Human rights film festival mirrors uncertain future for International Geneva

Since 2003, Geneva’s International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) has put the spotlight on abuses and crises around the world. This year, the festival also reflects a crisis at home for International Geneva. Taking the stage to cheers and applause after the screening of Disunited Nations, Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, spoke of her anger and frustration over the failings of the global community to prevent widespread death and destruction in Gaza. At the sold-out event, the discussion offered behind-the-scenes insights about the film that follows Albanese for two years as she documented violations of international law in the Gaza war under intense political pressure. “International law is not dead but it’s not [a matter of being] dead or alive,” she told the audience alongside Disunited Nations director Christophe Cotteret at one of the most anticipated sessions of this year’s International ...