In light of the pandemic, the 2021 Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival (臺灣國際人權影展), organized by the National Human Rights Museum (NHRM), will be held both online and in physical venues from Oct. 15 to Nov. 30.

To explore the value of human rights from the environment, democracy, and education, this year's festival has consisted of three units－"Wounded Planet (失衡星球)," "The Mirror of Democracy (民主鏡像)," and "Human Rights LIVE (人權現場)" －which will feature a selection of 14 foreign films, four of which will be premiered in Asia.

Those present at the opening ceremony on Oct. 19 included Deputy Minister of Culture Lee Ching-hwi (李靜慧), director of the Taiwan Film Institute Wang Chun-chi (王君琦), chairman of the Taipei Documentary Filmmakers' Union Hsu Hung-yuan (許紘源), victim of political persecution Chang Tze-chou (張則周), secretary-general of the Taiwan 228 Care Association Lin Li-tsai (林黎彩), documentary director Mayaw Biho (馬躍．比吼), and singer-songwriter Wang Yu-jun (王榆鈞), who kicked off the event by performing three songs about human rights.

Lee Ching-hwi stated that NHRM has held the human rights film festival for five consecutive years, attempting to talk about human rights issues through films or analyze films through human rights issues.

This year, online screenings will be held at the Giloo, Taiwan's only audio-visual platform focusing on film festivals and issues, from Oct. 22 to 31, and physical screenings will be held all over Taiwan by the Taiwan Cinema Villages (臺灣電影聚落) from Oct. 15 to Nov. 30.

Launched by the National Human Rights Museum in 2017, Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival presents a series of cinematic works that provide diverse perspectives on human rights issues.

For detailed information, please visit the Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival website and Facebook.