The following people visited the 2010 festival. They held short introductions and/or joined us for panel debates, but most of all they were here for the public to talk with.

Special guests

Maina Kiai - is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, and the former, and founding, Chairman of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). He was instrumental in KNCHR’s work in the public recognition that corruption is a violation of human rights, and especially economic rights; the work on police excesses, including extra-judicial executions; the work on use of state resources and hate speech in political campaigns, and in the work on using cultural institutions to validate women’s property inheritance rights.
Currently Maina is making documentary films on issues of social justice as an empowerment tool where ordinary-and traditionally voiceless--people get opportunities to speak out and think through issues of concern to them. His films include one focusing on the Barack Obama campaign in the USA in 2008 called "Change we Can” it was about what leadership means in Kenya and what needs to be done to get good leadership in Kenya. His newest film “Getting Justice: Kenya’s Deadly Game of Wait and See,” is about issues around justice for the election crisis in Kenya from 2008. It is this film he is bringing to the festival, and which he will be presenting and talking about at the two screenings.
Read more about Maina Kiai here - and come and talk to him between the 2nd and 7th February.

Ambassador Arjan Hamburger - is the Netherlands Ambassador for Human Rights. Having a human rights ambassador, based in their home country, means that the Dutch have someone dedicated to integrating human rights into all areas of foreign and development cooperation policy, and across all issues in which human rights play a role. He also gets to discuss human rights questions, explore the scope for dialogue and, occasionally, form part of the delegation of foreign and development ministers. The ambassador also maintains and develops contacts with Dutch society (in particular parliament, universities, human rights organisations, the media, businesses) in order to propagate human rights policy and acquire new ideas.
Before starting his duties as human rights ambassador, Arjan Hamburger was Deputy Permanent Representative at the Netherlands Mission to the United Nations in New York. He has also been director of the Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the festival he will be participating in the closing debate - Who is winning the Tug-of-War between Human Rights and Human Wrongs? - and commenting on the Dutch films: Weapon of War and a Blooming Business.

Migration and Human Wrongs

Paul Kenyon - works for the BBC in London on the Panorama series known for its in-depth investigative journalism. During the making of the series Migrant, Go Home Paul travelled across Africa with migrants trying to reach Europe. Paul will be at the festival from 3rd to 4th February, talking around his film Europe or Die Trying.

Manuel Menchón is the Spanish director of Malta Radio. He will be joining us from the 3rd to the 5th February and joining the discussions around Migration and Human Wrongs

Cecilie Øien - is a senior researcher at Fafo in Oslo where she leads the project on Informal Child Migration in Europe. She has a background in anthropology and visual media, and worked at UDI with asylum seekers. Her research interests include migration and transnational families. Cecilie will lead the discussion on migration on Thursday 4th Feb.

Jørgen Carling - is a senior researcher at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO). He is programme leader for the Ethics, Norms and Identities programme at PRIO, and his research interests are Migration-related tansnational practices, particularly from Cape Verde and West Africa, Morocco and Western Sahara to Europe. Jørgen will participate in the discussion on migration on Thursday 4th Feb.

Laura Agustín - is a writer, publishing on subjects such as sex, travel and work, from a migrant's viewpoint, for government and non-governmental organisations. She has recently written on what we might be feeling regarding undocumented migration - read her article here. Laura will participate in the discussion on migration on Thursday 4th Feb.

Ivar Dale - works at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee where he is responsible for its activities in Central Asia, including reporting on the human rights situation there. He has travelled in, and worked with issues from, Russia and the Caucuses, and will introduce the film Long Distance Love.

Worlds Without Witnesses

Lucy Hannan is a writer and film director, producing films such as Obama Change we Can; Looking at Leadership; Getting Justice (screening at this festival), and Making Change, and established a small media production company in Nairobi in 2005, Voxcom Ltd. She has been involved in journalism in East and Horn of Africa since 1988, as a reporter for BBC, British newspapers and contributor to Channel 4. Lucy has also been involved in human rights work and has written two books, "Taking Liberties" (Human Rights Watch 1991) on Kenya's transition to democracy; and "Shadow Justice" (African Rights 1996) on the Kenyan justice machinery. She will be in Oslo between the 2nd and 7th February and participating in dicussions connected to her film Getting Justice - Kenya's Deadly Game of Wait and See.

