Human rights film festivals are facing growing political pressure and shrinking support. This session explores how grassroots and established models can learn from each other.
As political pressures intensify and public funding becomes increasingly uncertain, human rights film festivals are being forced to rethink how they operate, engage audiences and create impact. While many established festivals in the West have historically relied on state support, and often benefit from proximity to major international institutions and NGOs, organisations like the Freedom Film Network have long developed independent, community-driven approaches in more restrictive environments.
Bringing together speakers from across global human rights networks, this conversation explores what different models can learn from one another. As funding landscapes shift and political pressures grow worldwide, the session asks what established networks might learn from grassroots resilience, adaptability and deep community engagement, and how these approaches could shape the future of human rights film festivals.
Speakers:
Brenda Dankar (Co-Founder, Freedom Film Network - Malaysia)
Anna Har (Co-Founder, Freedom Film Network - Malaysia)
Julie Nederkoorn (Movies That Matter - The Hague, Netherlands)
Fourth speaker to be announced
Moderator:
Heather Haynes (Documentary Consultant & Programme Consultant for Sheffield DocFest)
In partnership with British Council and Freedom Film Network
