It is with great joy that i greet the news of each year's One World film festival. From its inception, i have believed in its importance - not just for those whose fate is directly addressed in the documentaries, but to all those who attend the screenings. This fundamental connection is the basis on which the festival was founded, and from where it derives its name. In the wider context it is about the responsibility we all share for the state of the world as a whole.

In contrast to festivals that exist in order to entertain, One World has developed as an alternative for those who have the will to learn more about different parts of the world, with which they do not have direct contact, but towards which they feel a sense of solidarity. To those individuals i offer my thanks, as well as to the organizers. Czech society has embraced the human rights film festival, in the same way the festival has been greeted in Bratislava, Pristina, Warsaw, Nuremberg, Amsterdam, New York and several other cities.

If we are to understand human rights as universal, it is because suffering is universal. Even though some of us are fortunate enough to live in democracy and abundance, we cannot absolve ourselves from the obligations we share for the fate of those who are not as fortunate.

In its relatively short period of existence, the international documentary film festival One World, organized by People in Need, has become one of the biggest film festivals dealing with the theme of human rights. Year after year more film makers apply, more viewers attend, and the festival becomes more and more important to cultural life both in Prague and in other cities.

In the beginning, when the festival was relatively small in its extent and significance, both in terms of the number of people who participated in its preparation and what was required for its organization, support from the Ministry of Culture was mainly symbolic. However, last year our ministry decided to offer the festival significant financial support, as One World is now considered to be among the leading cultural events in the Czech Republic and definitely deserves the support of the state. This is not only because of the artistic value of the documentary films that are shown to the viewers, most of whom are young people, but also because the festival has an even greater impact. One World supports the production of Central European documentary films, seminars for teachers in the Czech Republic and educational programs for high school students. One World is influencing the awareness and values of Czech students, educating them to become good citizens and helping them to share in a common responsibility for the world.

Because of the impact of One World, I was very pleased when I was approached by the organizers with the idea that the main award for the best film should be awarded by the Minister of Culture. I was pleased to turn to the artists' community and request that it design an award, and I believe that this will be a worthy award for the credits of the winning film.

In 2003 Plzeňský Prazdroj became the general partner of the One World Festival. Due to a lack of interest from other potential sponsors Plzeňský Prazdroj, at the last minute, saved the day. Our company made a strong input by offering not only financial aid, but also the possibility of utilising our communication possibilities and resources. Playing the role of general partner, we helped the festival step out of the capital city and - at the beginning in a modest way - present itself to a regional audience, amongst other places in Plzeň. The Plzeňský Prazdroj Audience Award became an important and successful segment of the festival. Boxes were enthusiastically filled with voting ballots and we are happy that the audience's interest in documentary films was also motivated in this way.

Why does a sponsor get involved in seemingly disassociated activities, such as supporting non-commercial film festivals, non-profit organisations and social welfare projects? In the case of Plzeňský Prazdroj and One World, we may speak of a rare mutual understanding. Two years ago the idea of corporate citizenship and responsibility for what goes on around us became a turning point which re-shaped our sponsorship policy. Our outreach is not as global as that of a festival of films from all possible corners of the world. We are a company firmly rooted in the surroundings of Plzeň, Velké Popovice and the Radegast breweries, where we have been able to support the activities of people through a new program entitled 'Citizen's Choice.' Through this project we support publicly beneficial activities that are launched by citizen initiatives, and then evaluated and selected by the wider public. We sponsor projects that manage to gain the support of thousands of local inhabitants through public polling.

When we talk of public means and possibilities for communication, we are talking about what is most natural for us - a world renowned product of attested quality and friendly spirit. Let us lift our glasses and say cheers to the One World Film Festival! To its health we add the old brewer's saying, "God's good luck!"

Those who are lucky enough to view our world from a substantial height claim that our blue planet is one of the most beautiful cosmic bodies to behold. From afar, our world is clear and comprehensive. Maybe this is also due to the fact that from such distance it is not possible to see the death of thousands in numerous wars, racial intolerance, epidemics and countless suffering which still accompany mankind as we enter the 21^st century.

Only from a height of several thousand kilometres does one realise that such a view offers the opportunity to open one's eyes and see true beauty. This opportunity illustrates that it is a good thing there is a festival that perceives the human world as one single planet. We live on a single planet which, for the time being, may have many inadequacies, but nevertheless, can be deemed beautiful if only mutual understanding and dialogue would prevail. It is encouraging that filmmakers and artists exist, who are capable of introducing dialogue and mutual understanding through real, strong stories.

I wish every success and a large audience to the One World festival. Thanks to documentary films, One Wold is capable of sharing a view from the required height with its viewers. The human world will never be as simple and comprehensive as the numerical world, in which we as a building company operate, but I do believe that even in its complexity, our world can be understood. Thanks goes out to all who have the talent, the will and the courage to take up such a task.

Czech Television is honored for the sixth year in a row to be the main media partner for the One World festival, not only because the festival is organized by People in Need, which was co-founded by Czech Television, but rather because cooperation between Czech Public Television and One World is a natural match. One World features extraordinary documentaries dealing with human rights issues, and through One World, the viewer is brought closer to the lives of citizens in countries where these rights are violated. The festival does not simply offer a testimony of human suffering - it also offers a positive message of the possibility to help. The festival tells the stories of those who have had the courage to resist oppression and violence, themes on which Czech Television itself is often focused.

The One World festival, which People in Need has organized each year since 1999, has become the first festival of its type in Central Europe, and I am honored that Czech Public Television has participated in these efforts.

The times are gone in which isolated events happening in one part of the world are familiar just to the willing or unwilling local participants, without having any impact on events happening in other parts of the world.

To speak of the interconnection of the world may sound almost cliché, considering that we come into contact with some aspect of this phenomenon on a daily basis. Awareness of the fact that the world has become interwoven is further nurtured by news from all corners of the world at a speed that not long ago would have been unthinkable. The question, however, remains as to how we view our world under such circumstances. Paradoxically, we speak of a more interconnected world, yet at the same time there seems to be a decreasing amount of accountability for events that directly or indirectly impact all of us.

The documentary films viewed at One World present reality differently than the mass media can ever present it. The films are not obsessed with the number of victims of a war or economical or ecological catastrophes, but rather they focus much more on the fates of particular individuals. This is precisely why OMV supports the One World Festival and wishes it as large an audience as possible.

Fleeting times of celebration and encounters, film and television festivals nevertheless play an extremely important role in the promotion of European films. These events screen a considerable number of audiovisual productions, acting as a near obligatory means of securing commercial success: without festivals thousands of films and videos would remain buyer-less, on the shelves. The number of spectators now drawn to festivals - two million - ensures their real economic impact not to mention their cultural, social and educational role, creating increasing levels of direct and indirect employment across Europe.

It is evident that the MEDIA Programme of the European Commission support these events, endeavouring to improve the conditions for the distribution and promotion of European cinematographic work across Europe. To this end, it aids more than 70 festivals, benefiting from over € 1.6 million in financial aid. Each year, thanks to their actions and the Commission's support, around 10 000 audiovisual works, illustrating the richness and the diversity of European cinematographies, are screened. The entrance into the Programme, in July 2002, of five new countries - Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, and then subsequently of Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Malta and Cyprus, can only increase the fruits of this labour.

In addition, the Commission supports the networking of these festivals. In this area, the activities of the European Coordination of Film Festivals encourage co-operation between events, strengthening their impact in developing joint activities.