Human Rights Film Festival kicked off in Istanbul (Trailer)

Human Rights Film Festival kicked off in Istanbul (Trailer)

Launched in 2009 as side-event of DOCUMENTARIST - Istanbul Documentary Days,'Which Human Rights?' Film Festival is a non-profit organization committed to prompting a stronger human rights culture in Turkey. The program consist of film screenings, panel sessions, Q&As, forums and various activities.

This year's festival is dedicated to Uður Kaymaz, Ceylan Önkol and Þaban Dayanan who were all child victims.

Ýstanbul will become a screen for films that shed light on the undesirable conditions of children and human rights abuses all over the world. Held by Documentarist, the 'Which Human Rights?' Film Festival will run over 5 days from December 6 to10, 2011, inviting people to witness.

‘Which Human Rights?’ which was a parallel event of Documentarist since 2009, has now became an independent film festival. This year the festival focuses on ‘children and their rights’. Admission to screenings and parallel events is free from charge at SALT Beyoðlu, Dutch Chapel and Tütün Deposu.

Including films about children and their conditions there are more than 30 films some of which deal with human rights abuses in every field and show the struggle of people. During the whole week the festival will hold several side events as workshop with kids, exhibition, panel discussion and a forum theatre with the participation of guests from abroad.

Focusing on children the section presents such films: “Grace, Lucy, Milly… Child Soldiers” a film about child soldiers in Uganda, “Our School” as a voice of gypsy kids in Romania getting education under unequal opportunities, “The Marathon Boy” showing how a small boy is exploited for money and fame in India, “The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan” points out the exploitation of young boys for the sake of entartainment under the regime of Taliban, “Little Voices” an animated film on children’s experiences in war in Colombia.

Of other films from the programme are there “Cooking History” as a groundbreaking for film history with its creative narration, “Give Up Tomorrow” winner of many awards so far, “Secularism... Incha'allah!” a film from Tunisia, a country which is precursor of Arab Spring and “A Road to Diyarbekir” Ciwan Haco’s life in exile and his giving concert in Diyarbekir 23 years later .

With the support of Amnesty International short films titled 'Just Kids' on children’s rights which were shot in five countries including Turkey, will premiere at ‘Which Human Rights?’ Film Festival. The films will also simultaneously be shown on Dutch television. There is also a section of human rights films including “The Devil Operation”, “Budrus”, “Sarabah” organized with the collaboration of ‘Movies That Matter’, a Dutch-based human rights organisation.

Considering 50th Anniversary of migration from Turkey to Germany the festival will also screen “We Forgot to Come Back”, a documentary by Fatih Akýn. Of key importance films for documentary history in Turkey ‘Tahtacý Fatma’ by Suha Arýn, 1979 will also be available in a special screening.

With the support of The Dutch Consulate and The Consulate General of Sweden, all screenings and parallel events will take place in SALT Beyoðlu, Dutch Chapel and Tütün Deposu from December 6 to 10, 2011.