“The month leading to December 10 have some of the worst days for human rights in the Philippines,” said KJ Dumapit, Festival Director of the Truth Cinema Human Rights Film Festival.
The film festival is an initiative of Tudla Productions to launch a creative campaign to raise awareness on human rights. The film festival is currently on its third year.
“The Maguindanao massacre on November 23, 2009 that took the lives of 58 civilians, including 32 journalists. Hacienda Luisita massacre ten years ago, when seven farm workers instantly died after military, police and security forces opened fire on picketing farm workers. The calamities that took people’s homes, livelihood and loved ones. These are some of the worst human rights cases that happen to fall within the film festival period.”
Truth Cinema started in Metro Manila and spread to other regions in the country. The film festival will hold screenings in the locales of these “worst human rights cases” on the days leading and during the dates of commemoration.
According to Dumapit, the film festival was originally scheduled a month from the observance of the International Day of Human Rights to create awareness on the human rights situation in the country.
“But we moved it up to the first week of November so that we could take the film festival to Tacloban, where the people of Eastern Visayas will commemorate the first year Typhoon Yolanda destroyed their land. They have been seeking for sufficient help and for justice ever since,” Dumapit said.
The film screening in Tacloban on January this year, 100 days after typhoon Yolanda, was watched by more than 12,000 people.
This year’s Truth Cinema film programme gave attention to the rights, interests and democratic aspirations various sectors of society: land, education, jobs, justice, etc. Apart from just showing the human rights situation in the country, the film programme intends to forward thoughts and ideas as to what or how human rights should be delivered and protected and how interests and democratic aspirations can be achieved by the people, possibly through their own awareness and action.
“We hope to further human rights awareness with this film festival. Films make us feel and they make us remember. We hope people will be inspired enough and aware enough to safeguard their rights,” Dumapit added.
The film festival is organized by Tudla Productions, in cooperation with Movies that Matter. The 3rd Truth Cinema will run from November 6 to December 10, 2014.
