On May 17th 2021, Open Screenplay’s satellite office in Gaza, which employs a team of young and talented developers, was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. While none of our employees were physically hurt, 4 civilians died in the attack and our team was psychologically traumatized. Our sincere efforts to bring hope and opportunity to the people of Gaza, one of the most densely populated cities in the world where 50% of the population is below the age of 15 and the unemployment rate is at 50%, was met with violence and indiscriminate violations of human rights.

As a start-up headquartered in Toronto, Open Screenplay’s mission has always been to represent the underrepresented and elevate new voices so we may bring inclusivity and diversity to the worlds of storytelling and screenwriting. While we have focused on raising awareness on environmental and social justice issues, the attack on our office has brought a much more pressing and urgent issue to the forefront of attention: human rights.

Despite increased awareness and a more vigorous discourse, human rights violations are far too commonplace in all parts of the world, and we have a long way to go to realise the vision set out more than seventy years ago by the architects of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In many parts of the world, the most fundamental and inalienable human rights are constantly violated. If we are to truly represent the underrepresented, then we must help elevate the stories of those most in need. From war torn streets to oppressed ghettos, from colonized lands to occupied territories, from authoritarian regimes to brutal police violence, from indigenous struggles to activist movements, we invite you to write short film screenplays on any topic related to human rights.

Through narrative form, we hope to raise awareness about the pervasive abuses of human rights that remain throughout the world.

And in solidarity to the Palestinian people, who have been living under one of the longest military occupations in modern history, we offer a special prize category for best screenplay about the Palestinian struggle for human rights.

Write for Human Rights

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