Khin Maung Win is the Deputy Executive Director of Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), which has its home in Oslo. DVB are featured in Burma VJ, and Khin Maung Win will be available before and after the film talk about the role that DVB plays in trying to provide accurate and unbiased news to people in- and outside of Burma.

Peter Gitmark is a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee and is the
Conservative Party’s spokesman on democracy and human rights, including regarding Burma. He will be joining the debate about the reaction (or lack of it) of governments to video-based evidence of human rights abuses such as those seen in Burma VJ.

Inna Sangadzhiyeva - is a specialist of Russian elitism and power structures. She works for the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and gained much experience previously though working with Amnesty International Norway's Russia Group. Inna will be involved in the lunch time seminar that includes the film Chechnya's Missing Women. She knew Natalia Estimerova, who appeared in the film three weeks before she was murdered.

Ane Tusvik Bonde - is the regional coordinator for the Human Rights House Network in the Southern Caucasus. She will be involved in the lunch time seminar that includes the film Chechnya's Missing Women.

Ole Benny Lilleås - has been employed as a consultant for the Institute of Human Rights as well as Project Manager for the Human Rights House Foundation. He is now responsible for the Western Balkans area at The Norwegian Helsinki Foundation. He will be leading discussion around the film City of the Roma.

Ronny Hansen - is the President of the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara and former Policy Advisor at Norwegian Refugee Council and leader of the Afghanistan Committee. He has been in the Western Sahara many times, and in the refugee camps run by the Polisario in Algeria. He will be leading the discussion around The Problem - Testimony of the Saharawi People.

Mads Gilbert - is a doctor and activist known for his engagement in Gaza and reporting form there during the bombing by Israel in December/January 2008/9.

Impunity or Justice - Righting Wrongs

Gunnar Ekeløve-Slydal - is Deputy Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. Gunnar was an active civil society participant in the establishment of the International Criminal Court and will be with us to talk about how effective the court has been so far, in connection with the film The Reckoning - The Battle for the International Criminal Court.

Nora Sveaass - is Norway's member on the UN Torture Committee, and board member of Health and Human Rights Info, amongst other things. She was awarded Amnesty's prize in December 09 for her dedication to defending the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers in Norway... showing that abuse does not stop after justice is achieved in a court of law, but that rather the physical and psychological effects can affect the victim and their family for a life-time. Nora will talk about what is needed to 'right wrongs' - both in a discussion after the film The Reckoning, and before the film Outside the Law - Stories from Guantanamo.

Polly Nash - is co-director of the film Outside the Law - Stories from Guantanamo. She is a senior lecturer at the London College Of Communications, part of the University of the Arts, London, and has worked in film and TV for 20 years. She has been working with Spectacle, an independent production company specialising in documentary, community-led investigative journalism and participatory media since 1996. She will introduce her film and be available for general discussion.

Andy Worthington - is co-director of the film Outside the Law - Stories from Guantanamo. He is a journalist and blogger, and the author of three books, including The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (Pluto Press). He will be speaking after his film as part of the look at legal liabilities relating to Guantanamo.

Erling Borgen - is a journalist, author and filmmaker. His films include A Little Bit of Norway, which looks at the Norway's involvement in international warfare, particularly its role as the six largest exporter or small arms in the world. His recently made a new chapter for the film about how Aker Kværner seem to have aided and abetted in the building of the torture-prison camp, Guantanamo. Erling's new book - Secrets of a Peace Nation - looks at the double standards of Norwegian foreign policy. Erling will be leading, and contributing, to the debate looking at legal liability around Guantanamo, after the film Outside the Law - Stories from Guantanamo.

