The HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL was created to advance public education on human rights issues and concerns using the unique medium of film. Each year, the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival exhibits the finest human rights films and videos in commercial and archival theaters and on public and cable television throughout the United States. The Festival includes feature length fiction and documentary films as well as works-in-progress and experimental and animated films.

Approximately thirty films and videos (most of which are premieres) from countries around the world are presented each year. A majority of the screenings are followed by discussions with the filmmakers and Human Rights Watch staff on the human rights issues represented in each work.

Selection Process

In selecting films for the Festival, Human Rights Watch concentrates equally on artistic merit and human rights content. The Festival encourages filmmakers around the world to address human rights subject matter in their work and presents films and videos from both new and established international human rights filmmakers. Each year, the Festival's programming committee screens more than 600 films and videos to create a program that represents a wide number of countries and issues. Once a film is nominated for a place in the program, staff of the relevant division of Human Rights Watch also view it to confirm its accuracy in the portrayal of human rights concerns.

History

The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival was established in 1988, in part to mark the tenth anniversary of the founding of what has become Human Rights Watch. After a hiatus of three years, it was resumed in 1991 and has since been presented annually. The 1995 Festival season marked the beginning of new collaborative ventures between the Festival and the Film Society of Lincoln Center which now presents the series annually in New York and the Museum of Tolerance which will host the series each year in Los Angeles.

Highlights of the Festival are now presented in a growing number of cities around the world, a reflection of both the international scope of the Festival and the increasingly global appeal that the project has generated.

---

The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival is made possible by the generous contributions of numerous individuals, foundations and companies. To lend your support, please print out and mail the Support Form with your check to:

Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
485 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY, 10017-6104.

For more information on the Festival, please contact Bruni Burres or Heather Harding at this address, or call (212) 972-8400. For information on our parent organization or on human rights issues, please visit the Human Rights Watch Web Site.