Humans of Film Festival

About Humans of Film Festival

The Humans of Film Festival originated from the street photography blog Humans of Film Amsterdam, a platform where personal stories of Amsterdammers are shared. This project shares the personal impact that film can have on people and how they can find representation and recognition. It also gradually exposes the lack of diversity in the film landscape.

From this starting point, initiator Feargal Agard set out to set up a film festival that focuses on World Cinema films and the so-called 'human interest films', a niche that was still missing in the Dutch film landscape. Human interest refers to films that focus on people, their experiences and the environment in which they live. In a society that is increasingly polarizing on a social and political level, this festival tries to create a space for encounters, where stories are told and shared by and for people who are not heard often enough. That is why this is a film festival with a social and cultural goal. To achieve their goals, they work together with individuals and organizations that are active in social and cultural goals and/or work within the creative industry.

7 thematic main lines:

The film programme of Humans of Film Festival focuses on seven thematic lines:

1. Female-centric stories

2. Stories about racism or discrimination

3. Queer/LGBTIQ+ stories

4. Migrant stories

5. Environmental or ecological stories

6. Stories about mental or physical disabilities

7. Social (in)justice stories

Sharing stories

According to the organizers, it is more important than ever to share stories of and by people who are often not heard in our society and beyond, and to shed light on social realities that have received too little attention for far too long.

But the festival wants to go further than addressing the problems in the world. Through Q&As, talks and debriefings with various speakers and representatives of local organizations, the organizers want to make the universal subjects tangible for the Amsterdam public.

If you want to know more, visit the Humans of Film Festival website.