Embassy programme
To raise awareness and promote discussion on human rights, Movies that Matter organises a film project in cooperation with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. All Dutch embassies are given a menu of films about human rights for screenings on 10 December, International Human Rights Day.
Movies that Matter creates a menu of five high-quality films about human rights. Embassies organise screenings of these films in the context of International Human Rights Day, including an introduction or debate about the films’ subject matters. They invite representatives from local businesses, the academic world and/or NGOs.
Embassy programme 2023
A Story of Bones
Joseph Curran, Dominic Aubrey de Vere, documentary, 2022, 95 min./82 min.
Working for the constructor of an airport on Saint Helena, Namibian Annina Van Neel hears about the discovery of mass graves of formerly enslaved people on the island. When she starts fighting for an honourable resting place, she has to take on resistance, indifference and the persistent legacy of colonialism.
Mama Bears
Daresha Kyi, documentary, 2022, 91 min.
What happens when your child is gay or transgender, while you believe with your whole heart that that’s a sin? Evangelical Christians Kimberly and Sara make a brave transition into loving ‘Mama Bears’. Meanwhile, young Tammi struggles with self-acceptance and with her own mother. Heart-warming documentary about love’s victory over hatred.
Seven Winters in Tehran
Steffi Niederzoll, documentary, 2023, 97 min.
The story of brave Iranian Reyhaneh Jabbari. At 19, Reyhaneh killed a man who threatened to rape her. Her death sentence can be revoked if the victim’s family forgives her. For Reyhaneh, it becomes a choice between her life and her values.
The Killing of a Journalist
Matt Sarnecki, documentary, 2022, 90 min./100 min.
When an investigative journalist and his fiancée are brutally murdered and Slovakia’s police fail to question the prime suspect, a leaked case file reveals rampant corruption and protests for justice erupt.
This Stolen Country of Mine
Marc Wiese, Carlos Andrés Vera, documentary, 2022, 93 min.
Two men fight against the growing and far-reaching Chinese influence in Ecuador. Paúl Jarrín leads the indigenous resistance against China’s plundering of Ecuador’s natural resources. Journalist Fernando Villavicencio exposes the government corruption that facilitates the Chinese economic takeover. In both cases, the state reacts with full force.
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Embassy programme 2022
Samaher Alqadi, documentary, 2021, 88 min.
Filmmaker Samaher Alqadi combines an up-close account of the 2013 Egyptian women’s protests, with personal reflections on her role as a woman, mother and daughter. Powerful statement against repression of women in the Arab world. ‘Why should I be afraid of my voice?’
Bigger Than Us
Flore Vasseur, documentary, 2021, 96 min.
Dutch-Indonesian environmental activist Melati (20) goes on a road trip, meeting young people who work for a better future. From Malawi to Brazil to Lebanon, young activists rise up for free speech, the environment, refugees and girls’ rights, and the right to education. Hopeful and inspirational.
Stop Filming Us but Listen
Bernadette Vivuya & Kagoma Ya Twahirwa, documentary, 2022, 75 min.
Stop Filming Us but Listen takes a closer look at the imbalance of power inherited from colonialism and its consequences on the representation of The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Law of Love
Barbora Chalupová, documentary, 2021, 89 min.
Inside the long battle to open up marriage to same-sex couples in the Czech Republic. Despite the fact that Czech public opinion is massively in favour of marriage equality, the brave (and very patient) activists have to battle conservative politicians, the church and violent right-wing extremists.
The Territory
Alex Pritz, documentary, 2022, 86 min.
An invader rides his motorcycle through the rainforest fire blaze. (Credit: Alex Pritz/Amazon Land Documentary) The small and shrinking indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people in the Amazon are threatened by land grabbers. They choose 18-year-old Bitaté as their leader, and together with activist Neidinha he is determined not to roll over. But when Jair Bolsonaro becomes president, the forces attacking them get free reign.
Writing with Fire
Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh, documentary, 2021, 92/57 min.
Independence and bravery personified in the all-female staff of Khabar Lahariya, a newspaper run entirely by Dalit women. Journalists Meera, Suneeta and Shyamkali defy resistance, suspicion and patronising as they report on India’s news from a feminist and Dalit perspective. A Peabody Award winner, Writing With Fire is India’s first feature documentary to be nominated for an Academy Award.
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Embassy programme 2021
Fly So Far
Celina Escher, Documentary, 2020, 89 min.
Inspiring portrait of Teodora del Carmen Vásquez from El Salvador. After her baby was born dead, she was convicted to thirty years imprisonment for aggravated homicide. In prison she finds out that she is not the only one. Together, the women decide to take a stand.
Nasrin
Jeff Kaufman, Documentary, 2020, 91 min.
Secretly filmed personal portrait of Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. The fact that she is currently in prison for standing up for human and women’s rights, makes this documentary all the more urgent. A must-see masterclass in courage and optimism.
Once Upon a Time in Venezuela
Anabel Rodríguez Ríos, Documentary, 2020, 99 min. or 55 min.
Venezuelan politics mirrored in a small floating settlement in Lake Maracaibo. Tamara is a corrupt representative from the ruling socialist party, Natalie is the local school teacher and an opposition supporter. Filmed over the course of several years, featuring breath-taking images of the lake, the village and its resilient inhabitants.
Seyran Ates: Sex, Revolution and Islam
Nefise Özkal Lorentzen, Documentary, 2021, 81 min. or 55 min.
Personal portrait of Seyran Ateş, a brave and inspiring woman working for the modernization of Islam. Although she is under great pressure and needs permanent police protection, her optimism and love overcome many obstacles. Her main message: Islam needs a sexual revolution.
A Thousand Cuts
Ramona Diaz, Documentary, 2020, 98 min.
Portrait of independent Philippine news website Rappler and its brave founder, journalist Maria Ressa. And showing how the populist government of president Rodrigo Duterte uses a combination of tough talk, lies, oppression and entertainment to silence the truth.
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Embassy programme 2020
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Embassy programme 2019
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Embassy programme 2018