This original poster was created in 1971 for the inaugural Human Rights Film Festival, held in Strasbourg from 29 June to 5 July. Organised by the International Institute of Human Rights–Fondation René Cassin, the festival addressed racial discrimination through cinema and public debate.
Claude Martin’s stark photographic portrait is combined with a monumental red hand, simultaneously suggesting a barrier, a warning and an urgent call to stop racism. Emerging from the deep black background, the subject’s partially obscured face gives the composition an immediate emotional intensity.
The restricted palette of black, white and vivid red reinforces the poster’s uncompromising message. Bold condensed lettering dominates the upper section, while the strong asymmetrical arrangement reflects the direct visual language of political and social campaigning during the early 1970s.
The International Institute of Human Rights was founded in Strasbourg in 1969 by jurist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate René Cassin. This first film festival formed part of the institute’s educational mission, using documentary and cinematic culture to encourage international discussion of fundamental rights.
Powerful in both its graphic simplicity and historical significance, this original poster is an important document of the international campaign against racial discrimination. It will appeal to collectors of human-rights history, political posters, photographic design and twentieth-century social graphics.
Original Poster
Racism - Cinema - Politics - France
First Human Rights Film Festival - René Cassin Foundation
Printed by Michel in Strasbourg
Good condition, creases
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