{"id":46652,"date":"2026-03-18T17:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T16:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/?p=46652"},"modified":"2026-03-18T17:38:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T16:38:34","slug":"fifdh-awards-confront-the-world-head-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/news\/fifdh-awards-confront-the-world-head-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Final Curtain &#8211; 24th edition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div>\n  <h2 class=\"block block-heading text-center col-xxl-10 mx-auto layout-header\">The 24th Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights drew more than 32,000 festivalgoers, with screenings and events selling out throughout the ten-day programme.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block block-image\">\n<figure>\n    <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"852\" src=\"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026-03-14_Ceremonie-Cloture_ManonVoland_17-1280x852.webp\" class=\"attachment-md size-md\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026-03-14_Ceremonie-Cloture_ManonVoland_17-1280x852.webp 1280w, https:\/\/fifdh.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026-03-14_Ceremonie-Cloture_ManonVoland_17-480x319.webp 480w, https:\/\/fifdh.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026-03-14_Ceremonie-Cloture_ManonVoland_17-854x568.webp 854w, https:\/\/fifdh.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026-03-14_Ceremonie-Cloture_ManonVoland_17-1900x1264.webp 1900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/>    <figcaption><p>FIFDH 2026 \u00a9 Manon Voland<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block block-quote text-center col-xxl-10 mx-auto\">\n  \u201c&thinsp;<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The films shown at FIFDH come from across the world and remind us that human rights are not just legal concepts : they are lived realities, wherever we come from and whoever we are (\u2026). The artists behind these films give voice to the silent majority and, in doing so, stand up for human rights.<\/span>&thinsp;\u201d      <br>\n    <span class=\"fs-16 lh-xs\">Volker T\u00fcrk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 6 March 2026<\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Audiences discovered a rich and timely film selection, alongside discussions featuring more than 200 guests from the worlds of art, science, politics and activism. At a time marked by rising authoritarianism and ongoing conflicts, the Festival reaffirmed the power of cinema and of public debate. Thirteen works received awards, including films from Iran and Sudan exploring exile, resistance, resilience and hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the twenty Forums held during the Festival, several attracted large audiences. <strong>How Can Europe Counter the Return of Fascism?<\/strong>, with historians and activists Stefanie Prezioso, Narjess Djaafar, Emmanuel Achiri and Meriam Mastour, examined the normalisation of far-right ideas and the gradual erosion of the rule of law. The Forum <strong>The Failure of International Law in Gaza<\/strong> addressed the inability of international institutions to respond to violence against civilian populations, reflecting the work of Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Finally, <strong>Solidarity Is Not a Slogan<\/strong>, with Sarah Schulman and Ad\u00e8le Haenel, explored solidarity as a demanding political practice &#8211; shaped by tensions, yet essential to contemporary struggles. Together, these discussions created space for collective reflection on the issues confronting the world today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Solidarity Is Not a Slogan | FIFDH 2026\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8y73OoxE-iE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"block block-button \">\n  <div class=\"d-flex mx-auto justify-content-center my-3\">\n          <a class=\"btn btn-outline btn-outline-fifdh  my-auto btn-lg lh-1  \" href=\"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/ressources\/\" target=\"\">\n        <span>Replay the Forums<\/span>\n      <\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Award-winning films<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The two international juries of the 24<sup>th<\/sup> FIFDH have announced this year\u2019s prize winners, highlighting three outstanding films. From Afghanistan and Iran, <strong><em>A Fox Under a Pink Moon<\/em><\/strong> by <strong>Soraya Akhlaghi <\/strong>and <strong>Mehrdad Oskouei <\/strong>follows a young Afghan artist as she films her path into exile and her determination to keep living and creating despite the risks she faces. From Poland, <strong><em>Letters from Wolf Street<\/em><\/strong> by <strong>Arjun Talwar<\/strong> offers an intimate portrait of migration and the invisible boundaries created by everyday racism. From Sudan, <strong><em>Cotton Queen<\/em><\/strong> by <strong>Suzannah Mirghani<\/strong> is a luminous fiction that weaves together memory, power struggles and women\u2019s stories. Three films, three continents and one shared conviction: cinema can still challenge dominant narratives and amplify voices that others seek to silence.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"FIFDH 2026 I A Fox Under a Pink Moon \u00b7 Trailer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2sB6fKeyZXY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"block block-button \">\n  <div class=\"d-flex mx-auto justify-content-center my-3\">\n          <a class=\"btn btn-outline btn-outline-festival  my-auto btn-lg lh-1  \" href=\"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/festival\/news\/2026-awards-winners\/\" target=\"\">\n        <span>Full list &#8211; Award winners<\/span>\n      <\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FIFDH Impact<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>Vision for Human Rights <\/strong>Award, presented by the Focus Jury, composed of representatives from Amnesty International Switzerland, the International Service for Human Rights, HEKS\/EPER, the Policy\/Strategy Group and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, was awarded to <strong><em>Yurlu<\/em><\/strong> <strong>| <em>Country<\/em><\/strong> by Yaara Bou Melhem (Impact Days 2025 selection). The documentary examines the asbestos mine at Wittenoom, operated with no regard for the Aboriginal communities who are the traditional custodians of the land. It exposes colonial abuses, corporate impunity, repeated human rights violations and environmental devastation, while underlining the urgent need for real legal accountability. Extending the voices of filmmakers and protagonists beyond cinema screens, the Festival and its partners also enabled the director and Johnnell Parker, Vice-President of the Banjima Aboriginal community, to speak at the United Nations during a side event of the Human Rights Council.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"FIFDH 2026 I Yurlu | Country \u00b7 Trailer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/btEdOuC8Amg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><br><br>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Audiences discovered a rich and timely film selection, alongside discussions featuring more than 200 guests from the worlds of art, science, politics and activism. At a time marked by rising authoritarianism and ongoing conflicts, the Festival reaffirmed the power of cinema and of public debate. Thirteen works received awards, including films from Iran and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":46646,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,28],"class_list":["post-46652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-festival","category-fifdh"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46652"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46658,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46652\/revisions\/46658"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fifdh.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}