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 six 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.
Programme of 2026
80 Angry Journalists
András Földes, Anna Kis, documentary, 94 min.
Thrilling account from inside Hungary’s most prominent independent online newspaper, Index.hu, while it’s slowly being placed under the control of Viktor Orbán’s autocracy. The pressure mounts until the full editorial staff of 80 journalists walk out. Will they succeed in building a new news outlet from scratch?
Bagasi – what we carry
Emma Lesuis, documentary, 55 min.
When director Emma Lesuis’s father-in-law hands her a suitcase that belonged to his late grandfather, Maarten de Niet, an unsettling family history is about to unfold. The suitcase contains an archive of photographs, political documents, newspaper articles and a double-faced doll: white on one side, black on the other.
Cutting Through Rocks
Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni, documentary, 94 min.
As the first woman ever elected to the council of her small Iranian village, Sara Shahverdi aims to break long-held patriarchal traditions. She trains teenage girls to ride motorcycles, encourages them to pursue an education and tries to stop child marriages. But Sara’s resilience and combative style bring her many enemies – mostly men.
Forced Vows
Eva Strating, Roxanne Herder, documentary, 54 min.
Documentary about sexual violence and forced marriage, focusing on women who were coerced, abducted or imprisoned by their own families. Central figure is Dutch-Pakistani human rights activist Shirin Musa (Femmes for Freedom), tirelessly fighting for their rights.
Kikuyu Land
Andrew H. Brown, Bea Wangondu, documentary, 95 min.
In Kenya’s tea highlands, Mr. Mungai fights to reclaim land seized from his family during colonial rule. As his case against a multinational corporation gains momentum, local news producer Bea Wangondu begins documenting the struggle, exposing how historic dispossession continues to shape the lives and futures of the surrounding community.
Mariinka
Pieter-Jan de Pue, documentary, 94 min.
In the town of Mariinka in Eastern Ukraine, the film traces several young Ukrainians whose lives have been forever shaped by over ten years of war and conflict in the Donbas. A story about belonging, national loyalty and the fault lines where political conflicts trump even the bonds of blood.
Previous Editions
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Abortion Dream Team
Karolina Lucyna Domagalska, documentary, 82 min.Four women fighting for abortion rights in Poland, a country with strict anti-abortion laws. One of them, Justyna Wydrzyríska, is criminally charged with ‘intent to aid an abortion’. While Justyna’s case attracts international attention, it also brings back her own past trauma and reveals deeply rooted motives for her activism.
Devi
Subina Shrestha, documentary, 81 min.Nepalese Devi Khadka realises her story as a wartime rape survivor – like the stories of thousands of women like her – is being erased from history. She decides she won’t let that happen. In her thoughtful, quietly determined way, Devi takes her demand for accountability to the highest political level.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
David Borenstein, Pasha Talankin, documentary, 90 min.As Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, primary schools across Russia’s hinterlands are transformed into recruitment sites for the war. Facing the ethical dilemma of working in a system defined by propaganda and violence, a brave teacher goes undercover to film what’s really happening in his school.
No Other Land
Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, documentary, 95 min.A Palestinian activist from the West Bank and an Israeli journalist join forces to shed light on the mass expulsions of Palestinian residents. Both an account of the emotional and mental impact of occupation and oppression, and an urgent call to action.
State of Silence
Santiago Maza Stern, documentary, 82 min.Brave journalists in action in Mexico, where they are attacked, forced into exile and even murdered for trying to report the truth. In a country where drug cartels and the government are an almost equal threat, it takes a lot of courage to keep going. Inspiring documentary about true present-day heroes.
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I Shall Not Hate
Tal Barda, documentary, 95 min.
A Palestinian doctor’s mission of tolerance and forgiveness is put to the ultimate test when he loses his three daughters. Meet Nobel-nominated bestselling author Izzeldin Abuelaish from Gaza, whose greatest adversary is hate itself. Deeply inspiring and more urgent than ever.
Mediha
Hasan Oswald, documentary, 90 min.
In Mediha we see a young Êzidî woman – still only 15 years old – survive kidnapping and enslavement by ISIS and reclaim her life after her release. It’s an incredibly brave and inspiring journey, which she undertakes with both vulnerability and determination. From opening up about her anxiety attacks to a psychologist, to trying to find her missing mother and young brother.
Nice Ladies
Mariia Ponomarova, documentary, 92 min.
With the recent escalation of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the seemingly unbreakable bond of a vibrant cheerleading team of 50+ year old women called “Nice Ladies” is challenged. They face impossible choices between motherland and grandmotherhood, between staying and leaving. Will the team be able to reunite, save their sisterhood, and find a common language through the emerging scars of war?
Our Land, Our Freedom
Meena Nanji, Zippy Kimundu, documentary, 100 min.
Kenyan Wanjugu Kimathi has been searching for years for the body of her father: the legendary ‘Mau Mau’ leader Dedan Kimathi, who was hanged by British colonial rulers. On her mission, she meets former Mau Mau fighters and inspiring activists. Her motto: ‘Let the truth be told without fear.’
We Are Guardians
Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, Rob Grobman, documentary, 82 min.
In the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, a broad cast of characters and perspectives intersect, including those of Indigenous Forest guardians, scientists and illegal loggers. Grand bird’s-eye cinematography captures the vast river and diverse landscape of the state of Amazonas, a backdrop that echoes the increasingly complex and critical situation.
Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?
Joe Piscatella, documentary, 86 min.
Leader of a revolution at 21. Lawmaker at 23. Most Wanted at 26. As a college freshman, shy Nathan Law finds an identity in activism. With intimate access to the leaders of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution, Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? chronicles one of the world’s most famous dissidents in his fight for democracy against a superpower.
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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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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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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.