Human rights are often understood as the domain of law or politics; but the arts and creative industries play an indispensable role in demonstrating how human rights issues are lived and felt in the people’s everyday experiences. Storytelling through film fosters empathy and can help audiences grasp what human rights are and why they matter. ICCL’s Human Rights in Film Award as part of DIFF recognises outstanding achievement in raising awareness and understanding of human rights issues through the medium of film.

This year’s nominations span continents, subject matters and styles; incorporating documentary and feature films, the shortlist reflects the different ways that filmmakers engage with human rights themes. Displace: The Battle for Dublin explores the Irish housing crisis through interviews with evicted tenants, mothers living in overcrowded accommodation and activists campaigning for justice, housing and dignity; while Gays Against Guns explores the American gun violence epidemic through the eyes of queer Irish immigrant, who went to the US in search of the gay American dream.

Alongside these powerful documentaries are Maspalomas, an intimate Spanish comedy-drama about an elderly gay man who finds himself back in the closet after being placed in a conservative nursing home, and Samanta Nobody, an emotional story of a 16-year-old girl who is homeless in Sligo but has a hidden gift for performance and songwriting.

This event will bring together the filmmakers behind these four films to consider how film and the arts can help raise awareness of human rights issues and inspire audiences to take action.

Join us for a panel discussion with:

Aoife Barry, journalist and ICCL jury member
Ciarán Creagh, director, Samanta Nobody
Paul Rowley, director, Gays Against Guns
James Redmond, director, Displace: The Battle for Dublin
Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi, directors, Maspalomas

Tickets cost €7 and are available at: https://www.diff.ie/programme/iccl-panel

And if you wish, you can follow the event by seeing some of the films that afternoon at DIFF:

Displace: The Battle for Dublin at 13:30: https://www.diff.ie/programme/displace%3A-the-battle-for-dublin
Maspalomas at 15:50: https://www.diff.ie/programme/maspalomas
Samanta Nobody at 20:50: https://www.diff.ie/programme/samanta-nobody