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Established twenty years ago, UNAFF celebrates the power of films dealing with human rights, environmental themes, population, migration, women’s issues, refugees, homelessness, racism, health, universal education, war and peace. UNAFF offers a unique opportunity to view documentaries that are rarely screened, to become familiar with global problems, and to acquire a better understanding of the means to address these problems.

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20th UNAFF (UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION FILM FESTIVAL

October 19-29, 2017 Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Francisco and Stanford University - celebrates the power of international documentary films dealing with human rights, the environment, refugees, famine, homelessness, racism, disease control, women's issues, children, universal education, war and peace.

This year’s theme RESPECT continues our two decades long celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the reminder that it applies to everyone.

UNAFF was established in 1998 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was founded by Stanford educator and film critic Jasmina Bojic. UNAFF, whose theme for this year is “RESPECT", is an international documentary film festival held from October 19-29 2017 in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Francisco and Stanford University.

As one of the oldest solely documentary film festivals in the US, UNAFF has grown and earned the respect of audiences and filmmakers alike for its fearless independence and integrity. In addition to providing early outlets for films, many of which later went on to win major awards and accolades, UNAFF prides itself in creating a community forum for discovery and dialogue about different cultures, issues and solutions.

Each year that the UNAFF has been held, the festival has screened films from all over the world - Asia, the South Pacific, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. The festival has attracted a broad audience with regards to ethnicity, many finding the screenings to be a rare chance to see the state of human rights and culture in their own native countries. Last year UNAFF jurors carefully reviewed over 700 submissions. Our final program consisted of 60 films related to issues from almost 60 countries.

UNAFF screened some of the most awarded and talked about documentaries in the industry including seven that went on to win Academy Awards ("Panama Deception,""Thoth", "The Blood of Yingzhou District", "Freeheld", "Taxi to the Dark Side", "Inocente" and "Saving Face") and thirty that were nominated ("Regret to Inform", "Genghis Blues","Long Night's Journey Into Day", "LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton", "Promises", "Daughter from Danang","When Abortion was Illegal", "Twist of Faith", "God Sleeps in Rwanda", "War /Dance", "Trouble The Water", “Salim Baba”, “The Garden”, “Burma VJ”, “China’s Unnatural Disaster – The Tears of Sichuan Province", "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers", "Rabbit a la Berlin", "Gasland", "Killing In the Name", "Which Way Home", "Waste Land", "The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of The Civil Rights Movement" and "Karama Has No Walls", "Facing Fear", "King’s Point", "Prison Terminal: The Last Days Of Private Jack Hall", "White Earth" and "Dirty Wars", "The Poster Girl" and "Last Day of Freedom"). 

Documentaries often elicit a very personal, emotional response that encourages dialogue and action by humanizing global and local problems. To further this goal, UNAFF hosts academics and filmmakers from around the world to discuss the topics in the films with the audience, groups and individuals who are often separated by geography, ethnicity and economic constraints. 

Apart from bringing the best international documentaries to our audiences during the festival days each October, we have developed multiple year-round programs which engage a growing segment of our community. Our popular “UNAFF Traveling Film Festival” has taken place in San Francisco, Berkeley, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Davis, Saratoga, Sonoma, Sebastopol, San Diego, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Honolulu, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington DC, New York, Burlington, Bellevue, Miami, La Crosse, Fryeburg, Houston, Denver, Chapel Hill, Durham at Duke University, New Haven at Yale University, Waukesha at University of Wisconsin, Boston and Cambridge at Harvard University and internationally in Paris, Venice, Belgrade, Phnom Penh and Abu Dhabi. Through “UNAFF and Kids” and “UNAFF in Schools” programs we have devoted our attention to the young and to the wiser among us with the “UNAFF for Seniors”. The “UNAFF Panels” program provides a platform for some of the best experts addressing challenging topics and our “UNAFF Café” maintains a steady supply of interesting films and informal discussions. “UNAFF Archive” offers a plethora of research material for students of film, politics and international relations, "UNAFF With Veterans" brings documentaries to veterans and their families and 
"UNAFF Women Salon" is targeting women who may, may not otherwise find time for the regular screenings, in environment which encourages active discussion and engagement.

UNAFF gives five cash awards: the UNAFF Grand Jury Awards for Best Documentary, Best Short Documentary, UNAFF Youth Vision Award, UNAFF/Stanford Video Award for Cinematography and UNAFF/Stanford Video Award for Editing.

We are proud that UNAFF has twice won the WAVE Awards for best promotional trailer and the prestigious Earl W. Eames Award for innovatively combining new technologies with traditional media. As an acknowledgment of the 10th anniversary, UNAFF received the “Community Treasure Award” from Stanford University President John Hennessy for its contribution in promoting dialogue and education about different cultures and issues. For the last fourteen years the Mayor of Palo Alto has proclaimed the festival days as UNAFF Week, consistently recognizing the significance that UNAFF has for the community. Most recently, UNAFF received the prestigious Academy Foundation Grant for the “UNAFF and Kids” program, which will have its eight presentation this year.