Stories on Human Rights

A young man’s racism challenged, a gender discrimination story told with dark humour, and a depiction of waste illustrating social injustice are some of the stories in a series of short films commissioned by OHCHR to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Twenty-one films were produced by leading filmmakers and artists from around the world to help communicate the ideals of the Declaration.

“Stories on Human Rights” will be used to inform and educate people everywhere about their human rights. All are thought-provoking and meant to trigger discussion about human rights.

Leading filmmakers and artists from around the world were invited to address six cross-cutting themes: Culture, Development, Dignity and Justice, Environment, Gender and Participation.

The films are in the original language of each of the directors and sub-titled in the six official languages of the UN.

Daniela Thomas from Brazil made one of the films with Culture as its theme. To illustrate the concept she worked with Villa Lobinhos, an NGO based in Rio de Janeiro which gives music training to talented young people from the poorest neighborhoods of the city.

Thomas says, “The possibility of dreaming and achieving one’s dream is central to our work in cinema.

“Human rights are about living one’s life to the fullest,” she says.

Sarkis from France, exploring the Environment, has made a film about the recycling of plastic to make a traditional African percussion instrument, the djembé.

Sarkis says, “The ecological situation we live in is catastrophic and alarming. Recently I met some people who made a wonderful instrument using plastic waste: they transformed something harmful to mankind into something positive, something mankind can use. I wanted to hymn this situation and let it sing out on its own, to assume my positive role!”

Writing about her film which considered Gender, Teresa Serrano from Mexico says, “Every woman has experienced some kind of discrimination, either in private or professional life. There is always someone who tries to put a stop to your careers, giving annoying and graphic opinions not only concerning your work but also your way of life. Art world included.”

These films are all three minutes long. They’ve also been compiled into a single 80 minute-long feature and a complementary book. Each chapter of the book represents one of the six themes, and includes works by 12 internationally-known writers, including five Nobel Prize winners, and interviews with each of the directors, describing their films and careers.

The project was a collaboration between the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and an NGO, Art for the World. It was supported financially by the European Union, the French Government and the Business Social Services of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

December 2008