Human rights movies and TV shows

The list contains the best, new and most relevant human rights movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out serious, realistic, thought provoking, captivating, political and inspirational films and TV shows about / with human rights, society, injustice, hopes, politics, life is a bitch, biopic, human spirit, friendship and family relations plots mostly in Drama, Biography and History genres shot in USA, UK, France and other countries.
human rights
 511
human rights movies
TOP 10 movies tagged as human rights: Escape From Pretoria (2020), The Best of Enemies (2019), Suffragette (2015), On the Basis of Sex (2018), The Magdalene Sisters (2002), Cry Freedom (1987), Shahid (2012), Loving (2016), Difret (2014), Half Moon (2006).

List of human rights movies

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Escape From Pretoria (2020)
Genre: Biography, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Australia, USA, South Africa, Germany
Duration: 106 min.
Story: South Africa, 1978. Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white political activists from the African National Congress imprisoned by the apartheid regime, put a plan in motion to escape from the infamous Pretoria Prison…
Style: political, suspense, tense, atmospheric, dramatic ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: prison escape, apartheid, prison, political activism, escape, political prisoner, prison break, human spirit, human rights, freedom, political activist, politics ...
Time: 70s, year 1979
Place: south africa, africa, cape town south africa, australia, south australia ...
Is relevant ?
The Best of Enemies (2019)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min.
Story: The story of the real-life unlikely relationship between an outspoken civil rights activist and a local Ku Klux Klan leader in 1971 North Carolina.
Style: rough, sincere, disturbing, thought provoking, period piece ...
Audience: date night, adult
Plot: interracial friendship, civil rights, human spirit, human rights, racism, black, tiredness, name calling, african american, danger, court, interracial relations ...
Time: 70s, year 1971, year 2005, year 2016
Place: north carolina
Is relevant ?
 6.9
 44K
Suffragette (2015)
Genre: Drama, History
Country: UK, France
Duration: 106 min.
Story: Based on true events about the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement who were forced underground to evade the State.
Style: inspirational, political, factual, educational, bleak ...
Audience: chick flick, girls' night
Plot: feminism, women, feminist, sexism, girl power, activism, women's suffrage, human rights, rebelliousness, women's rights, sexual harassment, women's liberation ...
Time: 1900s, year 1912, 1910s, edwardian era, victorian era ...
Place: england, london, britain, europe, united kingdom
Is relevant ?
On the Basis of Sex (2018)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA, China, Canada
Duration: 120 min.
Story: Young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals and overturn a century of gender discrimination.
Style: clever, inspirational, captivating, political, retro ...
Audience: chick flick, girls' night, boys' night, adult
Plot: courtroom, women's rights, supreme court, human rights, lawyer, female lawyer, marriage, equality, husband wife relationship, teacher, misogyny, feminism ...
Time: 1950s, 50s, 70s, 20th century, year 1963 ...
Place: usa, denver colorado, new york
Is relevant ?
Related movie lists
The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 114 min.
Story: Four women are given into the custody of the Magdalene sisterhood asylum to correct their sinful behavior: Crispina and Rose have given birth to a premarital child, Margaret got raped by her cousin and the orphan Bernadette had been repeatedly ...
Style: bleak, disturbing, brutal, controversial, harsh ...
Audience: teens
Plot: nun, convent, life is a bitch, human spirit, corporal punishment, mistreatment, catholic church, evil nun, religion, sexual harassment, humiliation, catholic ...
Time: 60s, 20th century, year 1964, year 2002
Place: ireland, europe, dublin ireland
Is relevant ?
 7.4
 14K
Cry Freedom (1987)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, Zimbabwe, USA
Duration: 157 min.
Story: A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, ...
Style: inspirational, political, cult classic, political thriller, edutainment ...
Plot: racism, apartheid, journalism, biopic, politics, human rights, civil rights, journalist, social commentary, social injustice, black, african ...
Time: 70s, 20th century, year 1987, year 1975, year 1977
Place: south africa, africa, cape town south africa
Is relevant ?
 8.2
 18K
Shahid (2012)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 129 min.
Story: This compelling drama tells the remarkable true story of slain human rights activist Shahid Azmi, who became a powerful voice against the intercommunal violence that has engulfed Mumbai since the early 1990s.
Style: realistic, captivating, thought provoking, psychological, tense ...
Plot: human rights, muslim, legal, terrorist, lawyer, courtroom, false arrest, civil rights, life is a bitch, society, hopes, religions or cults ...
