World premieres at One World: Films that speak loudly and without compromise
This year’s One World festival brings several world premieres and connects its human-rights mission with the film industry more closely than ever. Stories of courage, resistance, and hope from Hungary, Argentina, the Czech Republic, and the U.S. Mexico border will come alive on the big screen.
For years, films at One World have given a voice to those who are least heard. They evoke empathy, open up topics that are often left unspoken, and bring hope where audiences might not expect it. This year, the festival connects its human-rights mission even more strongly with the professional film industry resulting in several important world premieres, as well as international and European premieres.
Generation Z, fame, and social pressure
The world premieres opened on Wednesday, 11 March at the Lucerna Cinema and Světozor Cinema with the film Meant to Be (directed by Olivér Márk Tóth). The portrait of young Hungarian rapper Pogány Induló offers a raw insight into contemporary Hungary as well as an authentic experience of Generation Z. The film, which can also be seen on Tuesday, 17 March, explores what premature fame means in an environment where personal expression quickly becomes a political gesture.
Here, music is not just a backdrop but a language of resistance and self-determination and at the same time a mirror of a society that often lifts young talents up just as quickly as it can crush them.
Work on the edge of exploitation
On Saturday, 14 March at 15:30 at Světozor Cinema, the festival will present the world premiere of Driving Europe (directed by Felix Länge). The film captures a strike by truck drivers in Germany whose working conditions can be compared to modern-day slavery.
But the documentary does not focus only on their personal stories. It also poses an uncomfortable question to all of us: are we willing to overlook violations of basic human rights in exchange for cheaper goods? Global supply chains here become concrete human destinies.
When solidarity works
Libuše Rudinská’s film Homeless Blues will have its world premiere on Saturday, March 14 at 17:30 at Lucerna cinema. This observational documentary follows a project in Prague 9 that offered housing and jobs to people experiencing homelessness transforming them from a “social problem” into members of the community.
The film sensitively captures the everyday lives of its protagonists and asks how we as a society view poverty, dignity, and solidarity. It shows that systemic change does not have to be an abstract concept but can be a concrete action.
A journey without sight, but with vision
A powerful personal story will be presented in the world premiere of Out of Frame on Friday, March 13 at 17:30 at Kino 35 in the French Institute. Blind director Bahman Yzdan Panah, who will attend the post-screening discussion, refuses to give up his passion for filmmaking despite losing his sight. He hitchhikes across Europe and documents his journey with a camera.
The film is not only a road movie but also a reflection on limits both physical and social. It asks who determines what is possible and where true freedom begins.
Lithium, power, and the price of the green transition
The environmental and geopolitical dimension will be explored on Thursday, March 12 at 18:00 at Kino Pilotů with the film White Gold: Elon Musk and the Race for Argentina's Lithium (directed by Dominic Streeter). Lithium is a key raw material for electric vehicles, the symbol of a green future. However, the documentary also reveals the darker side of lithium mining in Argentina, where foreign companies, with the blessing of President Milei, are building new mines that devastate local nature and water resources.
The film raises a fundamental dilemma: can the ecological transition truly be fair if its costs are borne by the most vulnerable?
A river disappearing before our eyes
Environmental themes also resonate in Desert Passages (directed by Kevin Brannan and Laurence Durkin), whose world premiere will take place on March 17 at 20:30 at Bio Oko cinema. This essayistic documentary captures how the Colorado River, an essential link between the United States and Mexico, is drying up as a result of climate change.
The disappearing water flow becomes a symbol of both the fragility of natural resources and the complexity of political relationships. The film connects personal stories with the broader perspective of the climate crisis. Both directors will take part in a discussion after the screening.
A premiere quest for a butterfly and a pill for the female orgasm
Alongside world premieres, One World will also present the international premieres of I Follow Rivers (directed by Barbora Hollan) and Stardust (directed by Nils Eberwein). Among the European premieres, audiences can look forward to Searching for Satyrus (directed by Rena Effendi), SPI (directed by Sayun Simung), and The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs & Who Has Control (directed by Aisling Chin-Yee).
This year’s premiere section thus connects personal testimonies with global themes from labor and poverty to the climate crisis and creative freedom. Once again, One World proves that film can be not only an artistic experience but also a powerful tool for understanding and change.