The rights group has assembled a five-person film jury chaired by advocate and educator Sinéad Burke, joined by actor Brian Gleeson, campaigner and podcaster Andrea Horan, direct provision activist Bulelani Mfaco and film director/writer Aoife Kelleher.

The shortlisted films are:

• The Reason I Jump: Five young people with autism spectrum disorder share their accounts of living with the condition in Jerry Rothwell’s critically acclaimed documentary. The film serves as a vital supplement to Naoki Higashida’s deeply personal account of living with autism and won both an audience award and Special Jury Prize at Sundance.

• The Dissident: Filmmaker and activist Bryan Fogel follows the shocking case of Jamal Khashoggi, the murdered journalist and prolific critic of Saudi Arabian governance, in his latest feature. Featuring unprecedented access to those closest to him, Fogel’s investigative documentary untangles the extraordinary circumstances of his death and his life’s work.

• Father: A Serbian man goes on a journey in the hope of regaining custody of his children in Srdan Golubovic’s latest drama. Following shocking events early in the film, the children of Nikola (Fargo’s Goran Bogdan) are taken away by social services and he’s not allowed to see them. After exhausting other avenues, Nikola goes on an epic journey by foot, motivated by love and the need to fight for his children.

• A Worm in the Heart: The legendary Trans-Siberian Railway forms the backbone of this documentary about the LGBTQ+ experience. Irish director Paul Rice and producer Liam Jackson Montgomery travel through six cities in order to give voice to those who have experienced what it means to be queer in Russia. Told through the accounts of various people within the community, the emerging testament is shocking, poignant and deeply personal.

• Limbo: Four asylum seekers await word of their futures while staying on a distant Scottish island in Ben Sharrock’s award-winning comedy/drama. Waiting to hear of their fate, they endeavour to embrace the very different people, climate and culture which represents their new home. In telling their story, Sharrock mines elements of deadpan humour, satire and humanity as the refugees aim for a sense of identity and camaraderie in this strange new place.

• Acasa, My Home: In Romania’s Bucharest Delta, a large rural family is forced to move to the city after two decades of living peacefully off the land. Investigative journalist Radu Ciorniciuc’s detailed and empathetic documentary explores the societal demands of an urban lifestyle and the struggle of a family to maintain freedom in a modern world. The film received high praise at Sundance, winning the Special Jury Award for Cinematography in World Cinema Documentary.