The first International human rights film festival produced by university students dedicated to promoting human rights through their powerful and personal insights was launched at the end of last month in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

The year long festival will consist of three phases: a contest, festival and awareness campaign which will aim at raising regional responsiveness towards specific civil, political, economic and social concerns in the Middle East.

'We have decided to innovate using different formats to raise awareness in the Lebanese society about the rights of children, women, refugees, among other vulnerable groups,' said Patricio Cuevas-Parra, World Vision Lebanon's advocacy and protection manager.


'This film festival is a powerful tool to promote education of people on human rights, peace, gender equality, empowerment and tolerance,' he continued.


A jury will will select the most innovative and high quality films to be screened at the festival to schools, universities and public in a 'festival' that will last for one week.

An expected average of total attendance is 1,000 pupils/students for the entire running of the festival at the rate of 80 to 100 students per screening.

The festival is co-funded by World Vision, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Dutch Embassy in Lebanon.


'Partnering is pivotal to success in generating a realist impact in the promotion of the basic rights of people,' explains Cuevas-Parra.

'We are honored to be part of this first human rights film festival in partnership with different key actors of the society, such as the academic world, UN, embassies and NGOs. Organizations cannot accomplish the advocacy work alone,' he added.

The year-long 'First International Human Rights Festival 2008' is chaperoned and organized by the Lebanese American University's Institute for Diplomacy and Conflict Transformation.

Lebanon is as a pilot country for this project yet in the years to come other countries in the Middle East will be invited to participate in the festival.