Free admission · November 20–21, 2026
West HollywoodHuman RightsFilm Festival
An annual event at the intersection of film and human rights.
Free to attend / Opening Night / Showcase Day / Filmmaker conversations / Human Rights / West Hollywood /
Free to attend / Opening Night / Showcase Day / Filmmaker conversations / Human Rights / West Hollywood /
2026 · The founding showcase
Hollywood has always been at its best when it is brave enough to mean something.
This November, we’re reviving a tradition that once made Los Angeles a defining place for impact-driven films that tackled the most important issues of our time. Join us in West Hollywood for an anniversary screening of one of the defining impact films of our time—Blood Diamond—and a full day showcase of documentaries about the issues that define this moment. Every screening is free.
Free
Every screening, both days. Request a seat and we’ll confirm by email.
Two days
Opening Night on Friday, November 20. Showcase Day on Saturday, November 21.
9 films
An anniversary screening, five new documentary features and three documentary shorts.
Every film
is followed by a conversation with the filmmakers.
The 2026 selection
The Films
Opening Night
Blood Diamond
A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond.
Documentary
Everybody to Kenmure Street
Glasgow residents abandon their daily routines to gather on Kenmure Street after learning authorities plan to deport their neighbors, sparking an impromptu grassroots movement.
Documentary
American Doctor
When three American doctors—Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian—enter Gaza to save lives, they find themselves caught between medicine and politics, risking everything to expose the truth.
Documentary
Birds of War
The love story of a London-based Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist and cameraman, told through thirteen years of personal archives across revolutions, war and exile.
Documentary
14th
Follows filmmaker Ava DuVernay as she speaks with scholars, politicians, and legal experts about the 14th Amendment, exploring who gets to belong in America and the ongoing fight over birthright citizenship.
Documentary
Rehearsals for a Revolution
Pegah Ahangarani traces her life through five portraits of relatives and mentors. Using personal archives, home videos, protests, and newspapers, she chronicles over 40 years of Iranian history from 1979 to 2026.
Plus THREE documentary short FILMS
Saturday · 1:00 PM
The Baddest Speechwriter of All, La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave), Maybe Tomorrow
Two Days
Come for one screening or stay all day
Friday, November 20 · Pacific Design Center
Opening Night
Blood Diamond 20th Anniversary with remarks by Director Ed Zwick
Twenty years after Blood Diamond brought the devastating human toll of conflict diamonds to a global audience, the evening offers a timely look at the film’s enduring legacy and at what has, and has not, changed in the two decades since.
The film’s cultural impact is undeniable. The term “blood diamond” has entered the global vocabulary, and the film continues to resonate with new generations of viewers.
Reception: 6:00-7:00 PM. Screening to follow.
Saturday, November 21 · The London West Hollywood
Showcase Day
Five documentary features and three documentary shorts, each followed by a conversation with the filmmakers. Reception at 9 PM.
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
- 9:00 AM Documentary Shorts Program
- 11:00 AM Rehearsals for a Revolution
- 12:45 PM Birds of War
- 2:45 PM 14th
- 5:00 PM Everybody to Kenmure Street
- 7:00 PM American Doctor
- 9:00 PM Reception
*There has been a slight schedule adjustment. check times carefully.
What we screen
This year’s program centers on human rights. From 2027, the festival grows to four threads.
01 2026
Human Rights
Films that put a face on the issues that define the moment: conflict, displacement, democracy, civil liberties, and the fight for dignity.
02 From 2027
Climate & Environmental Justice
Films on the climate crisis, environmental racism, and the communities bearing the cost.
03 From 2027
Women & Gender
Films on women’s rights, reproductive rights, gender-based violence, labor, and political power.
04 From 2027
LGBTQ+
Films on LGBTQ+ identity, rights, and community, presented in partnership with Outright International.
Where
Two venues, both in West Hollywood
Friday · Opening Night
Pacific Design Center
8687 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood
Saturday · Showcase Day
The London West Hollywood
1020 North San Vicente Boulevard, West Hollywood
YEAR ONE AND BEYOND
This year is a beginning.
From 2001 to 2007, West Hollywood was home to an annual human rights film festival. This year it returns as a two-day founding showcase. In 2027 it becomes a full four-day festival, with open submissions and jury awards.
If you’re here this November, you’re part of the founding year.
Who’s Behind It
Produced by GSD Group
GSD Group is a social impact
agency working at the intersection of entertainment and human rights.
Our job is to connect stories with true, long-term change. We run impact campaigns, awards campaigns and specialty audience marketing campaigns that move the needle on critical impact areas.
Co-founder
Bonnie Abaunza
As Director of Artists for Amnesty, she spearheaded the Amnesty International Human Rights Film Festival in West Hollywood and has spent her 40-year career at the intersection of film, human rights and civic action.
Co-founder
Kathleen Rodgers
As co-founder of GSD Group, she has led awards, impact and specialty audience campaigns for clients including Netflix, A24, HBO and Apple TV+, and has spent her career at the intersection of culture and social impact.
With support from
City of West Hollywood
Civic partner
Pacific Design Center
Venue
The London West Hollywood
Venue
Orange Barrel Media
Outdoor media
Visit West Hollywood
CIVIC partner
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
CIVIC partner
Interested in supporting or sponsoring the festival? Get in touch.