Relationships

There are very few things that can be viewed from as many different angles as interpersonal relationships. The protagonist of the film Too Close experiences the influence surrounding relationships have on her family as she tries to find peace for herself and her children. Not only does she have to deal with the constantly nitpicking villagers, but her ex-husband, who was previously convicted of sexually abusing her daughter, is stealthily sneaking back into her life.

U kuchyňského stolu sedí hubený bílý muž pouze v trenkách, ve škobku má nohu, kterou mu klečící žena omývá. Na stole jsou svíčky a cigarety, v pozadí svítí televite. Na lednici je nápis Ježíš tě miluje. / A thin white man sits at the kitchen table in only his shorts, his leg in a slipper, which a kneeling woman washes. There are candles and cigarettes on the table, and a TV is on in the background. On the refrigerator is a sign that reads Jesus loves you.

On the other side of the world, in her documentary Liquor Store Dreams, director So Yun tries to capture her relationship with her father on camera. As a “child from a liquor store”, she charts not only the mood between Koreans and African-Americans, but also family ties.

The protagonists of Silent Love are attempting to gain custody of the brother of one of them. Their closeness to each other helps the boy cope with the problems of growing up and getting over the death of his own mother. A Life Like Any Other is an autobiographical account of relationships that are at odds with careers, in which the film’s director analyses the fragile soul of her mother through archival family videos.

The almost haptic and emotionally subtle film All That Remains to Be Seen explores the relationship between a mother and son who lose their sight due to a hereditary disease. Then the musical documentary Ruthless Times – Songs of Care takes a look at the relationships between medical staff and senior citizens. Using the testimonies of caregivers set to music, it focuses on the consequences of the healthcare crisis in Finland. And if you want to see even more about entangled relationships, you can watch the spiritual film Crows Are White, which thematises the search for one's self against the backdrop of a Buddhist monastery.

Films in category Relationships

Film

A Life Like Any Other

Director Faustine Cros sifts through film footage shot by her father to piece together the story of her mother, whose maternal role robbed her of her freedom and zest for life.

Film

All That Remains to Be Seen

When six-year-old Silas stops recognizing his friends, Christina knows her son is losing his sight, just as she did at his age. Can she offer her son the support he needs as she struggles with her own traumas of living with a disability?

Film

Crows Are White

A Muslim man travels to Japan to find his spiritual mentor at a local Buddhist temple and ask him some crucial questions about his life. His pilgrimage is full not only of religious paradoxes, but also of life’s contradictions and humorous situations.

Film

How to Save a Dead Friend

Love, drugs, and depression. Director and protagonist Marusya Syroechkovskaya courageously reveals the intimate environment of her relationship with her drug addict partner Kimi.

Film

Liquor Store Dreams

In the suburbs of Los Angeles, a new generation of Korean teenagers is growing up under a flashing sign that reads “Open 24 Hours a Day” and defines itself as the “liquor store kids.” But their dream is to break away from the family business and go their own way.

Film

Ruthless Times – Songs of Care

Filmmaker Susanna Helke examines the real impact of the Finnish healthcare crisis on the care of the elderly. In the form of a documentary musical, the filmmaker presents a testimony about poorly paid staff and the privatization of the public sector.

Film

Silent Love

After her mother’s death, Aga decides to move back to Poland and take custody of her younger brother. In order for the authorities to recognize her guardianship, however, she must conceal her love for her partner Maja from everyone.

Film

Too Close

Andrea, a single mother of two, is in a desperate situation. Her ex-husband Pika, convicted of abusing Andrea’s daughter, has settled in their neighbourhood after being released from prison and is now laying claim to their son. Moreover, Pika is openly supported by almost the entire village where the family lives.

Other Thematic Categories

Ve skupince lidí ve vesnici v Africe stojí uprostřed žena s dítětem. Má béžové šaty a volně přehozenou oranžovou látku. Dítě drží na sobě a kojí ho. / In a group of people in a village in Africa, a woman and her child stand in the middle. She is wearing a beige dress and a loosely draped orange cloth. She is holding the baby and breastfeeding it.

Competitive Film Category

International Competition

The International Competition traditionally offers the newest and most hotly anticipated films that combine powerful themes with original cinematography.

Za vysokým plotem, nad kterým vede ochranný drát z žiletek, stojí dav mužů s tmavou pletí. Křičí a zvedají ruce nad hlavu. / A crowd of dark-skinned men stand behind a high fence with razor wire running over it. They shout and raise their hands above their heads.

Competitive Film Category

Right to Know

The competitive Right to Know section offers audiences stories about fundamental human rights violations that should not go unnoticed. The category provides space to films about inspiring activists who are battling to improve conditions in their countries.

