UnEarthed
The climate crisis is today’s hottest topic. While media present the views of scientists, politicians, deniers and activists, icebergs melt, the Australian bush burns, ocean temps rise and Czech Republic faces another dry year. Environmental changes affect this year’s main category, too. The negative impact of industry is seen in films showing the consequences in Russia, Canada, and Burkina Faso. From Germany’s Hambach and rural Colombia we see it makes as much sense to fight for our natural riches as for animal rights. The diverse category also offers a unique glimpse behind the scenes of Chinese environmental policy and presents an extra-terrestrial report about the state of the Czech landscape.
Films in category UnEarthed
Copper Mountains
Chelyabinsk Oblast is the centre of Russia’s metallurgical industry, which mercilessly leaves its imprint on the environment and on human health. In some places, the situation is on the brink of ecological disaster.
Ice on Fire
Climate change delivers many ominous phenomena but there is an equally diverse set of resources to combat it. But humanity must not waste any of the time that is running out with every drop of melting ice.
No Gold for Kalsaka
Burkina Faso has succumbed to gold fever. Foreign companies promise investments and prosperity in exchange for mining permits, but the village of Kalsaka already knows how brutal waking up from golden dreams can be.
Smog Town
China, long plagued by smog, has declared war "for the defence of the blue sky." An important battle is underway in the city of Langfang near Beijing.
Sovereign Soil
A community in subarctic Canada faces the challenge of obtaining even the most basic farm products on a daily basis. However, despite all of the difficulties and emerging environmental changes, they want to maintain their freedom and way of life.
Sumercé
Páramo – a unique ecosystem in the Colombian mountains and the source of drinking water for most of the population. When the corrupt government allows coalmining in the area, several individuals speak out in defiance.
The Czechs Are Excellent Mushroom Pickers
HHow would an extra-terrestrial intelligence view homo sapiens and the way the species plods along? The way we humans treat our planet? Do Czechs differ in how they care for nature?
The Last Male on Earth
The last 3 years in the life of the “Czechoslovak” rhinoceros Súdán, the last male of his species, are evidence of the paradoxical human insistence on rescuing symbols when a more radical change in our behaviour towards life on our planet is needed.
The Red Line - Resistance in Hambach Forest
The inhabitants of the German coal basin are opposed to mining, which is set to expand despite the announced move away from fossil fuels. The local environment and their homes are at stake. How far can civil resistance be taken?
The Secret Lives of Pigs
Norwegian farmers like to boast about the high living standard their animals enjoy, but there is no official evidence of this, which led teacher Norun Haugen to visit pig farms with a hidden camera.
There's Something in the Water
Canadian actress Ellen Page sets out on a trip through her native province of Nova Scotia. The main trigger for the journey and making this film was the eponymous book by Ingrid Waldron, which draws attention to a new phenomenon: environmental racism.
Other Thematic Categories
International competition
The International Competition presents the most original films that have appeared on the world’s documentary scene over the past few months. Three quarters of this year’s selection consists...
Right To Know
The films competing for the Václav Havel Jury Award have strong themes. They cast light on major human rights violations, give the oppressed a voice, and support the battle against oppression and undignified...
Czech competition
The fourth year of the Czech Competition presents the newest locally produced films worthy of attention. This section aims not only to show films making their world premiere but also to give space to...
UnEarthed
The climate crisis is today’s hottest topic. While media present the views of scientists, politicians, deniers and activists, icebergs melt, the Australian bush burns, ocean temps rise and Czech...
One World Interactive: UnEarthed
This year the UnEarthed category’s interactive offshoot offers several virtual reality documentaries. Like last year, it’s divided into two parts. The Brainz VR Cinema will show the best 360°...
Diagnosis
Apart from this year’s main theme focused on the health of our planet, one of this year’s annual sections looks at the health of its inhabitants, particularly healthcare systems that are in...
Masculinity and Femininity
Last year the festival looked at the broader issue of identity in general. This year the focus is on the narrower theme of gender identity. After women’s emancipation, the masculinity crisis is...
Gaps in the System
Every system – political, social and judicial – has deficiencies and gaps. Some people look for them and use them to climb the social ladder, others fall through to the very bottom. We find...
China: Powerful and Powerless
China is a key world player and we must count on its influence increasing further. But despite excellent economic results and great technological advances, various population groups remain disadvantaged....
Journeys To Freedom
The films in this category are devoted to the regions where People in Need has long been active and to other non-democratic regimes. This year, in addition to capturing life in the middle of a war or...
One Zero
Ones and zeroes. We spend increasingly more time on social networks and in other cyberworlds. The films in this category draw attention to the unrealistic expectations we often have of new technologies,...
Long Live Life
Human diversity and the will to live in one’s own way, often against the expectations of majority society, are the focal point of this category. Become inspired on a Greek tomato eco-farm or with...
Panorama
The Panorama category presents the best documentaries of the past two years. The hits of the Sundance, Berlinale, IDFA, and CPH:DOX festivals are notable for their high-quality, unique themes and stories....
Short and Apt
Short documentaries have an advantage over feature films – they capture current events faster, thus leaving more room for discussion. Our activists’ section covers the protests in Venezuela,...
Retrospective: Nanfu Wang
She is one of today’s most progressive filmmakers. Her last documentary, One Child Nation, was on the Oscar shortlist and won the U. S. Documentary Competition at Sundance. Although Nanfu Wang has...
Docs For Kids
One World doesn’t ignore the youngest filmgoers and this category is for them. Short, dubbed films introduce children to their peers from around the world. This year, they will see how children...
