From TV news to cinemas
Czech audiences will be given a unique chance to enjoy quality in-depth documentaries about the latest events in the Arab world, which are usually reported just by mainstream news media. “Until now it wasn’t common for the festivals to screen movies about events that are currently still erupting in the streets,” says the festival’s director Hana Kulhánková.
Protests from the whole world
The major topics of this year's festival Protests, Unrest and Revolts are by no means dedicated just to the Arab world revolutions. Disagreement with the current establishment is voiced also by the youth in established democracies. There the revolts are aimed against the current social and economic systems and pose a major challenge to the integrity of existing democratic values and tolerance of national governments. The One World Festival will introduce young Japanese people who in spite of their country traditions took to the streets after the Fukushima disaster or radical American ecologists who ended up in a prison for terrorists.
Long journey after the revolutions
“What I appreciate most in these movies is that they show people who were brave enough to take to the streets and risk their lives in the fight for democracy. For us Czechs who went through the peaceful Velvet Revolution such behaviour is unimaginable,” explains Hana Kulhánková and adds that even though the citizens of Arab countries toppled their dictator, they haven’t won yet and there is a long journey ahead of them.
The newest Czech films also on the programme
Other categories of the festival are called Together In Spite Of with social theme and the So Called Civilisation that will feature environmentally themed documentaries. The movies from the main section and the category Right to Know will compete for the main festival award. Audiences can also look forward to the latest Czech documentaries.
Following the main part of the programme in Prague, the festival will move to another forty Czech towns. Apart from screenings, the festival will feature panel discussions with various experts. For more information, visit www.jedensvet.cz.
