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Intl film festival on human rights kicks off

ISLAMABAD: Freedom for the Wolf – a German film kicked off the 16 day International Film Festival highlighting human rights through cinematography arranged by United Nations Information Center in Islamabad (UNIC) here on Sunday at Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA).
The film focused on the theme `Democracy is in crisis” as a new generation of elected leaders is dismantling freedom and democracy. Filmed over three years in five countries, Freedom for the Wolf is an epic investigation into this new regime. From the young students of Hong Kong to a rapper in post-Arab Spring Tunisia and the viral comedians of Bollywood, the film discovers how people from every corner of the globe are fighting the same struggle. They are fighting against elected leaders who trample on human rights, minorities, and their political opponents.
Director of the film Rupert Russell and his producers, Camilla Hall and Patrick Hamm, filmed in five countries – Tunisia, India, Japan, Hong Kong, United States – over three continents. In their search for the modern meaning of freedom, they interviewed pro-China politicians, leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hindu nationalist vigilantes, Tunisian rappers, Bollywood comedians, and Trump-voting autoworkers. The event is being arranged in celebration of 70 years of Universal Declaration of Human Rights in collaboration with the European Union. The 4th edition of the international film festival will take place till 10 December featuring 27 thematic documentaries to be screened in Gujrat, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Mardan, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, and Swat.
Documentaries are focused on the universality of human rights and related human stories across the world. Among the key themes are the freedom of expression, minority rights, gender equality, access to justice and the death penalty. Screenings will be followed by discussions with filmmakers, journalists, government and civil society representatives and human rights defenders.

 

M M Alam

M. M. Alam is a Pakistan-based working journalist since 1981. Karachi University faculty gold medalist Alam began his career four decades ago by writing for Dawn, Pakistan’s highest circulating English daily. He has worked for region’s leading publications, global aviation periodicals including Rotors (of USA) and vetted New York Times as permanent employee of daily Express Tribune. Alam regularly covers international aviation and defense-related events including Salon Du Bourget (France), Farnborough (United Kingdom), Dubai (UAE). Alam has reported thousands of events and interviewed hundreds of people in Pakistan, UAE, EU, UK and USA. Being Francophone Alam also coordinates with a number of French publications.