In 2024, WHO will continue to celebrate the power of audiovisual storytelling for health promotion with all those interested in public health narratives!
The 5th Health for All Film Festival (HAFF) calls for submissions from 1 November 2023 to 31 January 2024.
The World Health Organization (WHO) calls for submissions of short films for its 2024 Health for All Film Festival. Now in its fifth year, the Festival is an annual opportunity for health champions and advocates to raise their voices and tell stories of people facing various health issues and challenges.
“The WHO Health for All Film Festival has become an incredible platform for telling powerful stories from around the world about people who face all kinds of health challenges, and those who devote their lives to improving health,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Films provide an authentic way for affected people to connect with others and contribute to a better understanding of the communities we serve.”
As for each previous edition, WHO 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.
Short documentaries, fiction films, or animation films will have to be submitted in one of the following “Grand Prix” categories:
– Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
– Health Emergencies
– Better Health and Well-being
In addition, four special prizes will be attributed as follows:
– Physical Activity and Health Special Film Prize
– Migrants and Refugees Health Special Film Prize
– Student Film Prize
– Very Short Film Prize
The details about health themes that could be told under each category are explained in our “How to apply” page.
Two topics will be highlighted in this next edition: the health of migrants and refugees, leaving their homes because of wars, disasters, climate change, or other reasons; and physical activities as a means of staying healthy.
Films submitted in all of these categories should not exceed 8 minutes. There will also be two special prizes: one for a student-produced film, and one for a very short film (of 1-3 minutes).
The Health for All Film Festival (HAFF) has its online awards ceremony every year between May and June. It is an opportunity to meet the winners and converse with the film producers, our HAFF jury, and global health experts. This dialogue continues throughout the years with more precise panel discussions recorded and available for health promotion and health education activities.
Winning films from the Festival help to increase awareness and support for key health issues worldwide. With an average of 1000 submissions each year from more than 100 countries, the films are increasingly being used by other institutions and partners for health promotion and education. Around 90 shortlisted films will be presented to the public in April 2024 on WHO’s YouTube channel and website. From this list, a jury of distinguished professionals, artists, activists and senior experts at WHO will select the winning films.
In-person screenings of some of our winning and selected films have been organized by various WHO Offices and by several of our HAFF institutional partners from a growing network. These events represent additional opportunities for this educational dialogue between filmmakers and health experts, building up our global movement for positive behavior changes through films.