Festival volunteers: A few shifts that open up another world

Volunteers are indispensable to the festival. Without them, screenings, discussions, and the overall operation of festival cinemas simply wouldn’t be possible. Every year, more than a hundred people come to help; this year, nearly one hundred and fifty. According to their coordinator, Anna Magdalena Wyrwová, the first call for volunteers appears as early as late January or early February. People aged fifteen and above can apply, with knowledge of Czech or English ideally both. “More than half of our volunteers return repeatedly. Some have even been volunteering here for ten years,” says Anna.

Among those who keep coming back is Magda: “I’m not sure whether this is my fifth or sixth year. I’m trying to count in my head how many T-shirts from different editions I have at home,” she laughs. She otherwise works as a manager in a logistics company, and the festival is a welcome escape from her daily work routine. Today, she chose a shift at Světozor for the film Driving Europe a topic that naturally interests her. Otherwise, she prefers working at the Bio Oko cinema. “It’s more intimate there,” she says.

Magda stands at the edge of a large hall, handing a microphone to audience members during the discussion, then helps clean the cinema and lets in the next wave of viewers. According to her, the work is only demanding during sold-out screenings and mainly brings positive experiences. “Once, a group of visually impaired friends came. They were amazing, full of good spirits because they could go to the cinema together like this. I helped them with headphones so they could listen to the film. That was a powerful moment for me.”

A well-coordinated cinema duo

Volunteer shifts begin long before the first screening. From mid-February, some of them help prepare the festival center in Langhans. After that, they spread out across cinemas, mainly in the center of Prague.

“Today a volunteer texted me that she’d arrive later. She was delayed because of school and commutes by train from Brandýs nad Labem,” says cinema manager Barbora Bahlsenová at Evald. But at that very moment, volunteer Eliška Janotová is already tapping her on the shoulder with an apologetic expression. The cinema manager and the volunteers form a duo that must ensure, for example, that the audience is seated on time, sees the correct subtitles, enjoys the discussion, and votes after the film.

“I like spending my free time meaningfully, and this fits perfectly,” says Eliška, a second-year high school student. She chooses her shifts based on her school schedule and commuting. “In the volunteer app, I can choose when and for how long I sign up. It’s a great system.” When she has time, she attends screenings as well. “I’m interested in psychology, which I’d like to study in the future, so I choose films in that direction. At the same time, I also look for documentaries about women’s rights.”

From high school students to seniors. From able-bodied people to those with disabilities. The volunteer community is diverse in many ways, but it shares one thing: “People who care about the world around them sign up. When everyone meets at the pre-festival training, there’s always a really nice atmosphere,” describes Anna Magdalena Wyrwová.

Small details create the experience

People who start as volunteers often gradually move into other festival roles. Sometimes they become cinema managers or staff at information stands, positions that are paid. “I didn’t really mind how they involved me, but I wanted to be more engaged,” says Aneta Soejonová, a cinema manager at Edison. A media studies student, she first spent several years helping in the café at Langhans, which belongs to People in Need. There, she got a taste of human rights topics, and this year she is actively participating in the festival for the first time.

“I like how One World brings important topics closer to people who might not otherwise encounter such documentaries,” says Aneta, adding that for her personally, the discussions after screenings are the biggest added value. “They are often moderated by leading experts in their fields, so it’s like a lecture for me, one I always take valuable insights from.”

Together with cinema managers, volunteers are the ones who hold the festival together. They guide audience members to their seats when the lights go down, help resolve issues with tickets, or lead visually impaired visitors to the bar. These may seem like small details, but in the end, they shape the experience people take away. And thanks to them, for a few days in March, another world opens up not only to the audience but also to those who help create it.

Author: Šárka Loukotová

Photo: Veronika Skalická