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Festival coverage

Human Rights Watch Film Festival

2007

Celebrating films - both fact and fiction - with a distinctive Human Rights theme, the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival has been running since 1994. This year's programme features a strong documentary line-up, including Sundance winners Enemies Of Happiness and Hot House. Among the stand-out fiction films on display are Oscar-winner The Lives Of Others and fellow Oscar nominee Days Of Glory.

The festival ran at venues across London, Toronto and San Francisco earlier in the year. The festival is currently running in Chicago, until May 17 and the New York line-up - running from June 14 to 28 - has been announced. Read our interview with We'll Never Meet Childhood Again director Sam Lawlor.

View complete schedule

Other years (17)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • Black Gold
    Review preview for Black Gold

    Black Gold presents a richly detailed portrait of the coffee industry, all the way from Ethiopia to the barista competitions and fashionable coffee houses of the West.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A documentary examining the inequities of the coffee trade.
  • The Devil Came On Horseback
    Review preview for The Devil Came On Horseback

    A powerful and heart-rending call to attention.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    One man's mission to tell the world about genocide in Sudan.
  • The Lives Of Others
    Review preview for The Lives Of Others

    A chilling, but ultimately uplifting glimpse into the lives of those trapped within the repressive regime of East Germany.

    Andrew Robertson · 5 out of 5
    East German secret police spy on a playwright and follow the course of his life over a number of years.
  • Days Of Glory
    Review preview for Days Of Glory

    Days of Glory is a great film, thoroughly deserving of the award attention that it has received.

    Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
    Four North African men join the French army to fight the Nazis, but will their deeds be remembered?
  • Suffering And Smiling
    Review preview for Suffering And Smiling

    By contrasting the upbeat tempo and message with images of the squalor many Nigerians face, despite living in oil-rich towns, Ollman paints a bleak picture of corruption breeding corruption.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Documentary about musician and political activist Femi Kuti and the legacy of his father's push for a better life for the people of Nigeria.
  • Total Denial
    Review preview for Total Denial

    It is a privilege to watch this film. It is expertly made and shows humanity at its worst and, more importantly, its best.

    Chris · 4.5 out of 5
    Fighting the multinationals in Burma through US courts.
  • Carla's List
    Documentary about the pursuit of war criminals in the former Yugoslavia.
  • El Violin
    Review preview for El Violin

    Scores heavily as a mood-driven character exploration of the nature of familial love, duty, conflict and its impact on the innocent.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    An old violinist tries to help his son's guerrilla faction.
  • Rosita
    Review preview for Rosita

    Horrific, heart-breaking and yet also hopeful, Rosita is a must-see piece of film-making.

    Leanne McGrath · 5 out of 5
    Documentary about a Nicaraguan girl aged nine who gets pregnant after being raped and has to fight for an abortion.
  • Enemies Of Happiness
    Review preview for Enemies Of Happiness

    By gaining such intimate access to Joya, Mulvad has ample opportunity to show the person behind the politics.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    Sundance award-winning documentary about Malalai Joya's campaign to be elected to the Afghanistan parliament.

A–Z of Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2007 reviews