Movies that Matter Festival

Movies that Matter screens and promotes films that draws our attention to human rights and situations in which these are at stake. The foundation's peak activity is the annual Movies that Matter Festival, taking place in The Hague, International City of Peace and Justice. The Movies that Matter Festival is the Netherlands' main platform for engaged cinema, with over seventy documentaries and feature films of inspired filmmakers being screened every year.

The festival features various competitions; Activist, a documentary film competition that pays tribute to brave activists who defend human rights at the frontline, Camera Justitia, which deals with international justice and the worldwide fights against impunity and Dutch Movies Matter, a competition for films from Dutch filmmakers. The Movies that Matter Festival presents a total of seven awards within the various competitions.  

 

Furthermore, international juries choose one winner for the Grand Jury Documentary and Grand Jury Fiction, where cinematography and content go hand in hand. Three films selected by a student jury from Leiden University are eligible for the Students' Choice Award.

Along with the festival, Movies that Matter initiates a number of other projects including events, educational programmes and a growing number of international activities. It promotes human rights film screenings worldwide, offers advice and assistance and stimulates the exchange of knowledge and experience. Through its International Support Programme it offers grants to support human rights film festivals and to help circulate and exhibit human rights films in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.