The eve of the first day of the festival included the Homo Homini award. People in Need has been awarding the award since the 1990s to personalities and groups who have made significant contributions to the protection of human rights and democracy. At the beginning of the festive evening, director Agnieszka Holland spoke, and in her speech she spoke, among other things, regarding the state of human rights in the world around us.
“On the one hand, the cradle of freedom and solidarity, democracy and human rights. On the other side of the worst crimes once morest humanity. Festivals like One World play a huge role. They are an important platform for knowledge and empathy,” said Polish director Agnieszka Holland.
Editor-in-chief Leyla Mustafayeva received the Homo Homini award from Agnieszka Holland. After her speech on the state of media freedom in Azerbaijan and the activities of the Abzas Media editorial team, moderator Linda Bartošová read a letter written from prison by one of the arrested members of the editorial team, Ulvi Hasanli, to her young daughter.
From Wednesday, you can go to the screenings in most Prague cinemas, including the cinema halls of the Municipal Library. It is there that you can join the masterclass of the Polish director Agnieszka Holland from 18:00 today. At the festival, the renowned creator will present the feature film Hranice, which is inspired by real events and shows that the division of people into “lower” and “higher categories” is a reality even in today’s Europe.
An Oscar-winning film from the Ukrainian Mariupol will also be shown
The International and Czech competition also starts on Wednesday. As part of the Czech one, there will be a ceremonial premiere of the film Rodný kraj in Ponrepo from 8:30 p.m., which will be accompanied by director Širín Nafariehová. Her time-lapse documentary closely follows the journey of five young people from Russia and Ukraine to integrate into Czech society.
The climax of the first day of the festival will come at 20:00, when One World will officially open the film 20 days in Mariupol in the large hall of the Lucerna cinema. The war documentary won the film Oscar less than two weeks ago. Although this screening is sold out, due to the extraordinary interest, the organizers have added several other dates.
The price of a basic ticket is 130 crowns for screenings, for ZTP card holders it is half cheaper, and assistants get in completely free of charge. If you are attending multiple screenings, discounted ticket packages may come in handy.
