Starting on Tuesday, 6 March 2012 in Prague, the 14^th One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival is to feature 106 documentary films from 44 countries. In ten festival days, the Prague audience can visit 72 different countries from around the world and learn about the human rights situation there. In addition to its traditional countries such as Afghanistan, Belarus, Burma or China, One World 2012 is going to take its visitors to rather unusual places as well – for instance, Salvador, Syria, Yemen, Greenland or the Maldives currently facing political upheaval and the rising sea level.

 

Along with the Main Competition and the Right to Know categories, the festival programme includes films highlighting the Protests, Unrest, and Revolt of young people in the Arab world as well as in a number of democratic countries. The direct opposite of these politically focused films is represented by With or Without You – a festival section exploring interpersonal relationships and present day family patterns. The traditional So-Called Civilisation festivalsection featuring environmental films additionally focuses on lifestyle aspects and a man’s relationship to his environment. In addition to films awarded abroad and screened in the Panoramasection, the festival is also to present new Czech documentaries and short films. On the occasion of the 20 years of People in Need (the festival organiser), an online special has been created on the Czech Television website with documentary films, photos, and videos documenting the work of People in Need.

 

Every year, One World travels to regions; this year, the festival is going to move from Prague to another 40 Bohemian and Czech towns and cities, looking forward to over 100 thousand visitors – adults as well as primary and secondary school students. Last but not least, the festival is to traditionally offer Q&A’s sessions with filmmakers as well as panel discussions with Czech experts and international guests.

The 14th annual One World film festival opens with Back to the Square – a recently finished documentary by Canadian-Czech director Petr Lom portraying the nature and complexity of revolutionary changes in Egypt and the impact of revolution on the life of Egyptian people. Petr Lom is also a member of the Grand Jury this year.

 

This year, the festival is to feature the world premiere of a new work by the famous Netherlands-based Russian documentary maker Masha Novikova – Sweet Smoke of the Fatherland – telling the story of three people from different parts of Europe, against the backdrop of rich archive footage, whose lives were affected by the wars of the 20^th century. Last year, Masha Novikova visited the festival along with her documentary Anna, Seven Years on the Frontline; in 2010, she was a member of the Grand Jury.

 

The festival is also to host the world premiere of the documentary Framing the Other by Willem Timmers and Ilja Kok portraying the cultural clash of tourists with the native people of an Ethiopian tribe; and the world premiere of a documentary by Yemeni-Scottish director Sara Ishaq – Karama Has No Walls – portraying the events of one important day at the beginning of revolution in Yemen.