Time: 90s, 20th century, 2000s, year 2008, 21st century
Place: india, asia, pakistan, mumbai india, kashmir
Is relevant ?
 7.0
 36K
Loving (2016)
Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 123 min.
Story: The story of Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, whose challenge of their anti-miscegenation arrest for their marriage in Virginia led to a legal battle that would end at the US Supreme Court.
Style: inspirational, romantic, melancholic, thought provoking, heartbreaking ...
Audience: family friendly
Plot: interracial couple, racism, interracial romance, interracial marriage, segregation, marriage, interracial love, civil rights, husband wife relationship, supreme court, love story, miscegenation ...
Time: 50s, 1950s, year 2016, 60s, 2010s ...
Place: virginia, washington d.c.
Is relevant ?
 6.9
 1K
Difret (2014)
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, History
Country: Ethiopia, USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story: Three hours outside of Addis Ababa, a bright 14-year-old girl is on her way home from school when men on horses swoop in and kidnap her. The brave Hirut grabs a rifle and tries to escape, but ends up shooting her would-be husband. In her village the ...
Style: serious, emotional, touching, thought provoking, social ...
Audience: teen drama
Plot: human rights, legal investigation, fighting the system, injustice, righting the wronged, false accusation, against the odds, dedicated lawyer, dishonesty, life is a bitch, hopes, legal ...
Time: year 2014, 90s, 20th century, year 1995
Place: ethiopia, africa
Is relevant ?
 7.2
 3K
Half Moon (2006)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: Austria, France, Iran, Iraq
Duration: 108 min.
Story: Mamo, an old and legendary Kurdish musician living in Iran, plans to give one final concert in Iraqi Kurdistan. After seven months of trying to get a permit and rounding up his ten sons, he sets out for the long and troublesome journey in a derelict ...
Style: captivating, sentimental, realistic, humorous, touching ...
Plot: kurd, on the road, human rights, musician's life, follow your dream, self discovery, against the rules, social relations, music, composer, dialogue, underdog ...
Time: 21st century
Place: iraq, kurdistan, middle east, iran, persia ...
Is relevant ?
The Fifth Estate (2013)
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, India, Belgium
Duration: 128 min.
Story: A look at the relationship between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his early supporter and eventual colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg, and how the website's growth and influence led to an irreparable rift between the two friends.
Style: political, tense, stylized, realistic, serious ...
Audience: family friendly, teens
Plot: journalism, internet, whistleblower, computers and web, politics, international relations, hacking, computer hacker, spy, biopic, hacker, journalist ...
Time: year 2007, 2000s, year 2010, year 2011, 21st century
Place: europe, cairo egypt, paris france, washington d.c., stockholm sweden ...
Is relevant ?
 7.4
 26K
Amazing Grace (2006)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 118 min.
Story: The true story of William Wilberforce's courageous quest to end the British slave trade. Although meeting intense opposition, his minister, John Newton, urges him to see the cause through.
Style: inspirational, emotional, period piece, talky, political ...
Audience: teens, family outing
Plot: slavery, politics, politician, slave, christian, biopic, friendship, freedom, corruption, civil rights, british history, slave trade ...
Time: 18th century, 19th century, 1800s, year 2006, ancient times ...
Place: england, london, britain, paris france, france ...
Is relevant ?
Related movie lists
 6.2
 1K
The Letters (2014)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story: Mother Teresa, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, is considered one of the greatest humanitarians of modern times. Her selfless commitment changed hearts, lives and inspired millions throughout the world. The Letters, as told through personal ...
Style: spiritual, serious, thought provoking, atmospheric, christian film
Plot: catholic, human rights, nun, religion, letter, charity, family relations, spirituality, workaholic, illness, idealist, children ...
Is relevant ?
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 94 min.
Story: In 1931, three aboriginal girls escape after being plucked from their homes to be trained as domestic staff and set off on a trek across the Outback.
Style: touching, emotional, poignant, factual, heartbreaking ...
Audience: family outing, kids
Plot: child abuse, aborigine, australian outback, racism, kidnapping, children, australian aboriginal, culture clash, survival, indigenous people, women, colonialism ...
Time: 1930s, 20th century, year 2002, year 1931
Place: australia, oceania
Is relevant ?
 7.5
 179K
Milk (2008)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min.
Story: The story of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, who became an outspoken agent for change, seeking equal rights and opportunities for all. His great love for the city and its people brought him backing from young and ...
