Films & debates: Inside the 22nd edition of International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights

Dedicated to both cinema and the promotion of human rights, FIFDH presents films and hosts debates that highlight various struggles and denounce violations wherever they may occur. 

The festival invites artists, activists, NGOs, professors, and the general public to come together, exchange ideas, and engage in discussions.

Starting tonight and over the course of 9 days, the festival’s attendees will benefit from 24 forums and 23 events over 80 venues in the Greater Geneva area – spanning from the city centre to the UN, museums, theatres, collective accommodation centres, hospitals, and prisons—with the aim of reaching diverse audiences and fostering inclusivity.

This year’s new directorial team, composed of Leila Alonso Huarte, Laura Longobardi and Guillaume Noyé, will oversee a stacked edition when it comes to an eclectic line-up of 41 films spread over three international feature film competitions.

These include world premieres, documentaries and award-winning films, which all share a socially conscious outlook.

Of particular note this year is a rich programme in The Fiction Competition, with Italy’s There Is Still Tomorrow by Paola Cortellesi, a blend of drama, comedy and music which celebrates female emancipation; Anglo-Palestinian director Farah Nabulsi with her debut film The Teacher; and Sudanese drama Goodbye Julia by Mohamed Kordofani, which sees a former singer seeking to make amends for causing the death of a man by hiring his wife as a maid. Billed as “a journey through the collective memory of the peoples of North and South Sudan”, it wasthe first movie from Sudan ever to be presented in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.

Another debut film screening this year is The Cage is Looking for a