In addition to the cinéfilos, the Donostia project welcomes other human rights actors (associations, experts, victims, etc.). ). It's a sign that the audience likes to be represented on the big screen. With this in mind, this is the first time the European Human Rights Film Network Forum has been held this year. At the San Telmo Museum, in an event that lasted two days, European filmmakers and activists talked about migration and the impact of cinema on human rights. In other words, they tried to answer the question of whether or not cinema has the capacity to change the world. But is that what cinema has to do?

The European Forum, the place of debate

Xuban Intxausti is the director of the Europa Transit project, which is part of Donostia2016, and is based on the production of a documentary in ten European cities that have witnessed war or conflict. According to their experiences, the moment the camera is installed in these situations “the natural nature of reality is automatically altered”. Basically, fear of the consequences of what the victim who has suffered human rights violations is going to tell, so he will never speak clearly before the chamber. Based on this premise, the filmmaker has to do a documentary work to understand in advance the situation that he is going to record. “As a foreigner, it is difficult to receive the voice of those people,” says Intxausti.

It is believed that human rights films are intended to show and denounce the situation of such victims anywhere else in the world. It wants to put before our eyes a reality that the media do not count. But movies also have other uses. Intxausti believes that the filmmaker’s job is to find new concepts and transmit them: “Not only the spectator, but also the human rights film can bring something to the victim.” Marc Serra is one of the directors of the documentary Tarajal: dismantling impunity on the southern border (2015) and believes that this type of work tries to answer this question: What happens? “Human rights films at least serve to ensure that cases where violations occur are documented, because there are many lies.” Afterwards, it should encourage the viewer to reflect on these situations.

Other members of the European Forum believe that we should not go too far to find cases of human rights violations. “It’s customary to put the spotlight outside, but racism is at home,” said Rosabel Argote, a member of the CEAR Euskadi Refugee Assistance Commission. Moreover, he has recognized the little force that institutional reports have like the one he represents today, so Argote attaches importance to the ability of film to influence the emotional aspect of people. To shake consciences.

Iñigo Mijangos is a member of the Salvamento Maritimo Humanitarian Group SMH, a non-profit organization that works as a rescue worker and rescue at sea in the Basque Country. Their job is to help refugees who are being pushed across the sea. Mijangos is an ex officio firefighter. In his experiences of rescuing, he noted that the attitude towards refugees is widespread among ordinary people. “At first, it may seem nice to care for the victims, and many think it can serve to promote the economy of the area (hotels, restaurants...). But the problem comes with time.” That is why it says that working on the awareness of citizenship is an essential exercise.

All the players agree on this point, but they stress that the real problem is the current neoliberal policy. It is precisely this kind of command that has led to the continued violation of current human rights. The representative of Lampedusa In Festival, Giacomo Sferlazzo Lampedusa, says that “by imperative of political objectives and of the global market”, the passport itself created for the first time the figure of the regular immigrant. “The passport is the basis of our differences.” Until 1990 there was no law on human rights and the status of immigrants was officially established with the European Union. According to Sferlazzo, Europe is nothing more than the territory of a market that claims human rights. “Through institutionalization we have financed the conflict and emergency situations currently experienced by refugees. With militarization, we have minimized their welfare state.”

“The audience reaches the human rights film festivals looking for answers.” Tadeusz Straczek, head of the Czech film festival Watch Docs, will be released in September. This type of cinema has, therefore, the function of “counter-information”. Moreover, in his view, “cinema can replace a public service”. Straczek believes that when the spectator knows a reality that is outside the traditional media, he acquires the ability to give more forceful arguments. Festivals, on the other hand, offer a specific space for human rights and another result is the construction of networks between actors worldwide.

Gatlif, from romanticism to realism

Since 2007, Donostia-San Sebastian has awarded to someone from the world of film for his work in favor of human rights. The winner of this year was the actor, screenwriter, musician and director Tony Gatlif (Algeria, 1948), for his committed trajectory and his work in making visible the Roma reality and its humanity. However, when asked about the impact of his film, he makes it clear: “The goal of cinema is not to change the world, it is the responsibility of political actors.” He acknowledges that the struggle of many years through film has been a political activity for him, but it has nothing to do with the romanticism of his youth. “I’m not stupid,” he says.

He has denounced the European model Gatlifek.Bere that “this world is very inactive. I feel absolutely immobile.” In France, for example, politics is drifting and there are few people who have come together to claim human rights. Therefore, although the current harsh situation affects him personally, he believes that cinema only offers a space for debate, it is nothing more than an instrument to convey his thoughts and reflections.

Whether or not you can change the world of film, the San Sebastian Film and Human Rights Festival has taken a step further this year: The actors participating in the European Forum have published a joint recognition in which they denounce and call for the suspension of the migration policy of the European states. The signatories wish to recall that it is the duty of all the states of the European Union to guarantee the human rights of all citizens, regardless of their nationality or origin.