MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 6, 2012) – The Active Vista Human Rights Film Festival unveiled 10 powerful human rights stories projecting truth in social realities which coincides with the celebration of the International Human Rights Week in Philippines.
Under the festival’s Alab Short Film Competition – ten films from aspiring filmmakers explored the issues of human trafficking, peace, gender discrimination, children’s rights, discrimination of PWDs, climate change and environment, right to freedom of expression and information, right to social services and security, extra-judicial killings and reproductive health.
Organizers said the films were made possible through the support of AusAID, The Asia Foundation, Movies that Matter and the Royal Norwegian Embassy.
Active Vista is set to close its festival on December 10 – International Human Rights Day with the awarding of the winners of its ALAB short film competition.
“What is truly inspiring and hopeful about this year’s ALAB Short Films is that these films were a product of Active Vista’s attempt to marry the filmmakers’ art with their advocacy. Each film was chosen based not only on the participants’ creative idea but as well as how their films reflect the human rights theme they are advocating. These films demonstrate how cinema make us think significantly about human rights issues in new and interesting ways,” Kristine Kintana, Active Vista Film Festival Program Director, said in a statement to the Mindanao Examiner.
“We are proud to support these 10 filmmakers who have dared to incite change through cinema. We have a roster of individuals who possess not only talent but also passion for their advocacy. This rare mix is composed of NGO workers – advocates who wanted to explore filmmaking as a tool to promote their advocacy, and filmmakers – artists who wanted to engage in advocacy work.” Kintana said.
Since July 2012, Active Vista traveled in 20 cities all over the country to screen films and provide forum for discourse on human rights issues among audiences, government, NGOs, academe and artists.
“The Active Vista Human Rights Film Festival has always believed in the power of cinema to tell stories that grab people by their collar and shake them out of their apathy. These are the stories of the people, a reflection of social truths in a country whose government believes that human rights issues are nothing but leftist propaganda,” Leni Velasco, Active Vista Festival Director, said.
“When one is able to list as many as 10 human rights issues of his/her country, one should be alarmed. It says a lot about the country, considering that human rights is the backbone of democracy, something the Philippines has been proud to be,” she said.
With sessions in the Congress and the Senate ending soon, the future remains bleak for many human rights groups in the country who have been lobbying for the passage of bills that should help ensure human rights for all Filipinos of all classes and gender such as the Reproductive Health Bill, Freedom of Information Bill, Sign Language Bill, Anti-discrimination Bill and Security of Tenure Bill, among others.
Velasco said: “2012 is about to end and we have not seen an improvement in the many human rights issues of the Philippines. Even worse, the government is turning a blind eye. Some of these films may be fictional, but the issues they tackle are not. Through these films, Active Vista hopes to ignite revolutions of the minds and inspire movements, if not to change things then perhaps to change the way we view things, one viewer at a time.”
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