The Austrian president Dr. Alexander van der Bellen is taking over the patronage of the 11th edition of this human world- International Human Rights Film Festival.
Vienna’s first international human rights film festival is a platform for cinematic art and critical discourse, a space of encounter and dialogue, and a meeting point for young innovative filmmakers, both local and international. We consider cinema not only an artistic form wherein narrative experiences are per- formed or created, but also an opportunity for the audience to step out of their comfort zone and into dialogue with challenging new realities.
We want to encourage ourselves and our audience not to look the other way, but to face the atrocities and injustices of this world and not to be afraid, as fear paralyses. Looking away does not make things disappear, but rather fuels their presence. We hope to inspire solidarity in everyday life as well as in a global context. Together we can break the silence.
In this year's programme, once again we present a myriad of perspectives and approaches to socio-political and socially critical topics through different narrative forms and formats.