Style: thought provoking, political, realistic, touching, sincere ...
Plot: gay, politics, homosexuality, protest, homosexual, murder, gays and lesbians, discrimination, male homosexuality, politician, biopic, gender ...
Time: 70s, 2000s, year 2008, 20th century, year 1973 ...
Place: san francisco, california, new york, america, bay area ...
Is relevant ?
 7.4
 7K
Any Day Now (2012)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story: In the late 1970s, when a mentally handicapped teenager is abandoned, a gay couple takes him in and becomes the family he's never had. But once the unconventional living arrangement is discovered by authorities, the men must fight the legal ...
Style: thought provoking, sad, sincere, uplifting, touching ...
Plot: gay, gay relationship, adoption, gay adoption, lgbt, gay couple, down syndrome, homosexual, gay slur, gay parent, district attorney, disability ...
Time: 70s, year 2012, year 1979, 20th century
Place: california, los angeles, usa
Is relevant ?
 6.1
 886
Stand (2014)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: France, Russia, Ukraine
Duration: 87 min.
Story: After taking a wrong turn in their car, a young gay Russian couple witnesses what they believe is a vicious gay bashing; their quandary over what to do about it propels them into ever more dangerous territory. For Anton, the burden of what they may ...
Style: realistic, serious, thought provoking, rough, independent film ...
Plot: lgbt, gay, couples, investigation, murder, human rights, amateur detective, uncover truth, danger, society, gays and lesbians, moral dilemma ...
Time: 21st century
Place: russia
Is relevant ?
Guilty Not Guilty (2018)
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Story: A dark side of India's Nuclear Programme
Style: educational, independent film
Plot: human rights, abuse of power, indigenous people, world politics, sick child, changing the future, un, journalism, loss of husband, poverty, toxic waste, loss of family ...
Place: new york, washington d.c.
Is relevant ?
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 133 min.
Story: While serving time for insanity at a state mental hospital, implacable rabble-rouser, Randle Patrick McMurphy inspires his fellow patients to rebel against the authoritarian rule of head nurse, Mildred Ratched.
Style: psychological, thought provoking, dramatic, serious, surprise ending ...
Audience: date night, family friendly, teen drama, adult
Plot: mental illness, mental institution, fighting the system, human spirit, insanity, freedom, psychiatrist, unlikely friendships, psychopath, society, nurse, escaped mental patient ...
Time: 60s, 20th century, year 1975
Place: oregon, eastern europe, america, persia
Is relevant ?
The Color Purple (1985)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 154 min.
Story: An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert ...
Style: sentimental, uplifting, touching, inspirational, sad ...
Audience: chick flick
Plot: african american, incest, sexual abuse, domestic violence, rape, life is a bitch, feminism, slavery, incest rape, abusive relationship, wife abuse, lgbtq ...
Time: edwardian era, 20th century, 1930s, year 1985, 1920s ...
Place: africa, southern usa, usa, tennessee, georgia
Is relevant ?
 8.1
 370K
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, South Africa, Italy, USA
Duration: 121 min.
Story: Inspired by true events, this film takes place in Rwanda in the 1990s when more than a million Tutsis were killed in a genocide that went mostly unnoticed by the rest of the world. Hotel owner Paul Rusesabagina houses over a thousand refuges in his ...
Style: emotional, intense, informative, rough, political ...
Audience: chick flick
Plot: genocide, racism, war, hotel, against humanity, cruelty, civil war, refugee, politics, war crime, murder, un ...
Time: 20th century, year 2004, 90s, 2000s
Place: rwanda, africa, south africa, congo, somalia ...
Is relevant ?
 8.1
 490K
The Help (2011)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, India
Duration: 146 min.
Story: Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson is an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's ...
Style: touching, inspirational, thought provoking, uplifting, feel good ...
Audience: girls' night, chick flick, teens, kids, date night ...
Plot: racism, friendship, discrimination, civil rights, writers, women, maid, master and servant, human spirit, life is a bitch, racial segregation, racial issues ...
Time: 60s, 2010s, year 2011, 1900s, 50s ...
Place: mississippi, usa, america, africa, southern usa
Is relevant ?
Invisible Heroes (2019)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Finland, Chile
Duration: 285 min.
