Human Rights in Films: A Thought Experiment on a Theoretical Basis

Abstract

The main questions of this articlecould be described as follows. Firstly,how can films contribute to a definitionof the ‘human’ as the subject of humanrights discourse? Secondly, how do filmshelp us to understand human feelings inhumanitarian catastrophes, such as theHolocaust? In the first chapter, we willattempt to analyse the effect of films onour understanding of the world and alsoour perceptions of life on the basis of thedefinition of a human in light of somecontemporary scholars, such as JohnBerger, Jean Epstein and a visual artistnamed Hito Steyerl. Moreover, in thischapter, we will attempt to demonstratehow films may contribute to our definitionof a human in a practical way through a filmby Godfrey Reggio, called Koyaanisqatsi.The second chapter will discuss the secondquestion, which is concerned with howfilms make it easier to understand humanfeelings in criminal cases, such as thoseinvolving the Holocaust, with the mainfocus being on the Eichmann case. Finally,in light of the first two chapters, we willattempt to answer the question, what isa human rights film from a theoreticalperspective?