The Sauti Zetu Film Festival will be the first event of its kind to take place on the mainland of Tanzania. The festival seeks to use the influence of movies made from a human rights standpoint to ignite dialogues about civic space issues, particularly freedom of expression and youth involvement in governance and policy making, as well as gender equality, where the emphasis will be on promoting equal access to social and political opportunities for all. Sauti Zetu is Swahili for “Our Voices,” and the festival’s main goal is to elevate the voices of ordinary citizens through films made with a focus on human rights. The festival is set to take place for two (2) days, from 13th of October to 14th, soon after the commemoration of the International Girl Child Day.
It will be a festival that combines the Discourse Steered and Deliberative styles. With the dialogue-guided side, the emphasis would be on showing movies that provoke thought and conversation in the audience. After the screening, panel discussions will be organized so that attendees may share their opinions on the topics covered in the movie. The deliberative side of the event will be organized to expressly appeal to an audience interested in human rights. The objective would be to persuade the target audience to accept human rights as the normative legal and political framework for society.
Film festivals provide a forum for discussion between professionals, creatives, decision-makers, journalists, civil society organizations, and the general public. Films and conversations about human rights offer exceptional chances to use one’s right to free speech. They can be extremely important in providing a rare opportunity for people to express their opinions about the problems presented and ask questions, particularly in circumstances when individuals and civil society struggle. The audience can learn about any missing information and receive answers regarding the events being screened. It is unfortunate that on the Tanzania mainland, we don’t have any film festivals, not even speaking of human rights film festivals.
For more details about the Sauti Zetu Film Festival 2023 and film submission, click the button below:
