Climate issues are increasingly intertwined with social and political questions—a trend that is clearly reflected in contemporary environmental films. These works rarely settle for merely highlighting ecological problems; instead, they embrace complexity, mirroring the multifaceted challenges society faces in the wake of climate change. Together, they confront us with a pressing task: to imagine constructive narratives that offer not only potential solutions, but above all, hope.
Several films in this year’s climate category examine mining and its impact on communities around the world. In an almost philosophical meditation that stretches beyond our usual understanding, How Deep Is Your Love investigates the future of resource extraction from our planet. Following a scientific expedition into the ocean depths and encounters with creatures unknown to human knowledge, the film probes the consequences of deep-sea mining on the natural world. Meanwhile, the everyday realities of climate change are vividly experienced by siblings on a slowly flooding island in Louisiana in Lowland Kids, where their bond and mutual support remain unshaken.
Coexistence with and deeper connection to nature is another key theme in today’s environmental films. In the touching fable The Tale of Silyan, a wounded stork gives new meaning to the life of a broken Macedonian farmer. More holistically, without focusing necessarily on individual human actors, The Coriolis Effect examines the ecosystem of Cape Verde, an island nation littered with waste. The birthplace of hurricanes and sea turtles becomes a melting pot of tourism, indigenous populations, esoteric practices, and hopes for a better tomorrow.
Full-length documentary
A film conceived as a love letter to the underwater world, written by a scientific expedition descending into the ocean’s depths. What might emerge from these strange encounters with mesmerizing, neon-colored creatures from the deep blue sea?
Full-length documentary
A family on Isle de Jean Charles watches as the climate crisis takes away their home. Over the years, we witness farewells, resilience, and life amid the realities of climate-induced displacement.
Full-length documentary
The mountain village of Numbi in Congo is an inconspicuous hub of the globalised world. Hidden within the magnificent local landscape is a raw material without which our Western world would not exist. What is the price of the technology we all carry in our pockets?
Full-length documentary
A portrait of a mining community working in one of the highest and most dangerous mines in the world. Through the eyes of a young boy, we witness a place where work, faith, and the constant presence of death are both a daily reality and a legacy of colonialism.
Full-length documentary
A journey across the vast Kazakh steppe in search of fragments of Soviet rockets reveals decades of the Soviet legacy. The lingering impacts of the Russian military-industrial complex continue to weigh heavily on the local population.
Full-length documentary
A poetically catastrophic visual journey to Cape Verde, where locals are faced with the effects of climate change on an extraordinary and unsettling scale.
Full-length documentary
A documentary fairy tale about a farmer who rediscovers life’s joy through an unexpected friendship with a stork.
Competition section
Refined cinematic explorations of challenging human-rights themes—this, in essence, is the vision behind the International Competition. The selection features films that have recently captivated audiences at the world’s leading festivals, showcasing—and often expanding—the possibilities of audiovisual storytelling in documentary cinema.
Competition section
Ten films in the Right to Know section offer an insider’s view of the lesser-known corners of global affairs, told through the stories of people who have dared to defy regimes, traditions, or the everyday absurdities of power. Whether their David-and-Goliath struggles unfold at a prestigious American university, in autocratic Russia, or under decades-long Ugandan dictatorship, these stories inspire courage and empathy.
Competition section
The competition highlighting domestic documentary filmmaking in the context of human rights has long been a cornerstone of the One World Festival. This year’s selection brings together premiere screenings and films that have made an impact at Czech and international festivals, offering above all a showcase of diverse and inventive approaches to complex social issues. Audiences can look forward to ten compelling titles, presented in world, Czech, and distribution premieres.
Competition section
The competitive Virtual Reality section offers an immersive experience of both unprecedented imaginary worlds and pressing real-world themes that resonate with society: from the anti-capitalist fairytale The Sad Story of the Little Mouse Who Wanted to Become Somebody, to the captivating visual epic Revival Roadshow, which deconstructs Dutch colonialism in Australia, and finally to the delicate essay on mental health in Japan, If You See a Cat.
Thematic section
In his loose film series, the remarkable Norwegian filmmaker Gunnar Hall Jensen embarks on an uncompromising exploration of life’s complex questions and his own dark inner landscapes. Through brutally honest, self-revealing documentary films, he constructs a constantly evolving self-portrait, offering a raw insight into the pressing issues he and society grapple with—whether sexuality, relationships, personal crises, escape from Western society, the challenges of parenthood, or contemporary, often toxic masculinity.
Thematic section
What defines a dignified life? Is it our abilities, or the environment that surrounds us? This year, the One World for All category presents stories that challenge conventional notions of disability, portraying it not as an individual “handicap” but as the product of systemic, communicative, and mental barriers. The selected films invite us to see the world through the eyes of those whose voices are often overlooked in debates about autonomy.
Thematic section
Endless possibilities, a torrent of worlds, signals from the cosmos; but also accelerated consumerism, online threats, and a loneliness that kills. The Vision of Today section paints a vivid portrait of the contemporary technological landscape and its impact on our lives.
Thematic section
An unconventional approach to life’s journey unites nine films about people who, despite the pressures of their time, family, or society, choose to move against the grain of accepted norms. Through intimate personal stories and wider social conflicts, these films show that crossing boundaries can be both painful and liberating, and that freedom sometimes begins the moment we dare to question what is usually considered normal.
Thematic section
This section maps the intense movement of society between community and spirituality, whether it takes the form of a turn toward esotericism, new religious movements, or communities bound by tradition, faith, or shared life experiences.
Thematic section
Open dialogue is the foundation of democracy. In today’s highly polarized climate, people are increasingly retreating into echo chambers, reinforcing their own truths without the willingness to explore the perspectives of others. The section Fault Lines examines the forms of today’s divided society and presents ways in which people can understand one another across diametrically opposed beliefs.
Thematic section
In a world flooded with devastating news on a daily basis, repeating the mantra “courage every day” can be what helps us get out of bed each morning. Finding the inner strength to face what we, as ordinary people, have zero control over is often a superhuman feat, even in places untouched by war or natural disasters. Nine films exploring the ways people cope with the weight of reality seek to illuminate how we can find meaning in turbulent times, when the certainties we rely on seem to be crumbling.
Thematic section
At a time when the world is changing far more rapidly than ever before, generations perceive reality in strikingly different ways. What once unfolded over twenty-five-year cycles now comes and goes in the blink of an eye. Building mutual understanding in this fast-paced world is especially challenging, as each emerging generation shapes its own political, technological, and social landscape—and develops unique ways of forming relationships and identities. Yet society’s fragmentation need not be permanent; fostering dialogue often begins simply by listening to what each generation cares about and believes in.
Thematic section
One World also caters to younger audiences, presenting films that share stories of children from around the world and help young viewers better understand themselves and others.