#FIRSTLOOK: 2024 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH CANADA FILM FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

The annual Human Rights Watch Canada Film Festival, celebrating its 21st year, in partnership with Hot Docs Cinema will present a program of four films covering a range of human rights topics from March 21 to 28, 2024. The films will be presented from March 21-23, 2024 in-person at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, and March 24-28 on the HRWFF digital platform. More here.

The films address the plight of the Yazidi, a small religious and ethnic minority in Northern Iraq
persecuted by ISIS; LGBTQ+ youth in Canada; Indigenous forest guardians in the Amazon; and
refugees attempting to reach Europe. Following the tradition of past festivals, all tickets for both
in-person and digital screenings are free and accessible to everyone in Canada with Internet.

“Suffering and injustice are on the rise globally, and one essential step in reversing these
terrible truths is to witness and to document wherever and whenever people’s rights are in
jeopardy,” said Jennifer Baichwal, filmmaker and festival programming committee member.
“This is the work of both Human Rights Watch and the brave filmmakers who have brought us
the compelling narratives that make up this year’s festival.”

“The festival strives to prioritize space for identities, viewpoints, forms of expertise and
experiences either silenced or marginalized in the film industry, news and media,” said Nicholas
de Pencier, filmmaker and festival programming committee member. “We should learn from
these stories and be inspired to take up their causes.”

The energy and power of young people in the fight for human rights take centre stage in two
films this year, beginning with the opening night film, Mediha, a heartfelt and intimate account of
a teenage Yazidi girl recently returned from Islamic State (ISIS) captivity, who turns the camera
on herself as she initiates investigations into the crimes committed against her, and in the
process, stands up for her family and the Yazidi people. With a very different energy, Summer
Qamp is an uplifting, funny and moving look at Camp fYrefly in the forests of Alberta, Canada,
where LGBTQ+ teens explore their authentic selves, make friends, and build community – far
away from the fierce political battle being waged against them.

We Are Guardians presents the powerful and dangerous work of Indigenous forest guardians
battling governmental indifference, politically connected agribusinesses, cattle ranchers, and
illegal loggers as they fight to protect their traditional land in the increasingly vulnerable Amazon
rain forest.

In this year’s drama entry, the cinematic Green Border from acclaimed filmmaker Agnieszka
Holland unfolds a complexity of struggles facing a small group of refugees caught in the middle
of larger political machinations between Belarus and Poland as they attempt to reach Europe.

The festival is committed to expanding opportunities for audience members to enjoy the events
together and works to create features that more people can access, including people who are
blind or have low vision, and those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Three of the four festival
films this year will be descriptive video and play with open captions, with live transcription for the
conversations to follow two films. Please refer below or visit the festival website for accessibility
specifications and panel discussions for each film in the lineup.

The four films selected for the festival program include (listed in order of screening date):

MEDIHA Canadian Premiere
Directed by: Hasan Oswald

Presented on: Thursday, March 21 | 7:00 p.m. screening

Synopsis: Mediha, a teenage Yazidi girl recently returned from Islamic State (ISIS) captivity,
turns the camera on herself, capturing an astonishing journey as she confronts her past to fight
for her future. In 2014, ISIS committed atrocity crimes against the Yazidis, a small religious and
ethnic minority in Northern Iraq. Those who survived are still unable to return home. Mediha
and her brothers, Ghazwan and Adnan, must now rebuild their lives with the whereabouts of
their parents and brother unknown. Mediha takes us on her quest for justice by initiating
investigations to uncover the truth about the people who caused her family harm and sharing
her story with the world.

It’s empowering to see Mediha as both a character and creator,” said Sarah Sanbar,
Middle East and North Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.” As a viewer, you
really empathize with her and understand why it’s so important to bring home the
thousands of Yazidis who are still missing, compensate survivors, and hold perpetrators
accountable.”

Programming: A post-screening discussion with producer Jason Loftus and Human Rights
Watch international justice associate director Balkees Jarrah, moderated by the Human Rights
Watch senior Canada director Carine Chehab.

Accessibility: The film is captioned and descriptive video; the discussion panel following the
film will be live captioned.

SUMMER QAMP
Directed by: Jen Markowitz
Presented on: Friday, March 22 | 7:00 p.m. screening
Synopsis: Summer Qamp follows a group of LGBTQ+ youth as they attend a camp like no
other: a judgment-free zone where they explore their authentic selves while building community,
finding joy, and making memories that will last a lifetime. In the forests of Alberta, Canada, sits
Camp fYrefly, a haven for LGBTQ+ teens far away from the fierce political battle being waged
against them. Uplifting, funny, and moving, Summer Qamp joins the campers as they make
friends, explore crushes, and share experiences around transitioning and intersectionality, while
never losing sight of the bravery of these young protagonists whose identities are challenged by
society outside of the camp boundaries.

