"Promised Lands, Stolen Lands. Peoples without peace": the 17th Naples Human Rights Film Festival arrives.

Lands that were promised and today are stolen. Lands that carry with them the memory of peoples who see their identity denied, yet resist to show that the future of the planet belongs to those who will be able to resist annihilation and accept the other, while defending their own memory. It is around this idea that the 17th Naples Human Rights Film Festival takes shape, scheduled forNov. 11-21, 2025, with a special closing night on Nov. 29 in Piazza Forcella dedicated to the national premiere of the film "Sniper Alley - To My Brother," co-produced by the Festival and signed by Cristiana Lucia Grilli and Francesco Toscani, with which the 20th anniversary of the Cinema and Rights Association will be celebrated.

The theme chosen for the 2025 edition, "Promised Lands, Stolen Lands. Peoples without peace, " traverses the great contradictions of the present and compares the stories of three persecuted peoples(Sahrawis, Kurds and Palestinians) who "resist their oppressors and prove they can live in promiscuity and even extreme conditions."

"The stories of peoples without peace," explains Maurizio Del Bufalo, Festival coordinator, "illustrate the condition of tomorrow's humanity, in which the sharing of basic spaces and resources, that is, peaceful coexistence among peoples, will be increasingly urgent. Their ability to adapt is the most valuable resource with which they prepare for a future in which new sociopolitical balances will test the entire human race. For this reason, the Mario Paciolla Peace School, a preview of the 17th edition of our Festival, is a concrete example of how we can educate our young people in Peace, training them to listen to these new experiences and to collaborate among the world's communities, to respect Universal Rights, preparing them for highly professional work and directing them to the most qualified training centers."

As it does every year, the Naples Human Rights Film Festival, organized by the Cinema and Rights Association, features a series of international events, debates and previews that flank the film competition. A primary partner, along with the Campania Region and the City of Naples, has for the past three years been the L'Orientale University of Naples, an ancient and prestigious university of international renown.

FromNovember 11 to 21, the Spazio Comunale Piazza Forcella, the Palazzo Corigliano home of the University L'Orientale and the Cinema Vittoria will welcome witnesses, scholars, journalists, activists and students in a journey through the tales of Human Rights Cinema and the symbolic places of contemporary conflicts.

For seventeen years, the Naples Human Rights Film Festival has been a landmark for civil cinema and the promotion of human rights in Southern Italy. Promoted by the Cinema and Rights Association, with contributions from the Campania Region, Film Commission Regione Campania, City of Naples, L'Orientale University, and the patronage of the Swiss Confederation and theEmbassy of Switzerland in Italy, the Festival joins the Human Rights Film Network sponsored by Amnesty International and is supported by Banca Etica, Un Ponte Per, FICC and Assopace Palestina.

Attached is the full program and schedule of screenings.