7th Human Rights Film Festival

From 23rd To 30th April

San Sebastian is an open-minded, progressive city closely observant of the latest social and artistic trends and of its citizens’ changing needs. It is also a humanitarian city, a lover of diversity and, above all, a firm believer in its most important asset: people.

The programmes of the big international film festivals are now starting to include movies related to the subject of human rights. Thanks to its groundbreaking nature and particular sensitivity towards the problems suffered by people, six years ago, San Sebastian, Space for a Culture of Peace and Educating City, took a step ahead of this new “critical stance” on creating the Human Rights Film Festival.

A meeting with Human Rights, which will celebrate its 7th edition in 2009, even more determined if possible to open our eyes to injustice and foster our support of the suffering. And it does so in the best way we know how in a city as closely related to the cinema as this: with images, but also with words, with different kinds of art and, always, with people.

Year after year, a carefully chosen selection of feature films, documentaries and shorts contribute to continuous growth and progress of the Human Rights Film Festival as it endeavours to achieve its goals with the best cinema, talks, exhibitions and a variety of events oriented towards raising awareness.

To do this, in addition to the enthusiasm of a humanist society, the event is firmly backed by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID), part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the European Commission. It also has the support of the Nantes Spanish Film Festival, of the Human Rights Film Festival organised by the Mexican Academy of Human Rights and of internationally renowned associations and charities, all dedicated to the common effort to eradicate the infringement of human rights suffered by millions of people the world over.

ODÓN ELORZA GONZÁLEZ
Mayor of San Sebastian