From Wally Hammond's "Human Rights Watch International Film Festival" in Time Out London:
"Since its inception in 1978, the Human Rights Watch organisation has been a prime mover on the international scene, monitoring, documenting and protesting worldwide human rights abuses and the so-called democratic 'deficit'. Its voice, tireless activity and moral force have become increasingly essential in today's world, whether they're exposing abuses perpetrated by Burundian Vice-President Alice Nzomukunda; highlighting the judicial execution of ten prisoners (with another 21 condemned to death) in Iran; demanding that President Bush forces Pakistan's General Pervez Musharaff to step down as army chief, hold free and fair elections and reconstitute civilian rule; or addressing the issue of compensation for internally displaced people in Turkey – to name just four of its recent interventions.
"HRW's often arduous and brave work also includes media monitoring and news gathering, as well as liaising with victim support; on an international scene riven by state political repression, it's found a need to expand and develop new strategies to encourage both individual and political organisational action. HRW's appreciation of the importance of film and media in developing political awareness led, 17 years ago, to the inception of its highly popular international film festival as both a showcase and, progressively, a means of helping make movies with distinct human rights themes."
Hammond's article talks about several of the films to be shown at the HRW festival, including James Longley's Iraq in Fragments, Javier Corcuera's Invierno en Bagdad / Winter in Baghdad, and Robert Edwards' political satire Land of the Blind, starring Ralph Fiennes, Donald Sutherland, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Tom Hollander.
The HRW festival runs between March 15-25.