Film Forum

For more than 40 years, Human Rights Watch has defended people at risk of abuse by investigating abuses scrupulously, exposing the facts widely, and relentlessly pressing those in power for change that respects rights. Their researchers examine situations in some 90 countries around the world functioning as investigators, journalists, and advocates. Recently marking their 30th Anniversary and currently screening films in over 15 cities around the world, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival (HRWFF) bears witness to human rights violations in direct storytelling and exposé form, and creates a forum for courageous individuals on both sides of the lens to empower audiences with the knowledge that personal commitment can make a difference.

Ulises de la Orden studied Film Directing at Argentina’s Universidad del Cine. He was a professor of Film Directing at La Escuela Nacional de Experimentación y Realización Cinematográfica (ENERC) in Buenos Aires from 2006 – 2022. His academic education was complemented by his vast experience in the film industry since 1992, having participated in important productions in Argentina, Chile, Hungary, France, India, Hong Kong, China, Canada and England. His previous films include RIO ARRIBA (2006), TIERRA ADENTRO (2011), DESIERTO VERDE (2013), MUJER ENTERA (2015), CHACO (2018), NUEVA MENTE (2019), AMANECER EN MI TIERRA (2019), MAREA Y VIENTO (2020), and VILCA, LA MAGIA DEL SILENCIO (2021).

Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno is a Peruvian-American activist, author, and lawyer. Maria is currently acting deputy program director at Human Rights Watch, overseeing the organization’s work on the Americas, economic justice, and other issues. She started her career there covering Colombia's internal armed conflict and working on the extradition and trial of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori. Maria is the author of the narrative non-fiction book There Are No Dead Here: A Story of Murder and Denial in Colombia (Bold Type Books, Feb. 2018). From 2017 to 2020, she served as the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the leading US-based organization fighting to end the global war on drugs.

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