17th Human Rights Art & Film Festival (Various cities, Australia) | 4-9 May 2023

[Blade~]

Artists and creatives have always been at the vanguard of social change – we turn to them to hold a mirror to the uneasy truths of our times and reflect our stories. Sometimes those stories are uncomfortable and challenging, sometimes inspiring and hopeful - all of them have a place at the
Human Rights Arts and Film Festival.

It was December 2006 when we held our very first meeting with a bunch of friends around my kitchen table, covered with butcher's paper and textas, brainstorming what Australia's first human rights arts and film festival might look like. Our aim was simple - to make human rights relevant, accessible and engaging to all through art and film.

We wanted to cut through the politics. We wanted to challenge the assumption that you had to identify with a particular political party, come from a particular social or economic class, or be of a particular religion or ethnicity or race to believe in human rights. We wanted to open up the discussion beyond the lawyers and the academics. We wanted to show people that human rights are about being human – they are the basic minimum standards for how we as a society should treat one another as human beings, so that we can live a life of dignity. And there's no better medium to communicate our humanity than through art, film and storytelling. 

Since then, that is exactly what we have done. And sometimes watching these films show us that we humans are capable of doing terrible things to each other – whether in the name of power, politics, religion or race. 

Since that day of brainstorming around the kitchen table, we have screened over 600 films from all over the world – stories that transcend our different cultural, ethnic and social backgrounds and our different political, religious and philosophical beliefs and allow us to connect and understand one another. We have hosted more than 500 local and international speakers, featured music, poetry, theatre, and art created by around 300 Australian and international creatives, welcomed more than 1,000 volunteers and 100,000 audience members to HRAFF in Australia. 

Visit the Official Website for more information