Highlights from the Human Rights Film Festival in Berlin

The third Human Rights Film Festival in Berlin opened on September 30 with the documentary "Softie" by Sam Soko. It tells the story of the Kenyan war photographer and activist Boniface Mwangi, who stood in a local Kenyan election in order to put an end to political corruption and post-colonial tribalism. "Softie" is one of the ten movies competing at the festival.

Are Western film makers able to portray the true complexity of the Congo, or do they just show stereotypical pictures of war, poverty and disease? This is the question Joris Postema poses with "Stop Filming Us." He followed a group of young people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who are fighting against one-sided Western reporting in order to show their own perspective of the country.

Another story from the African continent is "Mrs. F." by Chris van der Vorm. In Nigeria's biggest slum, Makoko, Mrs. F. wants to perform her play "Hear Word" on a floating stage with other women from the community in order to give them a voice in their violent surroundings and encourage them to organize together. Will she succeed despite the patriarchal structures pit against her?

The film by Maya Newell whisks the viewer off to Australia. There they meet a 10-year-old Arrernte aboriginal boy called Dujuan who knows his way around traditional healing practices and can speak three languages — skills which are of no value to the westernized Australian education system. The rebellious Dujuan runs into increasingly difficult problems with the police and social services.

For as long as they can remember, Máxima Acuña and her family have lived on their own remote piece of land in the Peruvian highlands - their home and source of sustenance. But the land has been given to a multi-billion dollar mining project. Despite intimidation, violence and prosecution, Máxima fights to keep hold of her land. Director Claudia Sparrow accompanies her on this mission.

At just 15, Slater Jewell-Kemker began to follow the global youth climate movement at a time when politicians weren't listening to them yet. Over ten years later, Jewell-Klemker and Greta Thunberg were giving speeches at the UN Climate Summit in Poland. This is a film for a generation that is determined to solve a crisis they didn't cause.

In Mexico, critical journalists risk being killed. But Carmen Aristegui is still speaking the truth. In 2015 she uncovered a corruption scandal involving then-President Calderon. For the government, she is one of the most dangerous voices in Mexico. Juliana Fanjul's "Radio Silence" portrays a determined woman who refuses to be silenced.

At first she was celebrated as "Vietnam's Lady Gaga" — even by the Communist party. But her most recent album, calling for freedom of speech and democracy, turned Mai Khoi into a political refugee. Joe Piscatella depicts the career of the singer who kept writing ever braver lyrics in the face of the intimidation which eventually forced her to flee her country.

Nine-year-old Marwa and her family were also forced to flee their country. Marwa has spent the past several years living in the world's biggest Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon and wishes for nothing more than to return home. Director Dina Naser followed the lively and curious Marwa around to document her daily life, hopes and resilience.

They want to become pilots, opticians, and teachers — big dreams for Afghan girls. The young skaters from Kabul, brought to the screen by Carol Dysinger, build up their self-confidence through the sport and strive to live self-determined lives. The images of girls in headscarves performing daring tricks on the halfpipe show Afghanistan in a different light. (Adaptated by Alex Berry)