First Run Features and Human Rights Watch have long shared a philosophy that film has a unique ability to engage, inform and make a difference. For 25 years, First Run Features has brought films dealing with political, social and humanitarian issues to a wide and diverse audience. Similarly, since the inception of its International Film Festival in 1988, Human Rights Watch has embraced the power of film to influence public opinion and international policy.

S21: THE KHMER ROUGE KILLING MACHINE In 1975-79, two million Cambodians died from murder and famine when the Khmer Rouge forced the population into the countryside to fulfill their ideal of an agrarian utopia. The detention center 'S21' was the schoolhouse-turned prison where 17,000 adults and children were tortured and killed, their "crimes" documented to justify their execution. In this film, survivor Vann Nath confronts his captors, some of whom were only 12 years old when they committed the atrocities. Winner: International Human Rights Award 2004; Best Documentary, (Chicago Int'l Film Festival & European Film Awards) Francois Chalais Award (Cannes Film Festival) View the trailer

THE DEVIL'S MINER The Devil's Miner profiles two brothers, 14-year-old Basilio and 12-year-old Bernardino, who risk their lives working deep in the dangerous silver mines of Cerro Rico, Bolivia, in order to support their family and afford school supplies. Winner: Best Int'l Documentary (Jerusalem Film Festival) Best Documentary (Woodstock Film Festival) Humanitarian Award (Mexico Film Festival) Silver Hugo Award, Best Documentary (Chicago Film Festival) Fipresci Award (Hot Docs) View the trailer

		DREAMING LHASA Karma, a Tibetan filmmaker from New York, goes to Dharamsala to make a documentary about political prisoners who have escaped Tibet. She interviews Dhondup, an enigmatic ex-monk who confides in her that his real reason for escaping to India is to fulfill his dying mother's last wish, to deliver a charm box to a long-missing resistance fighter. Karma unwittingly falls in love with Dhondup as his quest becomes a journey into Tibet's fractured past and a voyage of self-discovery. View the trailer

		SILENT WATERS Silent Waters is set in 1979 Pakistan, when General Zia-ul-Haq took control of the country and stoked the fires of Islamic nationalism. Ayesha, who gets by on her late husband's pension and by teaching young girls the Koran, invests her hopes in her beloved son Saleem. But when Saleem takes up with a group of Islamic fundamentalists just as a group of Sikh pilgrims come to town, Ayesha's past comes to haunt her. Wacth the trailer

DANGEROUS LIVING Dangerous Living is the first documentary exploring the lives of homosexuals in non-western cultures. We hear the stories of gays and lesbians from Egypt, Honduras, Kenya, Thailand and elsewhere, places most occurrences of oppression receive no media coverage. Dangerous Living sheds light on an emerging global movement to end discrimination and violence against GLBT people. Winner: Audience Award, Best Feature (Barcelona GLBT International Festival) Audience Award, Best Documentary (Hartford Alternatives Festival) View the trailer

THE CAMDEN 28 Summer, 1971: Protests against the Vietnam War are spreading across the US. In Camden, New Jersey a group of 28 activists are arrested by the FBI for attemping to destroy records in a local draft board office. Featuring a treasure trove of archival materials as well as current interviews with Howard Zinn and members of the Camden 28, The Camden 28 uncovers a story of potent dissent. Winner: Jury Prize & Audience Award, Best Documentary (Philadelphia International Film Festival) View the trailer

ROSES IN DECEMBER On December 2, 1980 lay missioner Jean Donovan and three American nuns were brutally murdered by El Salvador's security force. Roses in December chronicles Donovan's life, from her affluent childhood to her decision to volunteer in El Salvador to her tragic death. Roses in December is both an eloquent memorial to Jean Donovan's commitment and a powerful indictment of U.S. foreign policy in Central America.