PNG Human Rights Film Festival launched

The 9th annual PNG Human Rights Film Festival launches its annual call for submissions inviting filmmakers to submit their films for this year’s programme.

This year’s theme for the festival is “Tokaut nau long senisim tumora: Speak up today to change tomorrow” which aims to inspire the public to use their voices and play an active role in strengthening human rights in PNG.

The theme is also in line with the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which calls on the public to stand up for human rights across the globe.

Every year, the film festival encourages public discourse about human rights in PNG through films and interactive panel discussions and exhibitions.

“Over the past eight years, we have seen PNG and Pacific films resonating strongly with the audience. Last year, the festival featured the Oscar nominated film “Tanna” set in Vanuatu which was very well received. There is growing public interest in the festival which offers a great outreach opportunity to generate dialogue about critical human rights issues and galvanize a human rights movement in PNG. Art has the power to move people. Our vision is to pass on this legacy as a thriving platform to local organizations in PNG as our contribution to promoting human rights in the country” said Gianluca Rampolla, UN resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea.

This year, the festival will travel to Madang, Port Moresby, Goroka, and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville during months of September and October. Last year, the festival was attended by over a thousand people.

The festival seeks to promote local films on human rights therefore the call of submission launched today encourages local and pacific films to apply.

The deadline for submission is 15 August 2018.

The application form is available at http://pg.one.un.org/ and the festival Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PNGHRFF/ .

The PNG Human Rights Film Festival 2018 is organized by a committee, which includes the UN Human Rights Office, The Delegation of the European Union, Transparency International PNG, Moresby Arts Theatre, University of Goroka Centre for Social and Creative Media, Divine Word University, US Embassy, UN Women, UNDP, and the International Organization for Migration.

NBC News