The FIFDH Festival (International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights) has officially opened in Geneva, online this year.
This leading international event dedicated to film and human rights has been taking place in the heart of Geneva, the human rights capital, for the past 18 years to coincide with the annual main session of the UN Human Rights Council in March.
This year’s FIFDH Festival offers a selection of online films and debates, conversations, masterclasses, radio shows, and fresco murals.
“Against all odds, films continue to be made. Despite threats and silence, breathtakingly brave activists continue to struggle in the field.
We have built this edition by trying to remain humble, lucid and keep an open heart. This has led us to test new formats, to conquer new visual, audio and artistic territories. We have seized the priorities of the moment, giving pride of place to exploration, desire, discovery and the unexpected. We have passionately sought to give an account of a world in the midst of change, interweaving burning themes, spaces of exploration and new forms of activism.”
– Isabelle Gattiker, Director of the FIFDH
This year’s FIFDH theme: from Kinshasa to Geneva, women* conquer the public space
Throughout the year, the FIFDH team will feature multimedia content on their website that reflect major feminist events, paying hommage to the struggles of women and gender minorities to reclaim their rightful space in the public arena.
The Festival aims to build bridges between women* worldwide, whether they’re demonstrating on the streets of Kinshasa, Geneva, Dakar, or Lausanne. They’ll discuss international issues while bringing a local perspective, too.
What will a pandemic version of Geneva’s FIFDH Festival look like?
All films are available in original version on fifdh.org, and every evening you’ll be able to watch live interviews with filmmakers. You’ll also get the chance to vote for your favourite films from the official selection!
There will be fantastic live sessions with special guests such as artist Ai Weiwei; author Arundhati Roy; activist, author and academic Angela Davis; composer Max Richter, and many more.
Don’t miss the FIFDH outdoor events, either – from a flag the size of a 10-storey building made up of thousands of portraits and messages about the climate emergency on the Plaine de Plainpalais (add your own face at WeAreWatching.org) to a fresco mural created by Senegalese and Genevan artists, and even a sound installation. Check out the detailed agenda on fifdh.org.
This year’s festival is dedicated to Soltan Achilova, a trailblazing independent photojournalist who defies all odds to report on systematic human rights abuses in Turkmenistan.
PRICE
A few films are free: others start at CHF 6. Subject to availability and within Switzerland only.
You can also buy a Festival Pass to access all 30 films for CHF 50.
WHEN
5-14 March 2021
MORE INFO
Web: https://fifdh.org
