Founded and organized by “Ma3mal 612 Think Factory,” Karama Human Rights Film Festival (KHRFF) is an initiative that starts in Amman and moves to several governorates across Jordan. It utilizes screen arts to promote notions of human rights issues in the Arab Region and beyond.
Launched in 2010, this yearly event raises public awareness and encourages people to engage in action that eliminates Human Rights violation. After its bright success over the years, the festival gained the attention of many local, regional, and international Human Rights organizations and activists, filmmakers, artists, donors, and media. KHRFF also brought about the establishment of five similar Human Rights Film Festivals in Tunis, Mauritania, Lebanon, Palestine, and Yemen.
For its 10th edition this year, KHRFF adopted the theme “Generation Karama” under the slogan “Think Forward” to celebrate the achievements and continuous relentless efforts of a generation of artists, activists and powerful minds who are aware, engaged and committed to human rights values in the region. This is also perfectly in line with the United Nations 2019 theme, “Youth Standing Up For Human Rights.”
This year’s event was held in the Royal Cultural Centre in Amman where three types of genre films were screened. From documentary to fiction and animation, these films Think Forward brought together 100 films from 36 different countries.
KHRFF 2019 Film Awards Winners
Best Human Rights Film Award
The first prize for the “Anhar Award for best human rights film” category went to the movie “A Haunted Past,” directed by Fatma Riahi. It tells the story of a Tunisian-Bosnian family and an ex-jihadist that has been left alone to take care of his three teenage daughters.
Best Animated Film Award
“Story” directed by Jola Bańkowska ranked first for the Karama Feather Award for best Animated Film, that merges omnipresent technology and the modern man. It is a reflection of the effects of social media and how these platforms can make people feel lost, lonely or indifferent in the reality they’re in.
Best Short Fiction Category
The Karama Feather Award for best short fiction category was earned by “The Helmet,” a sci-fi short film directed by Osama Khaled, that tells the story of a young Yemeni who designs a helmet with the power to transport him to alternative realities, away from war, famine, and loss.
Best Fiction Feature
Karama Feather Award for best fiction feature was won by “Urgent” directed by Mohcine Besri, that brings together a group of Moroccan strangers in an overcrowded Casablanca hospital.
Last but not least, the movie “For Sama” directed by Waad El Khateab and Edward Watts won the first prize of the Karama Feather Award for documentary film, that gives you an intimate look into the female experience in war, love, marriage, and birth in Aleppo, Syria.
For the past 10 years, KHRFF movement has brilliantly featured human rights through creative talents that showcase through their work the kind of future they desire.