“The film captures such a range of conversations, everything from coming out to your parents,
to working through self-harm, to how an alien looking at earth through a telescope would
perceive it,” said Bill Van Esveld, associate children’s rights director at Human Rights Watch.

Programming: A post-screening discussion with Camp fYrefly counselor and film participant
Grace Donner, along with guests, moderated by the Human Rights Watch senior Canada
director, Carine Chehab.

Accessibility: The film is captioned and descriptive video; the discussion panel following the
film will be live captioned.

GREEN BORDER
Directed by: Agnieszka Holland
Presented on: Saturday, March 23 | 3:00 p.m. screening
Synopsis: This stunning new drama by the Academy-Award nominated Polish director
Agnieszka Holland zeroes in on the human collateral and political opportunism at stake in
Europe’s battle over migration. In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so
called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, migrants from the Middle East and Africa
trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by
the Belarusian dictator, Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke the EU, migrants are
lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the bloc. The lives of Julia, a
newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a
Syrian refugee family, all pawns in this hidden war, intertwine.

WE ARE GUARDIANS
Directed by: Chelsea Greene, Rob Grobman and Edivan Guajajara
Presented on: Saturday, March 23 | 6:00 p.m. screening
Synopsis: Meet Brazilian Indigenous activists fighting to protect their home, an illegal logger in
a desperate financial state, and a landowner driven to preserving the rich ecosystem at all
costs. Directed by an Indigenous activist and environmental filmmakers, produced by Fisher
Stevens, and executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, this film offers intimate storytelling,
providing a human entry-point into the Amazon’s critical situation that affects us all.

“We Are Guardians is a poignant portrayal of the diverse group of people on the front line of
efforts to save the Brazilian Amazon. The filmmakers expertly dissect the economic drivers that
fuel large-scale environmental destruction, while exposing the corruption and partisan politics
that enable it. A loud call to action,” said Luciana Téllez Chávez, environment and human rights
researcher at Human Rights Watch.

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Interviews are available with Human Rights Watch experts, directors, programmers/co-chairs
and festival organizers. For media inquiries, please contact: info@mercuryfilms.ca

John Biaggi, director, HRWFF

E: biaggij@hrw.org

Human Rights Watch

For more than 40 years, Human Rights Watch has defended people at risk of abuse by
investigating abuses scrupulously, exposing the facts widely, and relentlessly pressing those in
power for change that respects rights. Our researchers examine situations in about 100
countries around the world.

Human Rights Watch Film Festival (HRWFF)

Through the HRWFF we bear witness to human rights violations and create a forum for
courageous individuals on both sides of the lens to empower audiences with the knowledge that
personal commitment can make a difference. The film festival brings human rights abuses to
life through storytelling in a way that challenges each individual to engage and demand justice
for all. HRWFF hosts upwards of 15 film festivals and film events around the world each year.
Human Rights Watch researchers vet selected films to verify facts and make sure topics are
responsibly represented.

Human Rights Watch Canada

In 2002, Human Rights Watch Canada was established to advance education on human rights
issues, both in Canada and around the world, and to increase support for the work of Human
Rights Watch worldwide.

The Canadian office organizes several larger public and smaller private events throughout the
year. This includes the annual Human Rights Watch Canada Film Festival. Toronto is one of
our longest running festivals, now in its 21st season. In 21 years, we have showcased over 200
films at our Toronto Festival, and over 700 as a global initiative.

Hot Docs

Owned and operated by Hot Docs, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing
and celebrating the art of documentary, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema is the world’s
largest documentary cinema. A historic, century-old landmark located in Toronto’s
vibrant Annex neighbourhood, the Cinema is a year-round home for non-fiction film and
storytelling, presenting first-run international and Canadian documentaries, curated film
and speakers series, signature events including Hot Docs Canadian International
Documentary Festival and Curious Minds Author Talks, as well as hosting for some of
the city’s premier festivals and events. Since assuming management in 2012, Hot Docs
has screened over 1,425 films to audiences of more than 1.3 million. In 2016, a
generous $5-million donation from Rogers Foundation enabled Hot Docs to purchase
the venue.

Social Media

Human Rights Watch Canada:

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