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Human  Rights  Film  Festival

This page was triggered by the Amnesty International Human Rights Film Festival
that occurred May-June 2002 in West Hollywood, California. The 2002 film schedule
is reproduced here, and other films on the topic are added as I find them.

on this page: 2006-2007 festivals 2004-2005 festivals 2003-2004 festivals 2002 festival 2000 festival other selected human rights films human rights links

The 2002 festival was, as they say in their ad, 'a powerful program of 14 human rights documentary
& feature films that expose the courage, hardship, and triumph of the human spirit'.

The official website of the U.S. Film Fest
Established in 1992, the U.S. Festival now screens each year in
Seattle WA, Salt Lake City UT, San Diego CA and West Hollywood CA
with occasional visits to other cities in America.

Intl. Festival of Cinema on Human Rights [Oct 2004] in Barcelona, España
Intl. Film Festival on Human Rights [March 2004 = #2] in Switzerland
Intl. Human Rights in Film Festival [Dec 2004 = #4] in Poland
Human Rights in Film Traveling Festival 2005 Itinerary
Human Right Film Festival [May 2004] in Seoul, Korea
Human Rights Watch Intl. Film Festival [London = March, New York City = June]
New Zealand Human Rights Film Festival [May 2006 = #2]

The  2006-2007  Festival  Circuit
2006-2007 Traveling Film Festival homepage

"Black Gold: Wake Up & Smell The Coffee" [indep June 2006] 'Your Coffee Will Never Taste The Same Again': A nuanced and sensitive documentary view of our globalized economic and social systems, comparing wholesalers, marketeers, and the high-priced retail coffee world and exploited coffee plantation laborers in Ethiopia. Co-produced & directed by Marc Francis video/DVD not yet available; full credits from IMDb official movie site

"Amu" [India]
"The Camden 28" []
"Conversations On A Sunday Afternoon" []
"Dias de Santiago" []
"La Dignidad del Los Nadies" aka 'The Dignity of The Nobodies' []
"Divorce Iranian Style" []
"Dreaming Lhasa" []
"Eat The Kimono" []
"The Forest For The Trees" []
"Hidden Faces" []
"Home Front" []
"How To Plan A Revolution" []
"Iraq in Fragments" []
"Killer's Paradise" []
"KZ" []
"Land of The Blind" [U.K.]
"Men On The Edge: Fishermen’s Diary" [Israel]
"My American Dream: How Democracy Works Now" [USA]
"No More Tears Sister: Anatomy of Hope & Betrayal" []
"Paradise Now" []
"Pierrepont" []
"Punam" []
"Rain In A Dry Land" []
"The Road To Guantanamo" []
"Rosita" []
"S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine" []
"Shadya" [Israel]
"Shooting Dogs" []
"Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars" []
"Sisters In Law" []
"Smiling In A War Zone" []
"Source" []
"State of Fear" [Peru]
"Switch Off" aka "Apaga y Vámanos" []
"They Call Me Muslim" []
"Total Denial" []
"¡Viva Zapatero!" []
"What Is It Worth?" aka '¿Quanto Vale ou é por Quilo? []
"Winter In Baghdad" []

The  2004-2005  Festival Circuit
included these events:
Salt Lake City, UT [Nov 2004 = #5]
Seattle, WA [Dec 2004 = #13]
Asheville, NC Festival [Jan 2005 = #1]
Amnesty Intl. Human Rights Film Festival in Amsterdam [March 2005 = #7]
Pittsburgh, April 1-9, 2005
West Hollywood, May 24-29, 2005

"Hotel Rwanda" [Canada docu feature Jan 2004]

"The  Corporation"  [Canada docu feature Jan 2004]

	Co-directed by Jennifer Abbott & Mark Achbar; co-written by Harold Crooks from Joel Bakan's book; interviewees include Noam Chomsky, Peter Drucker, Milton Freidman, Ray Anderson & Michael Moore Zeitgeist Video color DVD [4/2005] 2 disks for $22.49 official movie website full credits from IMDb
	"The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit & Power" [2004] by Joel Bakan Free Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [3/2004] for $17.00

