Around 2,500 people attended the 4th Pacific Human Rights Film Festival (PHRFF) to watch Pacific-based films and engage in discussions on the theme of ‘Oceans and Land’, creating more understanding of human rights issues for positive change.
This included 750 secondary students from 13 schools in Suva who attended three screenings from 30 September to 4 October to learn about nuclear legacy, conservation of ocean and land, and traditional knowledge and climate threat in the Pacific. This was facilitated by the Ministry of Education.
The school screenings were followed by six public screenings, which took place in Fiji from 5 to 19 October. These screenings inspired more than 1,500 members of the public from diverse audiences on topics including the importance of reclaiming traditional birthing knowledge, drug addiction awareness, LGBTQI+ MVPFAFF+ awareness and violence, and the existential climate threat and Pacific (im)mobility. In addition to these screenings held in Fiji, the festival is bringing the films to venues around the region, ensuring that other Pacific Islanders also benefit from human rights awareness. The festival also sought to encourage potential and existing film makers to use cinema as a platform to tell stories around such important issues.
Miles Young, Director of the Human Rights and Social Development division at SPC, said: “This year’s Festival saw record numbers of people attending and it was also wonderful to see a greater diversity amongst the audience members, including school children. Being able to show the films in Hawaii, Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Samoa was also exciting. We are also bringing films to New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Tonga this week. Many audience members mentioned to me that the range of topics covered by the films – from childbirth to the use of technology to climate change – revealed to them that human rights impact and enrich all aspects of our lives and communities. We look forward next year’s Pacific Human Rights Film Festival reaching an even bigger audience across the Pacific.”
Sandra Tarte - Associate Professor, Acting Head of School of Law and Social Sciences (SoLaSS), at USP said “The Pacific Human Rights Film Festival is educational and showcases the talent of our emerging Pacific film makers. Most of all, it is a reminder that human rights are part of the lived experience of all of us - every day and everywhere and it has been exciting to see this year’s Festival attract such a wide audience. As a part of third year students’ continuous assessment, they joined the screenings and wrote learning diaries connecting the film content to the wider human rights themes in their course syllabus and offered an opportunity for students to gain practical experience in event planning and advertisement, as well as helped to connect the Festival to different communities outside the university.”
Heike Alefsen, Regional Representative of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the Pacific, said: “Through the art of film, we bridge different cultures, beliefs, and value systems, offering us new ways to engage with the world and the complex challenges we face in promoting and protecting human rights. UN Human Rights Pacific has been involved with human rights film festivals for years, and our vision has always been to use film as a platform to spark conversations in the Pacific region and beyond and to connect with individuals who may not traditionally engage with human rights actors. Film screenings and talanoa sessions create a safe environment for the free and open exchange of ideas and for human rights advocacy.”
Charlotte Darlow, New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji, said: “The Pacific Human Rights Film Festival keeps on going from strength to strength, and is now a real highlight in calendars in Suva and far across the Pacific region. Once again, this year’s Festival profiled a range of excellent films from across our Blue Pacific, demonstrating the impressive artistic and filmmaking talent that exists here. The subjects and themes covered were topical and thought-provoking, and have reached a wide and diverse audience. The New Zealand High Commission is proud to have supported this year’s Festival”.
This year's festival was organised by the Pacific Community (SPC) and the University of the South Pacific (USP) in partnership with the Pacific UN Human Rights Office (UNOHCHR) and the New Zealand High Commission to Fiji. The festival is also supported by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the French Embassy in Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu, Fiji Airways, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), Save the Children and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
Despite progress by Pacific Island countries to uphold commitments related to human rights, there still exist socio-economic, political and cultural inequalities and rights violations due i.e. to inadequate capacity, lack of human rights institutions, power imbalances, exclusion, and discriminatory norms, attitudes and practices. This annual festival plays a key role in contributing to raising public awareness and encouraging people to respect human rights.
Useful link(s):
Link to photos: https://spc.resourcespace.com/?c=1307&k=677fee1014
Media contacts:
Karine Gatellier, Information, Communications and Visibility Officer, Pacific Community's Human Rights and Social Development division | [email protected] For general media enquiries, please contact [email protected]
About SPC:
The Pacific Community has been supporting sustainable development in the Pacific, through science, knowledge and innovation since 1947. It is the principal intergovernmental organisation in the region, owned and governed by its 27 member countries and territories. www.spc.int
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