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.
Co-productions are a vital part of the Czech documentary scene and a testament to the country’s appeal as a partner in international filmmaking. One example is Child of Dust, a Polish–Czech co-production set in Vietnam and the United States, which stands as a model of global storytelling and a deeply moving exploration of the search for roots and identity. Another Visegrad collaboration is 80 Angry Journalists, an investigative film that revisits the early days of autocracy in Hungary through the lens of a journalists’ collective that refused to remain passive as Viktor Orbán’s government dismantled independent media.
While one half of the competition reaches beyond national borders, the other remains firmly anchored in the domestic context. This is evident in the audiovisually immersive environmental ballad Resilience, which leads audiences through Czech forests, meadows, and wetlands, urging a deeper sensitivity to the country’s stunning landscapes. The competition also showcases FAMU student work with the strongly performative documentary Vojta's life: A New Episode, in which the director candidly chronicles his attempts to form a relationship in the style of a dating reality show—efforts that, in an era of online dating and ever-present social bubbles, are fraught with unexpected challenges.
Full-length documentary
The Hungarian government succeeded in taking control of one of the country’s most prominent independent media outlets, Index.hu. The journalists fight back with every tool at their disposal, but the system is rigged against them.
Full-length documentary
Fatigue as the norm, performance as an obligation. Burnout is becoming a hidden yet widespread experience for people living under constant pressure and the expectation of uninterrupted online and professional availability.
Full-length documentary
Moose have played a vital and, to this day, somewhat mysterious role in our world since time immemorial. Their massive figures reflect considerable strength, a calm beauty, and the forgotten bond between humanity and the wild.
Full-length documentary
Is it possible to escape the modern world and survive solely in the company of one’s brother, a few pets, and one’s own imagination? An intimate look at the magical coexistence of modern-day hermits in the Šumava mountains, where isolation is anything but silent and reality can sometimes slip away.
Full-length documentary
A futuristic journey in pursuit of immortality that explores the thrilling and unsettling boundaries of human existence.
Full-length documentary
Homeless people are a common yet overlooked presence in Prague. City districts often respond by pushing them out of public spaces, but this does nothing to address the problems they face.
Full-length documentary
This haunting film, infused with longing and hope, follows Sang, a Vietnamese man who, after years of living on the margins of society, takes a courageous step: to meet his American father for the first time.
Full-length documentary
Humans can act as nature’s defenders or as an invasive species. While conservationist Pavel strives to ease environmental anxiety and become one with the land, Klára is hot on the trail of a bird poisoner.
Full-length documentary
Approaching forty, Vojta lives alone in a small Prague studio apartment, navigates the city’s cultural and academic circles on a modest income, and searches for a close romantic connection. Can he find love?
Full-length documentary
This intimate portrait of the relationship between a father and his son on the autism spectrum captures both the difficulty and the strength inherent in everyday caregiving. At the same time, it exposes the limits of a system that too often relies on the sacrifices of others.
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 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
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.
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.