The  2003-2004  Festivals
included these events:
West Hollywood, CA Festival [May-June 2003]
Salt Lake City, UT [Sept 2003 = #4]
Seattle, WA [Nov 2003 = #12]
West Hollywood, CA Festival [May 2004 = #3]

The  2002  Festival

"Missing" [PolyGram/Universal Feb 1982]

In the early days of Pinochet's rule of Chile, a young American is kdnapped and murdered. His conservative father and politically liberal wife clash with each other and with U.S. government bureaucrats defending their network of collaboration and deceit. Co-written & directed by [Constantin] Costa-Gavras; based on the book by Thomas Hauser; starring Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek & John Shea; won Oscar & BAFTA & WGA awards for Best Script/Adaptation; nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress Universal color VHS [1/2002] for $9.98 full credits from IMDb "Missing: The Execution of Charles Horman - An American Sacrifice" [1978] by Thomas Hauser Avon pb [2/82] out of print/used

"The Hidden Half" [109-min. Iran docu 2001]
video not available; full credits from IMDb

The  2000  Festival

"THE  BURNING  SEASON:  THE  CHICO  MENDES  STORY"
[HBO tv movie Sept 1994]

		The story of Brasilian environmentalist Chico Mendes who was murdered in 1988 by ranchers intent on destroying the rainforest for short-term gain. Directed by John Frankenheimer; starring Raul Julia, Carmen Argenziano, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Edward James Olmos; won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Director, Outstanding Lead Actor [RJ] Warner color VHS [2/96] for $19.99 Warner color VHS in Spanish [2/96] for $19.99 full credits from IMDb
		based on the 1990 book by Andrew Revkin Plume pb [2/96] out of stock/used Houghton Mifflin hardcover [6/90] out of stock/used BooksOnTape audio [7/91] for $64.00

Other  Selected  Films
About  Human  Rights  Issues

"Amistad" [DreamWorks/HBO Dec 1997]

Africans kidnapped into slavery in 1839 rise up and take over the ship 'La Amistad'. After reaching land in America, they are treated as slaves and put on trial for murder. Directed by Steven Spielberg; starring Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Anthony Hopkins, Matthew McConaughey & Djimon Hounsou. DreamWorks widescreen DVD [7/2000] for $17.99 Universal color VHS [1/2000] for $9.99 Universal widescreen VHS [1/2002] for $9.99 Universal VHS w/Spanish subtitles [1/2000] for $9.99 full credits from IMDb

"Amistad: A Celebration of The Film" [1998] by Steven Spielberg & Debbie Allen, photos by Andrew Cooper Newmarket Press hardcover [2/98] for $19.25 Novelization by Alexs D. Pate Signet pb [12/97] for $6.50

"The Voyage of La Amistad: A Quest For Freedom" [independent documentary Jan 1998]
MPI Home Video color/b&w VHS [3/98] for $19.98; no entry on IMDb

"Brubaker" [Fox June 1980]

A dramatization of the 1967 book {below} by Tom Murton & Joe Hyams, about prison warden Murton's efforts at reform of the Arkansas State Prison system. Though international journalists focused attention on the human rights abuses in Arkansas, and some reforms were implemented, Murton was fired by the governor and unable to find work for three years. Directed by Stuart Rosenberg; starring Robert Redford, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Alexander & Morgan Freeman Fox color DVD [5/2003] for $12.99 Fox color VHS [1/96] out of stock/used full credits from IMDb based on "Accomplices To The Crime: The Arkansas Prison Scandal" [1967] by Tom Murton & Joe Hyams Grove Press hardcover [1967] out of print/used

"Crude: The Real Price of Oil"
[First Run Features Sept 2009]

Thirty thousand native residents of the despoiled Amazon rainforest in Ecuador are suing Chevron for $27 billion in reparations, while still living in the polluted environment. Co-produced & directed by Joe Berlinger; won awards at Dallas, Big Sky, Nashville & Thessalonika film festivals First Run Features color DVD [2/2010] for $20.99   full credits at IMDb • official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia

