Human Rights

2021

13 Square Meters

  • Directed by Kamil Bembnista, Ayham Dalal
  • Country of Origin Germany
In 2015, Berlin received thousands of refugees over night. To accommodate them, new types of refugee camps called “Tempohomes" were constructed and new typologies of shelter were designed. In this short documentary, the notion of the refugee camp as space of “care and control” is explored and gives a provocative perspective on the meaning of shelters today, and how their issues are linked to everyday architecture in cities and the production of mass housing. By juxtaposing the initial design of shelters to refugees’ rearrangments of space, the documentary questions the role of architecture: how can we offer displaced populations a better conditions to dwell? Can shelters be spaces of “care” without “control”? How can architecture empower people to express their culture, background and identities in camps and beyond? Within these camps, how did refugees navigate the meanings of a “home”, and how did the camp managers responded to refugees’ appropriations?
The film “13 Square Meter” weaves a tapestry of contemporary topics that deal with the ideas of displacement, space, and architecture while opening up the discussion on the similarities and differences between refugees’ shelter design and the production of modernist mass housing in cities.
Director Biography - Kamil Bembnista
Kamil Bembnista, born in 1987 in Poland, grew up in Hamburg, based in Berlin. He holds a Master degree in sociology and, besides filmmaking, he works as an sociologist. In 2018 he took part in the DOK PRO directing program for documentary filmmakers in the WAJDA SCHOOL & Studio in Warsaw. His short films Djibril (2016) and Three Days in Berlin (2018) where screened at several film festivals around the world.
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2020

If I Were President

  • Directed by Andrea Arteaga Cote, Andrei Ramos Puerto
  • Country of Origin Mexico
The women of Tahdziú, Yucatán speak about their right to vote as indigenous women, they demand to be heard and taken into account in the decision-making of the community, where they have been despised because of the macho traditions and corrupt political parties. They get organized and speak about how to educate the next generations so there is gender equality and the voices of women are heard and respected.
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2019

The Lost Pen

  • Directed by Beraat GOKKUS
  • Country of Origin France
Karam is a Syrien poet and journalist who is in exile in France. He is living at the Maison des Journalistes, an association that hosts exiled journalists around the world in Paris. One day Karam has a new poem but he can not write it. Because he lost the pen that he uses when he is writing a poem. That pen a gift from his mother who lost her life during the Syrian civil war. Without this pen, Karam doesn't write any poem. So he starts to search his pen in the Maison des Journalistes to be able to write again.
Director Biography - Beraat GOKKUS
Beraat GOKKUS is a Turkish director and journalist who lives in Paris France since 2016. He studied Political Science at the University of Marmara in Istanbul, Turkey. Gokkus is an award-winning director. With The Lost Pen, he won SmartFone Flick Fest 2020 Best Director and Best Film Awards. The Lost Pen also won African Smartphone International Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. With his short documentary Breakfast of Champions (2017/Paris) Gokkus won Best Short Short Film award in Berlin Independent Film Festival 2018 and Best Short Short Film award in Berlin Short Film Festival 2017. Gokkus’s short films are selected many times by international film festivals. Nowadays he is working on his feature film projects, a documentary and a short film project too.
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2019

A Democratic Proposal

  • Directed by Chandana Prasanna
  • Country of Origin Sri Lanka
Just after a proposed suitor and his family had visited and left, Kanchana’s whole family start to try and pitch her the marriage proposal. Kanchana, who didn’t like the idea of seeing proposed suitors in the first place, is annoyed, but find it hard to argue with the elders who aren’t ready to listen to her. Amid one- sided arguments and emotional blackmailings from her family and relatives, she tries to build up some courage and figure out a way to escape.
Director Biography - Chandana Prasanna
Chandana Prasanna started his film career as an editor, Chandana currently working as a writer and a director as well. His first short film, Ape Kale Weerayek (2005) was selected best film in short film competition held by Sri Lanka National Film Corporation. He has worked in several TV and film projects. Being a multi-potentiate, he has also worked as a journalist, designer and an advertising copywriter and political activist. He is also a foodie and love to cook whenever he is free.
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2018,

ENOUGH | The Empowered Women of Korogocho

  • Directed by Brent Foster
  • Country of Origin Canada
Beatrice Nyariara lives in Korogocho. It's widely considered to be Nairobi's most dangerous slum. More than 150,000 people are packed into the shanty town which is less than two square kilometers. Crime is high. Gangs are active. Addiction is rampant. A while back, men in her community started to attack the "grandmothers" of Korogocho at night. Most of the women attacked are sexually assaulted, and some have been killed. The men believe that the elder women were less likely to be HIV positive. They also saw them as vulnerable. A few years ago, Beatrice decided enough was enough. It was time to fight back. It was time to develop a community. The result of that decision empowered the group and taught their community to respect them, value them, and to know how to be there for them. Together, they are taking back Korogocho.
Director Biography - Brent Foster
As kids in small towns sometimes do, Brent Foster left to explore the world and didn’t look back. His work has led him to more than 35 countries where he’s eaten white ants in Uganda and been tattooed by monks in Thailand. Most importantly, though, he has had the chance to tell incredibly powerful stories ranging from conflict in the Gaza Strip to doctors fighting for access to pain relief for the chronically ill in India, for editorial clients such as The New York Times, TIME Magazine, and Canadian Geographic.
Photojournalism taught Brent a lot about creating authentic content and helping subjects quickly become comfortable in front of the camera. It was also during his time in the editorial world that Brent recognized the significance of telling stories through cinematic work. It was the power of hearing a subject’s voice, and seeing the way they interact and move with the world that led him to a career shift into filmmaking. Brent has since acted as Director/DOP on projects for global brands such as Nike, DJI, The NBA, and Purolator to help them create authentic pieces of content that resonate with viewers.
This year, Brent has been shortlisted for The Young Director Awards and The Saatchi and Saatchi New Directors Showcase in Cannes, as well as The Shots Awards for New Director of the Year. Alongside his branded projects, Foster’s passion project entitled “While I’m Here | The Legacy Project” profiles everyday heroes passing on a legacy. The project has picked up Vimeo Staff Picks and multiple awards along the way.
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