Overview
Cinema doesn't just entertain. Crawling the globe to tell real-life tales that demand to be told — and to cover controversial topics that absolutely must be explored — film offers a window into different lives, subjects, issues and struggles. That's basically the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival's mantra. Showcasing the movies and documentaries that specifically aim to do just that when it comes to human rights, HRAFF has been bringing the latest and greatest in social justice-related efforts and moving human stories to Australian screens for ten years now.
To celebrate hitting the decade mark, they've put together another huge lineup of thought-provoking flicks that won't provide a couple of hours of escapism — they'll ensure you broaden your horizons too. From land battles to making art in slums to preparing for a nuclear attack (and more), here's our five must-see films from the 2017 program.
THE OPPOSITION
The Opposition's path to Australian screens hasn't been easy. That might be true of most movies — making a film isn't simple, and getting it in cinemas isn't either — but Hollie Fifer's documentary really did attract some opponents. In the kind of tale that could make an interesting doco by itself — the flick was subject to an injunction last year, with a Papua New Guinean politician contesting her inclusion in the movie. Given that The Opposition relays the efforts of a PNG community to fight for justice when police bulldozed their homes to make way for a luxury resort, it's certain to make for a spirited and illuminating film.
INTENT TO DESTROY
When Joe Berlinger makes a movie, viewers should follow. His absolutely riveting Paradise Lost documentaries still rank among the best true crime coverage ever committed to the screen, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster has long been a must for music fans, and Crude shone a spotlight on oil in a riveting fashion. With Intent to Destroy, he tackles the Armenian genocide by stepping behind the scenes of the Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac-starring The Promise, the first mainstream feature made about the events of over a century ago. On-set action and an investigation into history combine in an effort that just premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
HAPPYLAND
How do you attempt to turn Manila's slums into something much more vibrant? How do you give the impoverished and those struggling to survive a fulfilling creative outlet that makes a difference? They're some of the questions that must've been driving Australian street artist Kaff-eine when she set about creating an openair art exhibition that celebrates slum communities and gives them shelter. The film makes its world premiere at HRAFF, and screens alongside a showcase of the portraits seen on screen, as well as photographs of life in Manila and snaps of the finished installation.
WAR BOOK
It won't come as a surprise that HRAFF mainly trades in documentaries — but when a fictional feature makes its program, it's worth checking out. War Book might simulate a simulation, in effect, but it asks very real questions and is certain to leave audiences wondering what they'd do in the same situation. With The Dressmaker's Kerry Fox, Snowden's Ben Chaplin and The Slap's Sophie Okonedo among the cast, the film follows British civil servants practising their response to a nuclear attack. Yes, that's something that really happens — and it really couldn't be more timely.
NOWHERE TO HIDE
It's a sad reality that docos about conflict in the Middle East have become all too common. That doesn't mean that every factual account of the situation on the ground is similar, though — and Nowhere to Hide definitely stands out. Winning best feature-length documentary at the 2016 International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam, the film shows the perspective of a paramedic armed with a camera as he tries to go about his days. There's no such thing as ordinary here, as he endeavours to help the growing number of injured people and to keep both himself and his family safe.
Want more? Check out our thoughts on Afghan rapper-focused documentary Sonita and Berlinale's 2016 Golden Bear winner Fire at Sea from last year's Melbourne International Film Festival, as well as Australia's recent best foreign language Oscar nominee Tanna,
The Human Rights Arts and Film Festival screens at Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image from May 4 to 18. For more information, check out their website.