The Oxford Human Rights Festival (OxHRF) raises awareness of human rights issues through film screenings, poetry, music and theatre performances, talks, workshops and exhibitions and other art events.
Founded in 2003 by the Centre for Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP) in the School of Architecture at Oxford Brookes University, the Festival brings together students, staff, academics and the wider community of Oxford and beyond. We work closely with local groups, practices, institutes and organisations to create meaningful and engaging programmes.
The theme for the 2026 Festival is 'Breaking Free'. We explore freedom across generations and contexts, discrimination, gaps in human rights protection, the need for global solidarity and the impact of budget cuts in the humanitarian sector.
Past themes, include Resilience, Identity, Home, Movement and NOW WHAT; and have featured speakers such as:
- Ken Loach, who opened the 2017 festival with a screening of I, Daniel Blake and spoke about poverty and austerity.
- Ziauddin Yousafzai, who joined the 2016 screening of He Named Me Malala and spoke about education rights.
- Brookes alumna Yasmeen Lari, who delivered the 2022 Nabeel Hamdi Lecture and spoke about rights based, low tech architecture for climate migrants.
Our past exhibitions have also showcased artists addressing displacement, belonging and resistance.