Photo by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts. Award winning documentary For Sama opens the Human Rights Film Festival on Sep 18.
Shining a light on social injustice, this second edition of the Human Rights Film Festival, which boasts over 70 screenings and events, opens with the Berlin premiere of Cannes Best Documentary winner For Sama. Assisted by codirector Edward Watts, Syrian journalist Waad al-Kateab reconstructs four tumultuous years of her life, from her support of the 2012 civilian revolution to the arrival of her first daughter and her days as one of the last remaining rebels in Aleppo. Raw, on-the-ground footage makes the conflict feel nail-bitingly urgent. Daddy and the Warlord deals with similar themes from a different perspective. This streamlined doc follows a daughter as she returns to Liberia to assess her father’s involvement in Charles Taylor’s brutal revolts. The film offers a deeply personal take on the common observation that atrocities are often made possible through boring bureaucracy.
Human Rights Film Festival | Sep 18-25, various venues
For Suma | Sep 18, 19:30, Kino International | Sep 19, 20:00, Hackesche Höfe Kino | Sep 24, 18:00, Kino in der Kulturbrauerei
Daddy and the Warlord | Sep 22, 20:30, Kino in der Kulturbrauerei