Human rights, film, and social change : Screening Rights film festival, Birmingham Centre for Film Studies

The inaugural Birmingham Screening Rights film festival screened its programme of 7 films in July 2015 over three days under the auspices of human rights in a region that houses some of England’s greatest ethnic diversity. The small number of films screened over such a short time might suggest that this did not constitute a festival in its own right. This was, in fact, the second attempt to re-energise a human rights film festival in Birmingham. The first such attempt was organised by the Birmingham International Film Society, which screened a programme of just 14 films over four weeks in September 2011. The second edition in September 2012 screened 22 films over the same period. This attempt was hosted by Birmingham University’s B-Film Institute and headed by film scholar Michele Aaron, whose work on film ethics positioned her well to host and curate the festival.