Geneva Health Forum Channel

Presentation :

The fifth Health for All Film Festival (HAFF) official selection of about 90 short films was presented to the public in April 2024 via the WHO YouTube channel and WHO Health for All Film Festival homepage.

As for each previous edition, the fifth Health for All Film Festival invites public health institutions from around the world, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), communities, activists and students in public health, film schools, and other relevant domains to submit their original short films championing a health issue. Independent filmmakers, production companies, and TV broadcasters are also invited to participate.

Three categories were proposed:

1. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – films about mental health, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and other UHC stories linked to communicable diseases not part of emergencies;
2. Health Emergencies – films about health emergencies, such as COVID-19, Monkeypox, Ebola, disaster relief, and health in conflict settings;
3. Better Health and Well-being – films about environmental and social determinants of health as well as other non-medical conditions for good health, such as nutrition, sanitation, pollution, gender, physical activity, and/or health promotion or health education.

For each of these three GRAND PRIX categories, candidates submitted short documentaries, fiction films or animation films of three to eight minutes in length.

In addition, the HAFF’s special focus this year was on Physical Activity and Health, and Migrants and Refugees Health.

Special Prize - Migrants and Refugees Health was granted to "Dalal's Story"

This short film follows Dalal, a Yazidi woman who flees her country after being imprisoned by Islamic State fighters, documenting her journey across the world and rehabilitation in Australia.
The Yazidi people of Northern Iraq and Southern Turkey are one of the oldest religious groups in the world, and have been subject to persecution for generations. In 2014 Islamic State fighters attacked the Yazidi in the Sinjar province of Northern Iraq. Over 5000 Yazidi people were killed and thousands women and girls were forced into sexual slavery. Over 500,000 Yazidi people were forcibly displaced as a result of this genocide.

This animation sheds light on the plight of the Yazidi people and champions access to health care for survivors of torture and refugee torture, both in transit and host countries, highlighting the barriers to healthcare that refugees may face.

This animation was developed in close association with Australian organisation, STARTTS (Service for the Treatment & Rehabilitation of Torture & Trauma Survivors), who is a world leader in torture and trauma healing. The story, while fictional, is based on the real experiences of people from refugee backgrounds. Rehabilitation experts also speak about the harmful physical, mental and social effects of torture and trauma and emphasise the unique challenges that refugees may experience when accessing healthcare and health services.

Many refugees suffer severe health impacts from torture and trauma. This is a global health issue that requires urgent attention and increased funding. The effects of torture and trauma can be life long and include symptoms such as chronic physical pain and psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), withdrawal and self-isolation. Everyone has a right to heal, and access to services like STARTTS promotes positive health outcomes (physical, mental and social well-being) for these people.

This film is directed by Alexandra Cordukes at Laundry Lane Productions (Australia).

This film a été projeté en ouverture de la journée "Migration : Health and quity" du Geneva Health Forum.

See the site of the Health for All Film Festival
See the winner of the fifth Health for All Film Festival
See the films selected for the HAFF’s special focus on "Migrants and Refugees Health".

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