives of those who must continue in the aftermath of the 2002 riots in Gujarat.

UK premiere of Kabuli Kid (2008) by Barmak Akram.

An incisive look at daily life in Kabul follows the adventures of a taxi driver and his new found ward.

Laila’s Birthday (2008) by Rashid Masharawi.

A moving and humorous tale of a Palestinian taxi driver just trying to get home in time for his daughter’s birthday.

There is something for the photography aficionados out there too, as photoexhibition On The Frontlines, will be open for the full nine days, shedding light on the range of work done by Human Rights Watch over the past three decades.

If you aren’t in London next week do not fear as the festival will be heading to the following destinations:

Toronto: February 24 – March 5.

San Francisco: February 25 – March 26.

New York: June 11 – 25.

Courtesy of www.hrw.org

Click here for more information and to view the festival’s calendar.

Girl Power (The Family of Woman Festival II: 2009, featuring LUMO by Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL by Gini Reticker, MY HOME, YOUR WAR by Kylie Grey and A WALK TO BEAUTIFUL by Mary Olive Smith).

Next week sees the opening of The Family of Woman Festival in Idaho. Now in its second year, the festival, which is also a fundraising event, screens documentary films from countries in which women have become the victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, forced migration and other extreme situations. The creation of the Americans for the United Nations Populations Fund, the event is aimed at generating funds which will contribute to the health and dignity of women worldwide.

Courtesy of IMOW

Amidst the fascinating array of films on offer is Gini Reticker‘s Pray the Devil Back to Hell. It chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war. Thousands of women who are ordinary mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters, both Christian and Muslim, came together to pray for peace and then staged a silent protest outside of the Presidential Palace in Liberia. Armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they demanded a resolution to the country’s civil war. Their actions were a critical element in bringing about an agreement during the stalled peace talks. 

Also being screened is Lumo (2007), directed and produced by Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, Nelson Walker III, Louis Abelman and Lynn True. The film tells the story of a young Congolese woman on an uncertain road to recovery at a unique hospital for rape survivors.

Joining these two eagerly-awaited screenings is My Home, Your War (2007), directed by Kylie Grey. Seen through the eyes of an ordinary Iraqi woman, the effect of the Iraq war is revealed. Shot in Baghdad over three years that span the time before, during and after the invasion of Iraq, this profoundly moving film brings a perspective rarely available to U.S. audiences. Insightful interviews are fused with intimate footage, set against a backdrop of vibrant scenes of Baghdad.  

Courtesy of Tadias

Finally, Mary Olive Smith‘s award-winning A Walk to Beautiful (2007) follows five Ethiopian women suffering from devastating childbirth injuries on their journey to reclaim their lost dignity. They have been rejected by their husbands and ostracized by their communities… left to spend the rest of their lives in loneliness and shame, but they make a choice to take a long and arduous journey to find a cure and a new life. So successful, the film has led to the launch of an educational outreach programme.

Click here to find out more about the festival and the films on offer.