TAHR Chairperson Liu Ching-yi explained that it is significant for Taiwan to celebrate the anniversary of the universal declaration, as the nation's democratic system has just experienced a second change of power. "There are still human rights issues to be solved in Taiwan," she said. "Similarly, many different human rights abuses are still taking place all over the world."
In a bid to raise awareness of related human rights issues in local society and push for reflection, and even action, Liu stated that the association is screening 20 films from nine countries on subjects such as aboriginal autonomy, authoritarian rule, children's rights, judicial systems, student activism and transitional justice. The TAHR initiative is supported by the French, British, Canadian, Czech, Polish and U.S. representative offices, with the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs organizing the photo exhibition, which visualizes the declaration's 30 articles and has toured over 30 countries. It takes place alongside the film festival in Taipei and Kaohsiung.
According to Patrick Bonneville, director of French Institute in Taipei, the universal declaration was born out of the memory of atrocities committed during the World War II. "[The anniversary] is an opportunity to question the progress society has accomplished, its failures, and the values we all share," he said. France's representative in Taiwan highlighted the word "universal" in the declaration's title, but said that the articles it declared have been far from universal as governments use the pretence of "cultural relativism" to avoid responsibility for affected citizens.
For U.S. filmmaker Maple Razsa, the power of the universal declaration to prevent violations of human rights has been very limited. What is more, he added, it could not protect citizens from violence perpetrated by the state. Razsa explained the right to self-organization, therefore, has become essential for nongovernmental organizations and social movements to protect traditional forms of human rights, such as access to education and freedom of expression.
"This is where the relationship between films and human rights lies," Razsa said. "Producing documentary films were beyond the reach of most activists a few years ago, but this is no longer the case. New technology has made producing documentary films more accessible and less expensive for activists to document abuses. This allows stories from the front lines to be shared broadly."
The filmmaker emphasized that activists' efforts demonstrated an ongoing struggle for the right to visual autonomy, the right to tell stories in their own words and show them to people across the world. "The TAHR film festival is part of that struggle," he added.
Screening at the festival is Razsa's film "Occupation," co-directed with Pacho Velez, which documents a student and immigrant janitor campaign that forced Harvard University--the world's richest tertiary institution--to fairly remunerate low-wage workers.
Another film of note is Cambodian Rithy Panh's "Killing Machine S21," which documents the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge against 20,000 people interned in the notorious interrogation center codenamed "S21." Taiwanese documentaries include Chen Lih-kuei's "Burning Mission: Rescue the Political Prisoners of Taiwan," and "When Tribe Encounters Modern State" by Pisuy Masou--a film about a group of Atayal aborigines' struggle for land rights.
Three French offerings, "We, Children of the 20th Century," "Invent a Country for Me" and "Small Soldiers" investigate the rights of the children, while the British film "Let Him Have It" recounts a 1952 case in which the defendant was wrongly executed.
Write to June Tsai at june@mail.gio.gov.tw