Armed conflicts have given rise to countless stories that have inspired the arts world.

In this article,
the ICRC delegation in Colombia presents ten films and television series that have been seen or
should be seen by all international humanitarian law (IHL) buffs.

If you would like to add to the list, post your proposals on Twitter, mentioning our
account @CICR_co.

1. American Sniper
About the application of IHL in populated areas and direct participation in hostilities
Director: Clint Eastwood (United States, 2014)

American soldier Chris Kyle became the US Army's best known sniper in Iraq. The film, based on his
autobiography, tells about direct participation in armed conflict and how some soldiers have to
conduct operations in areas inhabited by civilians.

ICRC recommended reading:

 Interpretive guidance on the notion of direct participation in hostilities under international

humanitarian law

 Atrocities in conflict mean we need the Geneva Conventions more than ever

2. Schindler's List

About genocide and the protection of civilians in war

Director: Steven Spielberg (United States, 1993)

The horrors perpetrated by the Nazis during the Holocaust led German entrepreneur Oskar Schindler
to take action to prevent 1,100 Polish Jews being sent to their death at extermination camps. He
obtained work permits and brought many of them to his factory to work for him. He eventually went
bankrupt after spending his fortune on bribes and looking after his employees at the factory, which
was controlled by Nazi officials.

ICRC recommended reading:

 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

 The ICRC in WW II: The Holocaust

3. Tokyo Trial

About the prosecution of war criminals in international courts

Directors: Rob W. King and Pieter Verhoeff (Canada, Japan and the Netherlands, 2016)

This television series, based on real-life events, follows the story of the creation of the International
Military Tribunal for the Far East (unfolding in parallel with the Nuremberg Trials) to try Japanese
political and military leaders accused of crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against
humanity.

ICRC recommended reading:

 International criminal jurisdiction – Overview

 Punishing War Crimes: International Criminal Tribunals – Factsheet

  War crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and their source in
international humanitarian law – Table

4. Fauda

About the law of occupation and the interaction between IHL and international human rights law
(IHRL)
Creators: Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff (Israel, 2015)

This series follows the undercover operations of a special unit of the Israeli Defence Forces assigned
to hunt down a member of Hamas in the West Bank. Directed by journalist Avi Issacharoff, it shows
both the Palestinian and Israeli side of events.

ICRC recommended reading:

 Determining the beginning and end of an occupation under international humanitarian law

 Expert Meeting: Occupation and Other Forms of Administration of Foreign Territory

 The application of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in
situations of prolonged occupation: only a matter of time?

5. Los colores de la montaña (The colours of the mountain)

About forced displacement and weapon contamination

Director: Carlos César Arbeláez (Colombia, 2011)

This film tells the story of the friendship of a group of children growing up in a rural area of Colombia.
One day, while playing, they lose their ball in an area contaminated with explosive devices. As the
story unfolds, following the children's quest to recover their precious ball, the film also depicts the
plight of rural families driven from their homes by the dangers that the armed conflict poses.

ICRC recommended reading:

 Colombia: It's not just about leaving home. It's about losing everything.

 Refugees, returnees and displaced persons: ICRC statement to the United Nations, 2016

 Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty: ICRC statement, 2016

6. Beasts of no nation

About the recruitment of children, abuse and sexual slavery

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga (United States, 2015)

Agu is an African boy who loses his parents in the armed conflict and is forced to join an armed
group. In the midst of the fighting, he is sexually abused by his commander, who forces him to
commit atrocities and take drugs to ensure his obedience. After surrendering and being placed in the
care of a group of people who rescue child soldiers, the boy suffers post-traumatic stress syndrome,
tormented by what he has seen and the things he was forced to do.

ICRC recommended reading:

 Legal protection of children in armed conflict – Factsheet

 Q&A: sexual violence in armed conflict

  Lost in translation: UN responses to sexual violence against men and boys in situations of
armed conflict

 Decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) of 3 January 2017, in which rape and sexual
slavery among combatants are considered to be war crimes

7. Unbroken

About shipwrecked combatants and prisoners of war

Director: Angelina Jolie (United States, 2014)

Louis Zamperini is an Olympic athlete who enlists in the US Army during the Second World War. After
his plane crashes and he is left adrift at sea for more than a month with two fellow soldiers, only one
of whom survives, he is taken prisoner by the Japanese armed forces. The athlete is taken to a camp
for American prisoners of war where he is subjected to brutal treatment. He is then moved to a
forced-labour camp, but manages to survive in spite of the harsh conditions. The film is based on a
true story.

ICRC recommended reading:

 Second Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and
Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea, 1949

 Wounded, sick and shipwrecked

 Third Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 1949

 Prisoners of war and detainees protected under international humanitarian law

8. Eye in the sky

About the extraterritorial use of force and the framework applicable to drone warfare
Director: Gavin Hood (United Kingdom and South Africa, 2015)

A British intelligence agent has to capture the leaders of an armed group in Nairobi (Kenya).
However, when she learns that the men are planning a suicide mission, she decides to strike first. To
carry out the assignment, she works with an American drone pilot, who is instructed to bomb the
place where the members of the group are meeting.

ICRC recommended reading:

 The use of armed drones must comply with laws: ICRC President

 Autonomous weapon systems – Q&A

 Extraterritorial targeting by means of armed drones: Some legal implications

9. No man's land

About peace missions, multinational forces and the application of IHL

Director: Danis Tanovic (France, Italy, Belgium, United Kingdom and Slovenia, 2001)

It is 1993 and the Balkans are a war zone. Two soldiers (one Bosnian and the other Serbian) end up
trapped in a mined area between the frontlines. The Bosnian, who is wounded, manages to climb
into an abandoned trench to hide, and is joined there by a Serbian sent to scout the situation. In
spite of being on opposite sides, the two men, together with a group of Blue Helmets, try to save a
Bosnian solder who is lying on an anti-personnel landmine that could explode at any time.

ICRC recommended reading:

 Multinational forces – Article

 The Mine Ban Convention

 The applicability and application of international humanitarian law to multinational forces

 Peacekeeping operations: ICRC statement to the United Nations, 2015

10. The Monuments Men

About respect for and protection of cultural property

Director: George Clooney (United States and Germany, 2014)

With the Second World War in full swing, British and American history, museum and art experts are
sent by Franklin D. Roosevelt to recover works of art stolen by Nazi officials in order to return them
to their rightful owners. Risking their lives, the men embark on a virtually impossible mission.

ICRC recommended reading:

 Protection of cultural property - Q&A

 Photo feature and quotes on the protection of cultural property

 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property

 The protection of cultural property during armed conflict - section page