"Cry  Freedom" [Marble Arch/Universal Nov 1987]

Newspaper editor Woods changed his views on South Africa's apartheid system after interviewing activist Stephen Biko. The attention on Biko led to his death while in police custody (12 Sept 1977). Woods wrote a book about the injustices of apartheid but could get the manuscript published only by fleeing the country. Directed by Richard Attenborough; based on two books by Donald Woods; starring Kevin Kline & Denzel Washington Universal color VHS [5/98] out of stock/used Universal letterbox color DVD [1/2001] for $24.28 Universal/MCA soundtrack CD [10/87] out of stock/used full credits from IMDb

	"Richard Attenborough's Cry Freedom: A Pictorial Record" Knopf pb [2/88] out of print/used "Filming With Attenborough: The Making of Cry Freedom" by Donald Woods Henry Holt pb [11/87] out of print/used novelization by John Briley Berkley pb [11/87] out of print/used
	"Biko" by Donald Woods [1978] Henry Holt pb [9/91] out of print/used Peter Smith hardcover [1/83] out of print/used "Asking For Trouble: The Autobiography of A Banned Journalist" by Donald Woods [1978] Beacon Press pb [9/82] out of print/used Peter Smith hardcover [6/88] for $25.25

Address by President Nelson Mandela at the Commemmoration
of the Twentieth Anniversary of Steve Biko's Death [London Sept 1997]

"The  Devil's  Miner"
[indep March 2006]

A 14-year-old boy supports his family by working long hours in a dangerous silver mine in Bolivia.Co-written & co-directed by Kief Davidson & Richard Ladkani First Run Features color Spanish-language DVD [5/2006] for $21.99 full credits at IMDb official movie site

"Enemies of The People" [indep Summer 2010]
"One man's journey to the heart of the Killing Fields" of Cambodia; co-produced, written & co-directed by British filmmaker
Rob Lemkin; co-produced & co-directed by Cambodian journalist Thet Sambath; won Special Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available; • full credits at IMDb • official movie site

"The  Grapes  of  Wrath"
[Fox March 1940]

When America was devastated by the 'Dust Bowl' drought, many farmers lost their land, and many of them migrated to California. Steinbeck's epic novel revealed to the world the plight of a family of 'Okies' (from Oklahoma), and along with John Ford's movie (from Nunnally Johnson's script) caused society to make changes in 'The System'. The film remains an unforgettable experience even 60 years later. Directed by John Ford [1894- 1973]; starring Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Charley Grapewin & Dorris Bowdon; won Oscars for Best Director & Best Supporting Actress (Darwell), nominated for Best Picture, Best Script, Best Actor (Fonda), Best Editing, Best Sound; listed on Time Magazine's All-TIME 100 Novels (10/2005) Fox b&w VHS [10/99] for $13.99 full credits from IMDb

based on the novel by John Steinbeck [Viking April 1939] awarded the Pulitzer Prize Penguin 8.4x5½ pb [1/2002] for $12.00 Penguin UNABR audio [10/98] 12 tapes for $34.96

"Harvest  of  Shame"
[CBS News special Nov 1960]

TV journalist Edward R. Murrow describes the harsh living conditions, endless travel & low wages of migrant farm workers in America. Co-produced & directed by Fred W. Friendly; co-produced and hosted by Edward R. Murrow New Video Group b&w DVD [5/2005] for $21.99 full credits from IMDb

"The  Killing  Fields"
[Warner Bros. Nov 1984]

The true story of reporter Sydney Schanberg who was forced to flee war-torn Cambodia with the help of Dith Pran, who stayed behind. But Schanberg never stopped trying to rescue his friend, and Pran eventually escaped via Thailand to America. Directed by Roland Joffé; starring Sam Waterston, Haing S. Ngor, John Malkovich, Craig T. Nelson & Spalding Gray; Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Script/Adaptation, won for Best Supporting Actor (Ngor), Best Cinematography, Best Editing; also won 8 BAFTA Awards, WGA Award Warner color VHS [2/96] for $14.94 Warner color DVD [3/2001] for $17.98 Virgin soundtrack CD [6/92] for $11.98 Dell movie tie-in pb [8/84] out of print/used full credits from IMDb based on the book "The Death and Life of Dith Pran" [1985] by Sydney H. Schanberg Viking hardcover [5/85] out of print/used

