This year's festival comes at a time when the world is being rocked by major events. The attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris, the war in Ukraine, the expansion of ISIS, and increasing racism in the Czech Republic incited by leading politicians. "Thanks to modern technologies today we can get news practically in real time," says festival director Hana Kulhánková. "We can watch developments, adopt positions, take action. But on the other hand we react only by allowing in certain news, by enclosing ourselves behind mental barriers. We are happy in our protective little bubble, because we feel like what is happening outside of it has nothing to do with us." She points out that this passive approach is especially dangerous in today's globalized era.
This is why One World is calling upon Czechs to burst out of their protective bubbles, for example, by attending a screening of a documentary film about current topics and the discussion that follows. "We also burst out of our own bubbles while choosing some of the films, whether about Islam, South American migrants or mental illness," Kulhánková added.
The symbol of this year's festival is protective bubble wrap, which needs to be removed. The campaign was prepared by the creative team of Michaela Klakurková, Jan Žaloudek and Jan Látal from the Družina studio. "Each of us has a protected zone," says Michaela Klakurková. "Sure the bubble wrap may protect it, but it also closes it off from the world. We see the One World Festival as a chance for people to burst out of some of these bubbles, do have greater contact with the world and what's happening in it."
This year's theme does not reflect any one film category but extends across the whole range of films. The new categories are Captive Minds, which features films about mental health, and Learning Forever, which presents documentaries about education. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the end of the war in the former Yugoslavia we present films in the Yugoscope category. Traditional program categories like The Power of the Media and So-called Civilization featuring environmental themes, Journeys to Freedom from the countries in which People in Need operates, Panorama with films awarded at foreign festivals and Czech Perspectives are also here. You will find the competition films in the Main Competition and Right to Know categories.
The 17th annual One World Festival will include four premieres of Czech films: Jenica & Perla, Suppressed Letters, Always Together and Sugar Blues.
One World may only start in March, but viewers of Internet TV Stream.cz can already watch on-line several documentaries from past festivals for free. Beginning today viewers can stream My Stuff, and later Solartaxi, 5 Broken Cameras and Dish: Women, Waitressing & The Art of Service.
A press conference will be held on 18 February 2015 from 11:00 in the People in Need Centre – Langhans in Prague.