Ståle Eskeland - is Professor of Law at the University of Oslo. He is currently writing a book called 'The most serious of crimes' in Norwegian courts and in civil law suits, which encompasses, amongst other things, torture. He will be contributing to the debate looking at legal liability around Guantanamo, after the film Outside the Law - Stories from Guantanamo.

Rob Lemkin - is the co-director of Enemies of the People about the Pol Pot's right hand man and his revelations about why the Khmer Rough killed so many. He has produced and directed over 50 documentaries for BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky etc. and has won numerous awards in Britain and abroad. He has made several films about the history and politics of Asia including Who Really Killed Aung San? (BBC2 1997), Malaya: The Undeclared War (BBC2 1998), and China: Handle with Care (C4 2001). He is here with his film Enemies of the People which he will introduce and invite discussion about afterwards.

Mari Holmboe Ruge - was one of the initiators of Forum Norge 1325, a NGO network for monitoring the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. She will speak about the importance of this resolution between the films Intended Consequences and Weapon of War.

Big Business - Outside the Law

Mark Taylor - is Deputy Managing Director of Fafo in Oslo. His work includes a focus on Business and Human Rights, for instance on the increasing accountability expected by local domestic courts as well as more evidence of successful trans-national prosecutions in third-party countries. He is an advisor for Al-Jazeera and has written reviews of documentary films tackling these issues of corporate responsibility. Mark will give a short talk entitled 'Obstacles to Justice: Taking Big Business to Court', given between Delta- Oil's Dirty Business and Crude - The Real Price of Oil. He will be ready to discuss any questions the audience might raise about bringing big business inside the law.

Marcus Bleasdale - is a photo-journalist who has spent recent years taking pictures of the conflict in the DR Congo, and before that the broken state of Somalia. Marcus was also the Nobel Peace Centre's portrait photographer of the year in 2009, and therefore responsible for the exhibition of the most recent winner - Barak Obama. He will (will not... could not) introduce his short film of photos and commentary - Rape of a Nation - about the exploitation of the DR Congo, and the consequences for the people who live there.

John Peder Egenæs - is Secretary General of Amnesty International Norway. He will expand on the Bhopal chemical accident touched upon in The Yes Men Fix the World and in the introductory shortfilm 20 Years Without Justice: The Bhopal Chemical Disaster.

Atle Høie - is International Secretary at Fellesforbundet in Oslo and will talk about 'Workers rights - challenges and opportunities in a globalised economy" as part of our closing debate looking at different aspects of accountability.

Form your opinions
join the debate
and be part of the solution

FESTIVAL NEWS

Maina Kiai will be with us from the 2nd to the 7th Feb. . Perhaps the top lawyer working with human rights in Kenya, he is bringing his new film Getting Justice- Kenya's Deadly Game of Wait and See to the festival. It is about how to ensure sufficient justice is achieved after the post-election violence in 2008.

Polly Nash and Andy Worthington have booked their tickets- They will be here from Friday till Sunday. Come and talk Guantanamo with the people who know the prisoners better than almost anyone. And see their brand new film for the first time in Norway - Outside the Law - Stories from Guantanamo

Rob Lemkin is coming too - bringing with him unique stories from Cambodia, when he and Thet Sambath made the film Enemies of the People. An amazing film it captures the admission of Pol Pot's right hand man: Nuon Chea as to why the mass killings of the Khmer Rouge ever took place.

The Ambassador for Human Rights in the Netherlands is coming to Oslo to partake in our closing debate and support the two films Blooming Business and Weapon of War. The Netherlands have a strong documentary tradition, as well as being the home to the International Criminal Court (discussed in the The Reckoning).

Mads Gilbert will be joining us, in connection with the film To Shoot an Elephant- flimed one year ago by almost the only other foreigners to remain in Gaza during the conflict.

Thanks to Erling Borgen for being our first festival patron - he will be participating during the Guantanamo debate, as will Ståle Eskeland, amongst other things.

more news soon....

Responsible for running this festival