The Dith Pran Holocaust Awareness Project

"Matewan" [Cinecom/Goldcrest Aug 1987]

Based on a coal miners strike in Mingo County, West Virginia in 1920. The mine owners brought in strike breakers and encouraged brutal violence against the local strikers. Written & directed by John Sayles; starring Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell, Will Oldham & David Strathairn Lions Gate/Fox color DVD [6/2004] for $17.38 Hallmark Home Ent color VHS [4/97] for $13.99 Daring Records soundtrack CD [1/95] for $17.98 full credits at IMDb 27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $14.99 "Thinking In Pictures: The Making of The Movie Matewan" [1987] by John Sayles Mariner Books 9x6 pb [10/87] for $11.20 Houghton Mifflin hardcover [10/87] out of print/used

"Midnight  Express"
[Casablanca Filmworks Oct 1978]

American tourist Billy Hayes is caught in possession of a small amount of drugs in Turkey, and is sentenced to four years in prison. But before his term is over, the sentence is arbitrarily extended for many years. Billy finally escapes, under great hardship, and reaches Greece. The movie emphasizes the brutality rampant inside Turkish prisons at the time, where basic human rights were non-existent. Directed by Alan Parker; script/adaptation by Oliver Stone; starring Brad Davis & John Hurt; won Oscars for Best Script Adaptation, Best Music, nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Hurt), Best Editing; won WGA & 3 BAFTA awards. Columbia/TriStar widescreen VHS [10/98] for $19.95 Columbia/TriStar widescreen DVD [10/98] for $13.46 PolyGram soundtrack CD [10/90] for $9.98 full credits from IMDb based on the 1980 book by Billy Hayes Warner Books pb [3/84] out of print/used Dutton hardcover [6/80] out of print/used

"Mississippi  Burning" [Orion Dec 1988]

Three Yankee civil rights workers who are registering new black voters 'disappear', and the FBI is called in. Hackman and DaFoe play FBI agents who do not agree whether the end justifies the means. An unflinching look at racism in the American South. Directed by Alan Parker; starring Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand & Brad Dourif; Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, 3 more, won for Best Cinematography, won 3 BAFTA Awards MGM/UA widescreen color DVD [5/2001] for $13.46 MGM/UA color VHS [8/99] for $14.95 Spectrum soundtrack CD [8/95] for $11.99 full credits from IMDb movie tie-in book by Joel Norst & Kirk Mitchell NAL pb [1/89] out of print/used

"Native Land"  [1942]
Dramatized documentary; produced, co-written & co-directed by [blacklistee] Leo Hurwitz;
narrated by Paul Robeson; /title/tt0035112/ VHS=630304641X

"The Price of Sugar"  [Mitropoulos Films Sept 2007]

In contrast to the pristine beaches of the tourist hotels of the Dominican Republic, a few miles away thousands of dispossessed Haitians work 14 hour days, 7 days a week harvesting sugarcane under armed guard, frequently without access to decent housing, electricity, clean water, education, healthcare or adequate nutrition. This film follows a charismatic Spanish priest as he organizes some of this hemisphere's poorest people against the powerful interests profiting from their grueling labor. Co-produced, co-written & directed by Bill Haney; co-written by Peter Rhodes; featuring Father Christopher Hartley & narrated by Paul Newman New Yorker Video widescreen color DVD [11/2008] for $26.99   full credits from IMDb • official movie site

"Romero"  [Paulist Pictures Aug 1989]

