About Karama Human Rights Film Festival (HRFF)
The Karama International Human Rights Film Festival, established in Jordan in 2010, is the first of its kind in the country. With a 14-year track record of cultural impact, it immerses audiences in a unique cultural and cinematic experience through screenings, workshops, and events that employ multimedia methods. The festival sparks critical thinking and fosters understanding of human rights issues through powerful cultural events.
The Karama International Human Rights Film Festival, established in Jordan in 2010, is the first of its kind in the country. With a 14-year track record of cultural impact, it immerses audiences in a unique cultural and cinematic experience through screenings, workshops, and events that employ multimedia methods. The festival sparks critical thinking and fosters understanding of human rights issues through powerful cultural events.Held annually in Amman, the six-day international festival remains attuned to the intellectual, moral, and creative issues in the MENA region and globally. Through films, visual arts, music, seminars, forums, and art exhibitions, the Karama Film Festival promotes dialogue, engages in debates, builds capacity, and launches high-impact programs addressing pressing human rights topics.
Over the past fourteen years, Karama HRFF has showcased more than 850 films from over 66 countries, including documentaries, feature fiction, short fiction, and animation. The festival aims to advocate for human rights, stimulate debate, encourage critical thinking and civic engagement, and foster democratic dialogue on human rights issues among international, regional, and local institutions, organizations, and the broader public.
Karama Human Rights Film Festival's Overall Policy of Programming & Activities is as follows: (for more details refer to the Project Outputs section)
1. Screenings and Awards – Main Screening Programme:
I. Opening Ceremony and empty chair tribute
II. Closing Ceremony Karama Feather Awards (X4 Categories)
III. Arab Film Network for Human Rights Film Festivals ANHAR Awards for Best Human Rights Film
2. Karama Intellectual Progammes:
I. The Annual Youth Forum
II. The Annual Human Rights Symposium
III. "The Must Meet Meeting" for audiovisual industry professionals.
IV. Solidarity Screenings (Themed Film Packages with follow-up discussion panels)
3. Karama Performance & Fine Arts
I. Annual "Conscience of Art" Exhibition (Solo or Collective, Human Rights-themed exhibition)
II. Annual "MusiKarama" Music Performance
4. Karama Outreach Program:
I. Screening in 1-2 Universities or Schools
II. Screening in 1-2 Governorates in Jordan.
Karama HRFF wished to achieve the following:
1. Foster a direct understanding of human rights violations for spectators.
2. Encourage greater engagement in the human rights discourse through film, art, and the recognition of art as an act of resistance.
3. Involve more youth through outreach programs and educate citizens in remote areas on the inherent necessity of human rights.
4. Enhance networking and visibility for artists, human rights activists, and filmmakers.
5. Attract new audiences to human rights platforms through music and theatre performances, ultimately involving them in related human rights screenings.