It was founded by Jasmina Bojic, a Stanford educator and film critic, in 1998 to honor the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
[1] The festival showcases documentaries related to human rights and social issues/solutions and holds discussion forums with experts on the topics.
So far it has taken place in Bellevue, Berkeley, Boston, Burlington, Cambridge, Chapel Hill, Chicago, Davis, Denver, Durham, Fryeburg, Honolulu, Houston, La Crosse, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Monterey, New Haven, New York, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Saratoga, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Washington D.C., Waukesha, and internationally in Abu Dhabi, Belgrade, Kranjska Gora, Paris, Phnom Penh, and Venice.
This series started in 2015 to Encourage Women for active discussion in a supportive environment This program brings together documentary films and the love of literature This program offers research material for students of film, politics and international relations A collaboration of UNAFF and Stanford Arts, this series is conducted at Stanford University, where documentaries are presented to students/community members throughout the year.
[14] The Honorary Committee members include businessman Ted Turner and William Henry Draper III, Hollywood producer Gale Anne Hurd, Academy Award winner Barbara Trent, Academy Award Nominee Erika Szanto, and various film and music stars known for involvement in human rights.
These include Alec Baldwin, Peter Coyote, Lolita Davidovich, Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Susan Sarandon, John Savage, and Zucchero.