From June till September 2010, the Legal Assistance Centre in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, will organise film screenings with a focus on children rights for students, teachers and community actors in the education sector. Through the screening of the film A Betta Way, the organisers seek to address the problems of violent punishment of children and aim to promote a change of attitude towards children and their dignity. At all screenings, lunch will be provided for the audience. Besides Windhoek, the film will travel to education colleges in Rundu and Katima-Mulilo. www.lac.org.na

In Malawi, the first human rights film festival is to take place from 23 till 29 August 2010. In the capital Blantyre and surroundings, screenings followed by discussions will be organised for female prisoners, slum youth and people in positions of power. The initiator Advocacy Inter-Action Trust aims to address human rights themes that are particularly relevant for Malawi, such as employment, inheritance, shelter and children’s rights. 42.000 people are expected to attend the festival and its mobile cinema.

In New Delhi, the tenth edition of the Open Frame International Film Festival is expected to take place from 10 – 17 September 2010. Throughout the years, the Open Frame Festival has evolved as a pioneering and powerful space to bring together filmmakers, journalists, students, activists and film lovers. The festival will screen Indian and international productions, and puts an emphasis on dialogue and discussion. This edition will also include workshops and seminars on documentary filmmaking in the field of human rights and social justice. Around 7.000 people are expected to make up the audience. www.psbt.org

At the An-Najah University in Nablus, the first Palestinian human rights film festival will be launched late September 2010. The event is a public expression of the dedicated work of the University’s UNESCO Chair. The festival will take place over five consecutive days, each day focusing on a central human rights topic: this year’s themes are economic, social and cultural rights; Gaza; resistance; Nakba and refugees; and women’s rights. A post-screening programme, such as a videoconference or panel discussion, will be facilitated at every screening. The university staff and students, as well as the wider Palestinian population, are expected to attend the festival with a number of 3.000. www.najah.edu/uchrd    

From October till December 2010, the seventh edition of Docudays UA will make its tour around the country, visiting at least twenty regions (98 cities), and focusing mainly at school populations. The travelling festival, screening a selection of films from the annual Docudays UA International Festival hosted by Kyiv, will stay about one week in each region. Among this year’s themes are: tolerance, terrorism, the right to truthful information, asylum seekers and labour migrants. Docudays UA closely cooperates with local human rights and youth groups and cultural centres to realise its travelling festival. The organisation expects to reach around 140.000 people. www.docudays.org.ua

Togo will host its fourth International Film Festival on Human Rights in late November 2010. The festival will take place at schools, universities, cultural centres and prisons in the capital Lomé and in the cities of Kara and Dapaong. Around fifty documentary films are shown and will be followed by discussions with filmmakers, human rights defenders, and experts. This year’s theme is ‘elections and human rights’: a relevant topic in a region where elections are often rigged and violent. The festival also invites traditional dancers, actors and artists to perform. www.festival-droitsdelhomme.org

Jordan is proud to present its first Jordan Human Rights Film Festival, named Karama (‘dignity’), which will take place in Amman and at four universities outside the capital in December 2010. The five-day festival is organised by the Community Media Network and Ma’mal 612 and will show twenty films related to various human rights themes. Side programmes at the festival will include discussions, lectures, workshops, photo exhibitions, and cultural performances. communitymedianetwork.org/JHRFF.htm (temporary website)