International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights

The International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) is one of the most important international events dedicated to cinema and human rights, held annually in Geneva. A ten-days long event is based on the concept 'A film, A subject, A debate', following the screenings with discussion in presence of filmmakers and specialists.

FIFDH was co-founded by Léo Kaneman, Yäel Reinharz Hazan, Pierre Hazan, and Isabelle Gattiker in November 2002. Its first edition took place in March 2003. In the words of Kaneman, FIFDH is a "platform against indifference" that examines the wounds of the planet.

FIFDH is based on the concept 'A film, A subject, A debate'. It means that the films presented at the festival are followed with a topic discussion on the problems highlighted by the movie, in the presence of filmmakers, human rights defenders, politicians and recognized specialists. Its programme is designed to increase public awareness and inspire people to reinforce their commitment to universal values.

The inspiration and impetus behind the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights came from human rights defenders active in NGO's, filmmakers, media representatives and the University of Geneva.

The event is supported by the Swiss Federal Government, the State of Geneva, the City of Geneva, as well as many other institutions.

As a Forum on Human Rights, the Festival informs and firmly denounces violations of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights wherever they occur. In the heart of Geneva, the 'human rights international capital', the FIFDH is a relay for human rights defenders active on the field. It offers debates as well as unscreened films and solidarity actions. The FIFDH coincides with the UN Human Rights Council's main session. This simultaneous event makes the Festival a Free Platform for discussion and debates on a wide variety of topics concerning human rights, including violence against women, historical revisionism, microcredits, threat of genocide in Sudan's Darfur region, forced disappearances during the 1990s in Algeria, massacres under the Syrian regime, violence in Central American countries, human trafficking in Bangladesh, child soldiers in Yemen, reproductive rights in the Dominican Republic, and many more.

By 2007, the festival attendance reached 16,000. In the same year, FIFDH paid homage to Anna Politkovskaya, murdered in October 2006.

In 2014, Léo Kaneman stepped down and was appointed Honorary President and Advisor.