26. Ročník
21. - 26. 10. 2025
v Bratislave

Anna Jackova

One World 2025 Final Report

One World Slovakia was a symbol of resilience this year

I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be part of this wonderful community of inspiring people. It is a real honour for me. One World will always be rooted in the spirit of solidarity within this community that refuses to give up or be silenced. We all carry a responsibility for the world and must work together to be one world.

Nawras Rashed, Jordanian-Palestinian visual artist

The One World International Documentary Film Festival took place this year for the 26^th time. Its programme ran from 21 to 26 October 2025, with live screenings at Lumière cinema in Bratislava, in the newly opened Metropolitan Institute TU-BA centre, and in the surrounding public space. The following week, the festival continued online for audiences across Slovakia.

One World 2025 in numbers

6 festival days

49 films

4 blocks of short films

4 cinemas

5 films with captions for hearing impaired audiences

5 films with audio description for visually impaired audiences

5 special screenings – 2 for people experiencing homelessness,1 for Bratislava healthcare staff, 1 for clients of the Brána do života civic association, 1 for the elderly at the Gerium facility

5 school screenings

1 screening for children

1 screening for parents with children

8 films available online

14 accompanying events

8 182 film views

959 accreditations

1152 visitors of the accompanying events

43 female and male volunteers involved

New section European Glitch and deep dives into filmmaking across continents

I watched a film about Sudan (Sudan, Remember Us), unaware of the social situation there. It broadened my horizons and gave me insight into other parts of the world as well.

(Feedback from audience questionnaire)

While watching the film Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, I felt that all those numbers were people just like me.

(Feedback from audience questionnaire)

This year’s programme featured a new competitive film section called European Glitch. What happens when the system freezes? The European Glitch is a malfunction in the system – but in these disruptions, space emerges for new perspectives, bold visions, and innovative outlooks on the future. This new competitive section, European Glitch, showcases debut and second feature-length films by young, talented European directors who dare to push boundaries, critically reflect on the present, and offer visions of coexistence. The section features films that pose questions about European identity and its place in a changing world in innovative ways. In its first year, three films competed in this section: the Austrian Far from Being Lipizzans, the Georgian-German 9-Month Contract, and the German-Tanzanian The Empty Grave.

This year, for the second time, an international programme team selected films for the festival. In cooperation with experts, Natalia Christofoletti Barrenha (Brazil), Lerato Bokako (South Africa), Olivia Popp (Taiwan/USA), and Terézia Rozália Koldová (Czech Republic) under the leadership of programme coordinator Katarína Gališinová we have managed to bring authentic film insights into local communities and hot topics from different continents. Selectors specialising in various world regions offered insight into local cinemas unique in the context of European film festivals. It is thanks to them that titles bringing deep and truly critical insights into local impacts of global topics have been made part of the One World programme.

Inclusion is the inspiration, motivation, and main driving force for One World

I reflected more on the obstacles that people with hearing and visual impairments face in culture (in cinema) as well as in everyday life.

(Feedback from audience questionnaire)

Your work is incredibly meaningful, and you set a positive example for other festivals. I hope your success continues, and that the festival remains as welcoming, inspiring, and inclusive as it is now.

(Lucie Hanusová, a visually impaired spectator from Brno on social media)

For the past six years, the One World team has been systematically working to make its portfolio more accessible, as well as to make inclusive approach in culture more visible and better known. This year, the festival reached for new tools and moved up a level in its approach to inclusion once again. Among its international film selectors, the team welcomed Juliana Cvitkovičová, representing people with hearing impairments, and Dušana Blašková, representing people with visual impairments.

In 2025, One World made five films accessible with captions for people with hearing impairment and five films with audio descriptions for people with visual impairment. Discussions accompanying all films with captions were also interpreted into Slovak Sign Language, and for selected films, programme team member Juliana Cvitkovičová provided introductions directly in Slovak Sign Language, with translation into spoken Slovak.

Visitors with hearing and visual impairments could also lean on specially trained volunteers on the premises of Lumière cinema, as well as on targeted communication provided with the help of partner organisations Myslím – centrum kultúry Nepočujúcich and Únia nevidiacich a slabozrakých Slovenska representing their communities.

Part of the programme could also be attended by people experiencing homelessness (screening of the film Ms President in the Domec community centre and in the Depaul Dormitory), and clients of the Brána do života crisis centre, which provides help in the field of gender-based violence, and to the elderly from the Gerium facility.

