The winner of the international human rights film festival One World was the time-lapse film Apolonia, Apolonia about the French painter Apolonia Sokolova, directed by the Dane Lea Globová Moniesová. The audience award went to the detective thriller Kuciak: The Murder of a Journalist by Matt Sarnecki. The Václav Havel Award goes to the creators of the film Neznalí miru.
The awards were presented this Thursday in the large hall of the Lucerna cinema in Prague. The festival, organized by the non-profit organization People in Need, took place in 28 cities this year.
Danish director Lea Globová Moniesová followed the life of Apolonia Sokolová for 13 years. “A bittersweet, charming journey filmed with a raw, intimate camera reveals the impossibility of fully knowing another person and the deep truth that identity is not immutable,” explained the selection of the jury, which included Danish director Simon Lereng Wilmon and former program manager of the American Sundance Festival Caroline Librescová.
The award for directing goes to Ukrainian Alisa Kovalenko thanks to the film Nevyhasneme. It tells the story of five teenagers who dream of a life outside the war zone and embark on a journey to the Himalayas. “From the fields and shacks of the Donbass to the stunning beauty and tranquility of the Himalayas, it oscillates between the cruelty of everyday life and the world of imagination and dreams, following the journey of teenagers trapped by life’s circumstances, who experience unimagined possibilities for the first time, only to inevitably fall back into the reality of war.” said the jury.
The audience chose the documentary Kuciak: The Murder of a Journalist as the best film. The detective thriller directed by Matt Sarnecki completes the points of view of some of the hitherto unknown characters in the case of the murder of Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak and his partner Martina Kušnírová. The film won among the audience in a competition of 75 feature-length documentaries.
The Václav Havel Award in the category You have the right to know was won by the title Ignorant of Peace. The jury, which included anti-corruption activist Mykola Stajkov and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Romantsov, awards it to films that significantly contribute to the protection of human rights. Those who do not know peace follow the story of the fighters of the Colombian guerrilla army FARC, which society perceives as terrorists. According to the jury, the film lends a voice to real victims and opens up a discussion about possible solutions to human rights problems.
The Czech competition category, where the best domestic or co-production documentary for the past year is decided, was won by Visitors by Veronika Lišková. This year, the newly launched One World Interactive Award was won by the virtual reality project Morning before the end of the world, which accompanies the event from 2018, when Hawaii found itself under the false threat of a nuclear attack. “The morning before the end of the world is exciting until the last moment and will make you believe in the power of hope and individual efforts,” the organizers said.
The regional jury, which consists of festival supporters from various corners of the country, then awarded the film Farmer and Hipster about sustainability, food self-sufficiency and access to animal production. The winner of the Student Jury Award was the film Girl Gang, which tells the story of a young influencer on social networks. The audience prize of the Abakus Foundation Fund for an extraordinary debate, awarded for the first time this year, went to the discussion after the movie Elephant Mother.