The appointment of moderate Oscar Romero as Archbishop of El Salvador begins the development of a radical 'liberation theology' which does not end with Romero's assassination in 1980 while celebrating mass. Directed by John Duigan; starring Raul Julia (as Archbishop Oscar Romero) & Richard Jordan Vidmark DVD [9/2000] for $22.49 Vidmark VHS [10/94] for $13.99 full credits from IMDb 27"x40" movie poster available at AllPosters.com "Romero: A Life" by James R. Brockman Orbis Books 9¼x6 pb [5/90] for $12.60

"Rosewood"  [Warner Bros. Feb 1997]

In 1923, a racist lynch mob attacked the Afro-American community of Rosewood, Florida. Innocent people were massacred over seven days and yet the cover-up lasted for 70 years, until an investigation by St. Petersburg Times reporter Gary Moore. Directed by John Singleton; starring Jon Voight, Ving Rhames, Akosua Busia & Don Cheadle Warner widescreen DVD [7/2001] for $13.48 Warner color VHS [1/2000] for $9.94 Warner widescreen VHS [4/98] for $9.94 Warner VHS w/Spanish subtitles [1/2000] for $9.94 full credits from IMDb

"Rosewood: Like Judgement Day" [1996] by Michael D'Orso Boulevard 9x6 pb [12/96] for $9.60 Putnam hardcover [2/96] out of print/used

'The Rosewood Report (1993)' online at Tallahassee Freenet
Rosewood Massacre website
'Rosewood Reborn' radio documentary, narrated by James Earl Jones

"Schindler's  List"
[Amblin/Universal Dec 1993]

Spielberg's cinematic masterpiece – as opposed to his many box-office hits – about Catholic war profiteer Oskar Schindler, who risked his life and business to save more than a thousand Jews from certain death in Nazi death camps during World War II. Directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the novel by Thomas Keneally; starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes & Embeth Davidtz; won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Script/Adaptation, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Music, Best Art Direction, nominated for 5 more; won DGA, USC Scripter, WGA & 7 BAFTA awards Universal widescreen DVD gift set [3/2004] for $55.99 Universal widescreen DVD [3/2004] for $18.89 Universal b&w VHS [8/94] 2 tapes for $17.98 Universal widescreen b&w VHS [8/94] for $17.98 Universa VHS limited edition gift set [8/95] for $69.98 MCA soundtrack CD [12/93] for $14.99 full credits from IMDb

based on the 1982 novel by Thomas Keneally awarded the Booker Prize Touchstone 8¼x5½ pb [12/93] for $11.20 S&S 8¾x6 hardcover [12/94] for $17.50 S&S ABR audio [12/93] for $14.00

"Water"
[Fox Searchlight/Téléfilm Canada April 2006]

Set in India in 1938, the film reveals the still-existing Hindu traditions that force lower-caste widows into literal imprisonment. Production was started in 1999 in Benares, India, and quickly shut down by politically motivated attacks; production was restarted 3 years later in Sri Lanka. Written & directed by Deepa Mehta; starring Sarala, Lisa Ray, John Abraham, Seema Biswas, Manorama, Raghuvir Yadav & Khulbushan Kharbanda; Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film Fox widescreen color DVD [8/2006] for $19.99 Varese Sarabande soundtrack CD [12/2005] for $13.99 full credits from IMDb official movie site; distributor's movie site

novelization by Bapsi Sidhwa [2006] Milkweed Editions 8x5 pb [4/2006] for $11.02 "Shooting Water: A Memoir of Second Chances, Family & Filmmaking" [2006] by Devyani Saltzman {daughter of Deepa Mehta} Newmarket 8¼x5¼ hardcover [4/2006] for $15.57

Human Rights Links
One World Intl. Human Rights Documentary Film Festival [April]
University of Minnesota Human Rights Library
University of Minnesota Human Rights Resource Center
Declaration of Human Rights of Man & of the Citizen [France 1789]
Human Rights Web
United Nations Commission for Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights [Dec 1948]
Human Rights Internet (of Canada)
Human Rights in China
Johns Hopkins 'Human Rights Quartlerly' (est. 1979)
Political Film Society & Awards
'Joe Hill' mini-series [Sept 2000] on PBS website

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