Human Rights Watch Traveling Festival - War Takes by Patricia Castano and Adelaida Trujillo

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Introduction Tips and Program Notes

When introducing films at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, we generally follow a three part theme: Human Rights Watch, the Film Festival, and the film screening as it relates to both the organization and the festival. We have elaborated on these points below and we hope that you will feel free to incorporate this information into your own introductions.

Human Rights Watch and the International Film Festival

Since its inception in 1978, Human Rights Watch has become a real force in the human rights movement, widely respected for its accurate research and creative advocacy. Our staff works in more than seventy countries worldwide, publishing dozens of reports every year and shining a bright light on those who abuse human rights. Through rigorous investigation, expert analysis, strategic advocacy, and persistent pressure, we have led the way in building support and protection for internationally recognized human rights.

Our capacity to engage the public has always been critical to our ability to influence policy and stop human rights abusers. Fourteen years ago, we created the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in recognition of the power of film to educate and galvanize a broad cross-section of concerned supporters.

Human Rights Watch's International Film Festival has become a leading venue for distinguished fiction, documentary and animated films and videos with a distinctive human rights theme. Through the eyes of committed and courageous filmmakers, we showcase the heroic stories of activists and survivors from all over the world. The works we feature help to put a human face on threats to individual freedom and dignity, and celebrate the power of the human spirit and intellect to prevail. We seek to empower everyone with the knowledge that personal commitment can make a very real difference.

War Takes

For many people Colombia is associated with guerillas, cocaine and a variety of political buzzwords that may or may not reflect the daily reality of its citizens. Through the very intimate and personal video diaries of three filmmakers, we as outsiders are given a look inside the daily reality of a certain group of Colombians. The impact of the political landscape on these individuals lives' and relationships help us to understand the complexity of Colombia and its society. In the face of all of it, these three filmmakers retain their sense of humor and their ability to act in difficult and even dangerous circumstances.