The Princeton Human Rights Film Festival addresses issues of social justice in our time and promotes social change through the universal medium of film. Human rights abuses have no boundaries and so the committee also selected outstanding international documentaries that help us to understand some of the challenges we as a world are facing. These films, many of which are award winners, examine difficult and thought-provoking topics (for e.g. is access to water or medical care a human right, or are they commodities to be bought and sold?) and help to deepen the awareness and discussion around the values of dignity, equality and justice. They tell stories of human struggle, sacrifice and triumph, and are both educational and inspiring. The Festival provides an opportunity for people of all ages to come together to engage in an important dialogue and, we hope, to prompt us into action. The festival also includes films that will appeal to teens, and young people ages 8 and up.

We wish to say special thanks to the filmmakers who chose to take these disturbing trips through often painful terrain to bring us these stories. Without their commitment and determination, there would be no festival such as this one. The Committee previewed many more films than we had space for in the program. They all told important stories and at times we wondered: how can we choose one struggle over another and thereby stand in judgment of whose stories would be shared and whose would be excluded? It was, at times, a daunting task. We thank them for their good work and encourage them to “keep on”!

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