Refresher's picks on what you shouldn't miss at the One World International Human Rights Film Festival. It's happening in Prague from March 11 to 19, then traveling across 59 regions in the Czech Republic until April 24.
Movies at One World give a voice to those who are least heard and often ignored by society. They stir empathy, spread awareness about important events around the planet — and most importantly — give hope. The festival kicks off on Wednesday, March 11th, at the Prague Crossroads with an opening night where the Homo Homini award will be presented to Belarusian political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich. The ceremony will follow with the grand premiere of the opening film from contemporary Hungary, This Is How It Was Meant to Be.
This time, there will be 82 documentaries, 16 feature films, and 8 virtual reality films — quite a lineup! If you want to navigate the broad offerings and not miss out on titles that will strongly resonate, check out our picks.
This Is How It Was Meant to Be
His songs rack up millions of views on YouTube, and hundreds of thousands of fans listen to him monthly on Spotify. When he raps on stage, bald and shirtless to show off his tattoos, he looks like a real gangster, not just another artist playing the part. Yet, he's only a twenty-year-old guy. That's Pogány Induló in short, one of Hungary's most striking music stars right now.
Pogány fulfilled his lifelong dream as a teenager and now sells out stadiums, but life with ADHD and early fame is taking its toll. In an intimate and dynamic documentary, he confesses to facing panic attacks and collapses, searching and losing his identity, and often calming the stress with drugs and alcohol. With the newly approved Hungarian law on possession and promotion of drugs, he now becomes a target for politicians and finds himself on the wrong side of the law.
Director Olivér Tóth's raw rap diary transcends the story of one artist and serves as a powerful generational statement about Gen Z life, making it one of the standout titles kicking off this year's event.
Inside AI
AI-related tools are utilized by hundreds of millions of people every day. The path to each answered prompt may lead through the cheap labor of the global south, psychological issues arising from data analysis of violent content, or excessive mineral extraction. All this aligns with the new ideology of longtermism, which emphasizes moral responsibility towards the distant future of humanity and is gaining growing support among Silicon Valley elites. Documentary maker Henri Poulain explores the dark side of the global AI boom.
Sex, Pills & Power
When a man can't have sex, society sees it as a problem that needs fixing; hence, there are many products supporting erection. But what about women? When arousal doesn’t happen, even if they want it, medicine is silent and doctors suggest a glass of wine for encouragement.
Cindy Eckert said, “Enough!” She launched the development of female Viagra, but faced resistance from American authorities afraid of “horny women.” In an almost euphoric film, female desire finally gets a chance to scream that orgasm is a basic human right!
China Is Watching You
She was forced to teach Chinese in concentration camps for Uyghurs. Now, as an eyewitness to Chinese tyranny, she shares information about the oppression from exile, personally in Prague at the premiere of Dayi Cahen's documentary.
In Xinjiang, surveillance cameras follow every step, relatives vanish without a trace, distrust grows among people, and party officials are assigned to families. The sophisticated system of Chinese repression deliberately disrupts the life of Kalbinur Sidik’s family and millions of other Uyghurs. All in the name of fighting supposed extremism, which serves as a cover for economic exploitation plans in the region. This powerful testimony intertwines with propaganda reports from state media and footage directly from inside the camps and their surroundings.
Under One Sky
Thanks to cameraman Sami Alsultan, we are taken right into the heart of Gaza City, where we can closely observe both the everyday moments and extreme situations locals face daily. The film sensitively captures their struggle for survival, solidarity, and fragile moments of hope. It also highlights the dangers and pressures journalists face when reporting on the war directly from the field. Here, the conflict is not an abstract report but an ever-present reality that grips the entire Gaza Strip. However, the festival warns: the film contains explicit war footage.