Investigativní novinářka Pavla Holcová sedí na židli uprostřed tmavé kanceláře. Vedle ní je stůl s papíry a za ní knihovna s šanony. / Investigative journalist Pavla Holcová sits on a chair in the middle of a dark office. Next to her is a desk with papers and behind her a bookcase with binders.

Competitive Film Category

Czech Competition

This year, the Czech Competition has brought together some exceptionally interesting films that focus on the inner struggles of their protagonists.

Zády k nám stojí na terase dvě osoby, které se drží za ruce. Koukají před sebe na rozpixelovanou krajinu. / Two people are standing on the terrace with their backs to us, holding hands. They are looking at the scattered landscape in front of them.

Competitive Film Category

One World Interactive

This is the first year that the One World Interactive category will be a competitive section. Additionally, it is moving to the Lucerna Gallery, where the individual installations have been designed by artists Mia Milgrom and Max van Olffen. Six interactive projects and four 360° films transport us to realities found in the chilling present, the near future, and little-known human experiences.

Ukrajinští vojáci stojí na troskách rozbombardovaného domu. Jeden z nich odnáší pryč malé dítě. / Ukrainian soldiers stand on the ruins of a bombed-out house. One of them is carrying away a small child.

Thematic Film Category

Ukraine

On 24 February 2022, the world changed. Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine and unleashed an open war under the propagandistic label of “a special military operation”. More than a year later, the war is still going on. One World has put together a special category to look at the roots of the situation in Ukraine through the means of five films, and presents raw eyewitness accounts directly from the Ukrainian war front.

Uprostřed tmavé místnosti plné starých kabelů svítí oltář s Madonou a dítětem. Na něj kouká postava s kuklou celá v černém. Červeně jí svítí oči. / In the middle of a dark room full of old cables, an altar with a Madonna and a Child is lit up. A hooded figure in all black looks on. Her eyes glow red.

Thematic Film Category

New Gods

Faith gives people strength and helps them feel safe, whatever the object of that faith is. What the word conveys goes far beyond the religious meaning we probably think of most often in this context. In the New Gods category, we reflect on both the new and the old idols that people look up to today.

Thematic Film Category

Relationships

Žena stojí sama zády ke kameře a kouká do dálky na rýžové pole a kopce. / A woman stands alone with her back to the camera, looking into the distance at a green rice field and hills.

Thematic Film Category

Female Power

Women’s rights are human rights. However, even in the twenty-first century, they are suppressed by the social system, traditions, and legislative paragraphs. The protagonists of the films in this category have decided to confront injustice and fight for the rights of the next generation of women, often at the cost of their own safety.

Uprostřed je starý ošuntělý billboard s nápisem ledovec. V pozadí jsou kopce a pláně islandské krajiny. / In the middle is a shabby old billboard with the word glacier on it. In the background are the hills and plains of the Icelandic landscape.

Thematic Film Category

Sustainability

Our planet is under increasing pressure from civilisation, and climate change is one of the biggest issues of our time – unless we start living more sustainably, neither we nor future generations will have a bright future. This is why for many years One World has been bringing together the themes of ecology and sustainability into one larger programming section.

Mladý africký chlapec s čelovkou na hlavě se na laně spouští do hluboké černé díry pro vodu. /A young African boy with a headlamp on his head descends on a rope into a deep black hole for water.

Thematic Film Category

Uprooted

A selection of films from countries in Africa, as well as Latin America and Asia, charts the hardships of local inhabitants. How did many of them find themselves in a situation where they are not free to make decisions for themselves, have internal struggles related to the search for their own identity, and have to witness ongoing exploitation?

Dva chlapci se sklání k rybářské sítí a koukají, co ulovili. Stojí u potoku na zelené louce kousek od lesa. Svítí slunce. / Two boys leaning against a fishing net to see what they have caught. They are standing by a stream in a green meadow near the forest. The sun is shining and the sky is blue.

Thematic Film Category

Docs for Kids

One World also remembers to cater for its youngest audience members. In the Docs for Kids category, it presents films that give children the opportunity to learn about the stories of their peers from around the world.

Tři mladé ženy si fotí tzv selfie. Usmívají se, za nimi svítí neony a billboardy města. / Three young women are taking selfies. They are smiling, with the neon and billboards of the city lit up behind them.

Thematic Film Category

Social Media

What do a recruiter for Islamic State, a teenage Instagram star, and an amateur porn actress have in common? The films in the Social Media category reveal the surprising nuances of the word “influencer”, and the everyday reality of life surrounded by social networks.