Browse previous selections from the Human Rights Watch Film Festival

On the Divide
On The Divide follows the story of three Latinx people living in McAllen, Texas who, despite their views, are connected by the most unexpected of places: the last abortion clinic on the U.S./Mexico border. As threats to the clinic and their personal safety mount, these three are forced to make decisions they never could have imagined.

Possible Selves
"Possible Selves" follows two California teenagers in foster care through their tumultuous high school years. It is the first major documentary to focus on the lived experience of foster kids themselves rather than on the foster care system.

Rebellion
The exhilarating behind-the-scenes story of Extinction Rebellion (XR), following the group as it takes daring steps to draw attention to the climate emergency – and confront both internal tensions and the harmful power structures present in the climate movement itself.

Silence Heard Loud
Seven UK community members strive for freedom and dignity as they navigate the British asylum system, after fleeing persecution.

Tacheles -The Heart of the Matter
Three generations removed from the Holocaust, Yaar is a young Jewish Berliner desperate to leave the past behind.

The Hamlet Syndrome
The Hamlet Syndrome depicts the young Ukrainian generation scarred by war and political breakthroughs.

The Janes
The Janes showcases a group of brave and bold women, many speaking on the record for the first time, who built an underground, clandestine network in 1970s Chicago for women seeking safe, affordable, illegal abortions.

The Last Shelter
Deep in Mali, in West Africa on the edge of the Sahel Desert, lies the peaceful city of Gao—a quiet way station for passersby with their eyes set on Europe in hopes of finding opportunity, safety, and a better future. The Last Shelter is an emotional portrait of this town and the generous people who live in it.

The New Greatness Case
The New Greatness Case offers remarkable access to a group of young Russians entrapped by the secret service, resulting in unjust trials and prison sentences – echoing the intensified crackdown on dissent and free expression in Russia we see on the news every day.

The Return: Life After ISIS
The Return: Life After ISIS is a unique portrait of a group of Western women who pledged their lives to ISIS, but now want to return home to restart their lives.

This Stained Dawn
With continuing women's abuses and a high incident of sexual assault and domestic abuse taking place, Karachi’s feminists organize a women’s march, facing down threats from Pakistan’s state, media and radical religious right.
This Stained Dawn is not just about one protest, but about the often times revolutionary act of political organizing in itself.

Up to G-Cup
Northern Iraq's first lingerie store not only sells underwear, but also acts as a meeting place where women connect to their bodies and sensuality after overcoming the traumas of oppression, war, and conservative morality. With brave honesty a group of Kurdish and Yazidi women chat candidly, revealing the challenges they face in a male-dominated society.