In a year marked by conflict and socio-political crises, the issue of human rights and respect for the environment—understood as a natural and civil ecosystem—takes further center stage in the Habitat section of the 66th edition of the Festival dei Popoli.

Among the films on the program is the shocking Slave Island by Jimmy Hendrickx and Jeremy Kewuan, set on the Indonesian island of Sumba, once infamous for its royal slave markets, where slavery, though legally abolished, is still practiced today; The Trials by Marta Massa, starring Maja T., a young non-binary activist held in solitary confinement in Budapest, sentenced to 24 years in prison for participating in an anti-fascist protest in a system that denies citizens fundamental rights; the story of Maysoon Majidi, a Kurdish activist born in Tehran and forced to flee Iran for her political commitment, is at the center of Domani. Il viaggio di Maysoon Majidi by Vincenzo Caricari and Barbara Di Fabio. Upon arriving in Italy, the woman is arrested on charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration. Also featured are the astonishing How Deep Is Your Love by Eleanor Mortimer, an adventurous journey into the ocean depths alongside a group of biologists studying the enigmatic fauna threatened by this fragile ecosystem, and Sunu Gaal (Our Cayuco) by Josep T. París, set in Senegal: the phenomenon of migration observed from the perspective of those who, with pride and conviction, remain in their own country.

A glimpse into a present time still marked by imbalances and inequalities, abuse of the most vulnerable, discrimination and violations of fundamental human rights, but also the wonders of a planet worthy of protection. Documentary cinema as a bulwark of testimony confirms the need to keep our eyes open to the world's injustices.