MUMBAI: Breakthrough’s 5th Tri Continental Film Festival is screening 28 human rights documentary films from the global south, comprising approximately 20 countries.

The festival, which ends on 25 January, will see 11 Asia premieres, eight India premieres and one World premiere. The four sections in the festival this year are:

Body Public – The section will showcase six films from five countries. Four are from India and two co-productions from Spain/South Africa and Canada/Iran. The films explore the engagements of the human body with the public space.

Not All in Good Faith – Seven films from nine countries will probe and bring to the forefront the indignity and exploitation rendered by neo-liberal development ventures and businesses across the globe.

The Line That Defines – Dwelling on the post-modern subject of border crossing, this section comprises four films from five countries. In different ways, the films trace the role of the political border in the making of a refugee, an exile or an illegal immigrant.

Zones of War – Any area marked by extreme violence can be broadly termed as a war zone. Eleven films from nine countries explore these zones of violence and aggression in various historical and contemporary circumstances around the world.

Speaking on the selection of films, festival director Alika Khosla says, “This year’s selection of 28 films from more than 20 countries not just represent these protagonists but also gives them a voice that we are sure will resonate with our own circumstances close to home.”

The 5th Tri Continental Film Festival jury comprises Aruna Vasudev (India), Nick Deocampo (The Philippines), Madhusree Dutta (India), Amir Muhammad (Malaysia) and Anurag Kashyap (India).

“Watching these documentaries from all over the world is an eye opener. You see the sheer courage of the people in their ordeal to survive. Everyone should watch these films, it’s a rare chance to get a glimpse of the world that we some times don’t know about,” said Anurag Kashyap.