The International Film Festival of Valencia, Humans Fest, organized by the Foundation for Justice, and the Filmoteca of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), are launching for the third consecutive year ‘A World in Motion’, a cycle that promotes the defense of human rights through cinema.
Through a selection of 18 works –six feature films and 12 short films– shown in the last three editions of Humans Fest, the cycle addresses issues such as gender equality from different perspectives, access to work and decent housing, the fight for environmental rights, and the defense of territories, among others, as indicated by the event’s organization in a statement.
‘A World in Motion’ will take place throughout 2025 in 18 countries in Latin America and Equatorial Guinea, through the Network of Cultural Centers of the AECID and the Spanish Embassies in Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
The goal is to «bring social and committed cinema to all corners, especially to places where the audience suffers systematic violations of rights, as reflected in these films, and where spaces for reflection are particularly necessary.»
‘A Room of My Own’ –Best Fiction Feature Film in 2023–, ‘Red Rooster’ –Honorable Mention for Best Fiction Feature in 2024–, ‘La Pampa, Camping Du Lac, The White Guard’ –Best Documentary Feature in 2024–, and ‘Seeds’ –opening projection of Humans Fest in 2024– will be part of this year’s selected feature films for this cycle.
As for the short films, three of them were collectively created in the cinema workshop for activists held by Humans Fest last year with Valencian social entities: ‘New Val 2075’, ‘No Places’, and ‘Moving Horizontally’. They are joined by nine others that have competed in the Official Section of the festival: ‘Puyuelo’ –Best Documentary Short Film in 2024–, ‘Where Children Don’t Dream’ –Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Short in 2024–, ‘The Little Flat, The Heights, Local Heating’ –Best Fiction Short Film in 2024–, ‘Passing Teruel’ –Best Valencian Short Film in 2024–, ’13’ –Honorable Mention for Best Valencian Short Film in 2024–, ‘Casting’ and ‘180 Degrees’.
In total, there are original works from six Latin American and European countries. Furthermore, in the programming of this edition, there has been a «strong» commitment to Valencian cinema on human rights with the inclusion of six proposals of Valencian production, three of which were originally filmed in Valencian.
With this initiative, both institutions maintain their «commitment» to the defense of human rights, «crossing borders through cinema as a means of social denunciation and a driver of change.»
AECID FILMOTECA
The AECID Filmoteca, founded by Lola Millas, is considered «a support tool for screenings abroad through embassies, consulates, cultural centers, training centers, or foreign universities.»
Its founder aimed to «share the commitment of cinema, its culture, and knowledge everywhere in the world.» Therefore, every year, the Lola Millas Filmoteca of the AECID carries out different actions related to its social commitment, such as the ‘A World in Motion’ cycle that started in collaboration with Humans Fest in 2023.
HUMANS FEST
Humans Fest is one of the main projects promoted by the Foundation for Justice, which began in 2008. This year marks the XVI edition of the festival, dedicated to armed conflicts and the culture of peace. Humans Fest is part of the international network Human Rights Film Network along with 52 other film festivals on human rights worldwide.
Its XV edition, the last one held, has had the collaboration of the Vice Presidency and the Ministry of Social Services, Equality, and Housing of the Valencian Government; Valencian Institute of Culture; City Council of Valencia; the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA); the Diputació of Valencia; Caixa Popular and Teika. Additionally, the Valencian regional radio and television, À Punt, is the official media partner of the festival.
