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Opening Night: Delikado (15) [London Premiere] + ScreenTalk

Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2023

 A man looks on in the jungle

In Delikado, environmental defenders are tested in their battle to save their home, Palawan, an island in the Philippines, from the illegal destruction of its forests, fisheries, and mountains. 

With its rich biodiversity and natural beauty, Palawan is one of Asia’s most visited tourist destinations. But for a small network of environmental crusaders, it is more akin to a battlefield. Bobby, Tata, and Nieves – one an ex-illegal logger – are three magnetic leaders risking their lives to stop corporations and governments seeking to plunder increasingly valuable natural resources.

Environmental defenders in the Philippines are killed with impunity and the killers are rarely caught. The battles these climate activists fight are shared by allies worldwide – but the authoritarian regime of former President Rodrigo Duterte adds urgency to this deepening human rights crisis. 

We are delighted to welcome filmmaker Karl Malakunas, Senior Reporter of Rappler Lian Buan,, and moderator Luciana Téllez Chávez, for a conversation after the film.

Ticketholders for this screening are invited afterwards to the Festival’s opening-night reception in the Barbican Conservatory and Garden Room (Level 3).

Philippines/Hong Kong/Australia/USA/UK 2021 Dir Karl Malakunas 94 min (in the English and Tagalog language)

Please note: this film contains threatening language and footage of dead bodies in reference to Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs".

There is audio description available for this title. We provide audio description using the Dolby Screentalk system. The film soundtrack comes through the speakers in the usual way and a recorded narrator explains what is happening on screen through personal headphones. Please ask a member of staff for a set of headphones.

This is a captioned screeningHOH captions, including text description of significant sound effects as well as dialogue. Live-captioning of post-screening discussion.

Watch the trailer and discover the Human Rights Watch Streaming Platform

A group of people lock arms

Delikado trailer

Watch the trailer for Delikado, part of Human Rights Watch Film Festival

‘Delikado is an important and powerful film. The tension is palpable throughout… but so is the incredible courage of the environmental defenders portrayed.‘
Luciana Tellez-Chavez, Environment and Human Rights Division, Human Rights Watch

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