TV show
Story: Invisible Heroes tells the heroic tale of young Finnish diplomats in Chile during 1973’s infamous military coup. Finnish diplomats Tapani Brotherus and Ilkka Jaamala along with Tapani’s wife Lysa Brotherus helped over 2000 left-wing Chileans ...
Style: captivating, disturbing, serious, realistic
Plot: military coup, dictatorship, diplomat, army, cold war, military, human rights, politics, refugee, communism, embassy, diplomacy ...
Time: 70s, year 1973
Place: chile, finland, east germany
Is relevant ?
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The Middle Passage (2000)
Genre: Drama, History
Country: France, Martinique
Duration: 78 min.
Story: A realistic look at the horrors of the slave trade, told entirely through the voice of a dead African slave whose spirit haunts the ocean route
Style: sentimental, suspenseful, rough, realistic, serious ...
Plot: slavery, genocide, slave trade, social injustice, human rights, captive, slave, prisoner, freedom, revolt, racism, protest ...
Place: atlantic ocean, africa, senegal
Is relevant ?
 7.7
 257K
Philadelphia (1993)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min.
Story: No one would take his case until one man was willing to take on the system. Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops their courage overcomes the prejudice and ...
Style: touching, sad, tear jerker, sincere, emotional ...
Plot: aids, courtroom drama, lawyer, hiv, gay, lgbt, discrimination, lawsuit, medical, courtroom, trial, judiciary ...
Time: 20th century, 90s, year 1993, 80s
Place: pennsylvania, usa, philadelphia
Is relevant ?
 7.4
 219K
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 131 min.
Story: A twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins -- with a little help from her push-up bra. Erin goes to work for an attorney and comes across medical records describing illnesses clustered in one nearby town. ...
Style: inspirational, factual, uplifting, touching, feel good ...
Audience: girls' night, chick flick, adult
Plot: environmental, lawyer, court, single mother, justice, small town, contamination, investigation, corporate crime, against the odds, lawsuit, corruption ...
Time: year 1993, 90s, 2000s, year 2000, y2k ...
Place: california, los angeles, usa
Is relevant ?
 6.4
 29K
Beyond Borders (2003)
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance, War
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story: Beyond Borders is an epic tale of the turbulent romance between two star-crossed lovers set against the backdrop of the world's most dangerous hot spots. Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie stars as Sarah Jordan, an American living in London in ...
Style: touching, emotional, romantic, captivating, sincere ...
Audience: date night
Plot: charity, unfaithful wife, un, war, abroad, love, brutality, corruption, survival, starvation, surgery, life & death ...
Time: 80s, year 2003, 90s, year 1988, year 1989 ...
Place: africa, cambodia, london, england, europe ...
Is relevant ?
 7.0
 11K
The Lady (2011)
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: France, UK, Thailand
Duration: 132 min.
Story: The film is about the life of Aung San Suu Kyi (Yeoh) who spent more than a decade under house arrest. David Thewlis portrays Suu Kyi's husband, Dr. Michael Aris. Rebecca Frayn began working on the project after she and her husband, producer ...
Style: touching, realistic, sincere, sentimental, educational ...
Plot: military dictatorship, resistance, politics, election, leadership, human spirit, selflessness, social activist, tragic love, idealism, biopic, social problems ...
Time: 1940s, 20th century, 80s, year 1998, year 1947 ...
Place: burma, france, china, asia, oxford university
Is relevant ?
Glasgow Girls (2014)
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Story: Glasgow Girls is a specially commissioned musical drama for BBC Three that tells the inspirational true story of a group of schoolgirls whose petition to save their friend from deportation inspired a movement which would eventually help change ...
Style: realistic, captivating, serious, uplifting
Plot: friendship, immigrant, idealism, human spirit, rebellion, fighting the system, injustice, kids in trouble, society, teenage life, campaign, deportation ...
Time: year 2005, 21st century
Place: scotland, england, europe, glasgow scotland
Is relevant ?
 6.3
 108
Clash (2009)
Genre: Drama
Country: Philippines
Duration: 60 min.
Story: "Engwkentro" follows two teenage brothers attempting to escape an unnamed city controlled by an iron-fisted mayor. They must first break away from the cycle of crime, while trying to run from rival gang leaders and the state's ...
Style: tense, serious, rough, disturbing, bleak ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: gang, mayor, politics, vigilantism, moral dilemma, juvenile delinquency, social decay, rivalry, dishonesty, life is a bitch, society, youth ...
Time: 21st century
Place: the philippines, asia
Is relevant ?
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