The Human Rights Watch Film Festival (“HRWFF”) is seeking an undergraduate or graduate student intern for the New York office for the fall 2019 semester. Ideally, the intern will be available from September 16, 2019 through December 31, 2019, with the potential to extend into the winter/spring semester 2020. The intern will receive training and experience in film programming and organizing international film festival events.
Internships are unpaid. However, students may be able to arrange academic credit, as Human Rights Watch internships often offer direct exposure to the workings of an international human rights organization, close supervision by HRW staff, and interaction with other US and international organizations and foreign and domestic government officials. Students should check with their individual academic institutions for requirements.
Students will also have opportunities to attend lectures, trainings, professional development workshops, and/or special events relating to human rights, as well as network with other HRW interns, volunteers, and employees. As an HRW intern, students will take skills acquired in school and apply them in a professional setting.
- Conducting desk research on films in production, film festivals, and film funders;
- Tracking films and logging submissions;
- Using a film database;
- Watching and reviewing films with a balance of film analysis and comprehension of using film as a tool for social justice, to participate in programmatic decisions for multi-city editions of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival;
- Communicating with filmmakers, film distributors, and film industry members; and
- Other projects may be assigned as the opportunity arises and match the student's interests and abilities.
- Applicants should be well-organized, self-motivated, and reliable.
- Relevant coursework and a strong interest in film criticism and an awareness of contemporary debates surrounding the ethics of social justice film, organizing independent film festival, and international human rights is highly desirable.
- Computer skills (i.e., Microsoft Word, basic database, Google Drive) are required.