For a decade students at Oxford Brookes University have shone a light on human rights issues across the globe.This month the university will hold its tenth annual Human Rights Film Festival. Over the course of five days, starting Monday, February 27, ten films will be screened at the Oxford Hub in Turl Street and at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Cowley Road.Along with the films, there will be a number of speakers, including Brookes chancellor and human rights organisation Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti.The festival is organised each year by students on the university’s masters course in development and emergency practice – many of whom have personal experience of living in countries where they have experienced war, poverty and deprivation.The idea is to raise awareness about a range of human rights concerns.Miranda Hurst, one of the student organisers, said: “I’m really excited about a week of quality films which come from all over the world and cover hugely diverse subjects. The screenings are free so we’re expecting them to pack out.”Each of the festival’s five days will focus on a different region, Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.Mike Wooldridge, BBC world affairs correspondent, Marcie Shaoul, head of external affairs at the Commonwealth Foundation, Amnesty International’s Chris Goodchild and Sir David Madden, former political adviser to the EU peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are also all involved.Each of the films is free and open to all but places are limited and should be reserved in advance.
