(Nairobi) – The 6th Nairobi Edition of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival will showcase four films from October 30 until November 2, 2018.
The festival comes at a time when East Africa has been experiencing government-led assaults on press freedom, abusive counterterrorism efforts, and simmering tensions founded on historical injustices. The festival organizers hope that the films, and subsequent panel discussions, will offer audiences a platform to begin important conversations around these issues.
The Foreign Correspondents Association of East Africa and the Rift Valley Institute are co-presenters of the film festival.
“This year’s Nairobi festival reflects on recent drawbacks on rights, and the violations that we have documented over the years in Africa,” said Mausi Segun, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Through both fiction and documentaries, the activists and filmmakers will address key issues ranging from fake news and the clampdown on the media, to conflicts over natural resources, regional counterterrorism operations, and unaddressed historical injustices.”
The opening night film on October 30, Fred Peabody’s All Governments Lie, highlights the tenacity of journalism in the face of oppression from powerful state and corporate actors. Nick Reding’s Watatu, on October 31, weaves a fictional tale on how authorities and communities can counter extremist ideology.
Daniel McCabe’s documentary This is Congo, on November 1, is an immersive look at the numerous players in Congo’s conflict. Scarred, on November 2, tells the story of one of Kenya’s most heinous massacres. The filmmaker Judy Kibinge, who is part of the Oscar Academy, uses the story to provide an in-depth look at how local communities continue to seek answers for this injustice.
Discussions with activists, human rights practitioners, journalists, and Human Rights Watch researchers will follow each screening.
One film will screen each day from October 30 at The Alchemist, October 31 at the Alliance Francaise, November 1 at the Rift Valley Institute, and November 2 at Amnesty Kenya. Entry is free for all screenings.
For more information about the Human Rights Watch film festival please visit: https://ff.hrw.org/