For children, One World has prepared the Fest Anča section for the Children of One World in cooperation with the Fest Anča International Animation Festival for the third time.

This year, parents were able to attend the screening of Writing Hawa as part of the festival programme, during which they could have babies and small children with them in the cinema hall. Children over five were in the meanwhile taken care of in children’s workshops right next to the cinema hall.

One World also supports accessibility with its pricing – the festival offers a discount on all ticket types to seniors, students, people with physical disabilities, single parents, as well as children and teenagers. Cinepasses for the online part of the programme could be purchased at three price levels of 3/20/30 euros without needing to show any ID.

All films screened at Kino Lumière, as well as online, were presented with both Slovak and English subtitles.

Some guests decided to travel to One World at their own expense

I must admit that I have never attended a film festival where every film I saw was so outstanding and powerful.

Joanna Stankiewicz (guest from Poland)

One World welcomed 29 film guests this year. Among them, for example, Khrystyna Lizohub and Eugene Rachkovsky, the creators of the internationally acclaimed Ukrainian film Militantropos, and Maria Kraus and Zvika Portnoy, the creators of The Guest, a film from the Polish-Belarusian border that won the Best Cinematography award at the IDFA festival in Amsterdam. Maria and Zvika decided to travel to One World at their own expense to support the festival during its challenging financial situation.

Dutch director Lidija Zelovic, originally from Bosnia, was not only a part of the international jury of the European Glitch section, but also personally presented her internationally acclaimed film Home Game, which explores the experiences of a female refugee in the Netherlands and the rise of far-right politics in this seemingly stable democracy. In addition to the public screening, the director also attended a screening at the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts, followed by a lecture for documentary directing students.

Among the other guests were, for example, Portuguese inclusion expert Joselia Neves, Taiwanese American film critic Olivia Popp, Margje de Koning, the artistic director of the Dutch festival Movies That Matter, as well as Czech directors presenting their films in the competition section Slovakia and Czech Republic For Human Rights: Martin Trabalík, Tomáš Elšík, and Amálie Kovářová.

Elena Lacková Award

For the second time, One World presented the Elena Lacková Award, which highlights the power of art to change society for the better, to inspire, encourage change, and create space for civic engagement. This year, at the international documentary film festival One World, the award was received by Lucia Nogová and Mária Brdárska, who have become symbols of a courageous voice within the Slovak cultural scene. They received the award on Tuesday, 21October, during the festival’s opening ceremony. The winning artwork was selected by the Elena Lacková Award Jury, composed of Emília Rigová (Bari Raklori), Katarína K. Cvečková, Roman Samotný, Andrej Kolenčík, and Oto Hudec. Alongside the song Nebojím sa pána / Počujte, vážená Martina, the other finalists included Juraj Korec and Michaela Hučko Pašteková with their protest performance Pozor, padá kultúra! and Denis Bango, known as Fvck_Kvlt, with his album Mŕtva Revolúcia.

One World 2025 Winning Films

The main prizes went to films that share the theme of human resilience, both personal and social. These are stories about the strength to overcome obstacles, about hope and about the solidarity that brings people together even in times of crisis and pushes us forward. This was, after all, the theme of this year’s festival.

Eva Križková, director of the One World festival

The winner of the Slovakia and Czech Republic for Human Rights section is the film What About Petey? “This film is a moving, honest, and uncompromising look at family relationships. The director’s willingness to portray the complexity of caring for a loved one with developmental disabilities without sugarcoating or sentimentality offers a detailed, sensitive, and unidealized view of the daily challenges families face as they strive to live with dignity and love,“ states international jury, which this year consisted of writer and film selector Olivia Popp, director and visual artist Jakub Socha, and last year’s winning filmmaker Jarmila Štuková.

At the awards ceremony, director Martin Trabalík received a €2,000 cash prize and an original glass statuette, this year created by Jakub Sojka, a student at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design.

Special recognition in this section went to the film Million Moments by director Amálie Kovářová. The jury praised the film for “carrying the spirit of Václav Havel and the Velvet Revolution. It reminds us that the fight for democracy never truly ends.” The director received a €5,000 media support voucher and a package of books from the main media partner, Aktuality.sk.

In the new international section European Glitch, which focuses on young filmmakers who push the boundaries of documentaries and bring innovative visions of a shared European space, the main award was presented to Georgian director Ketevan Vashagashvili for her film 9-Month Contract.

The jury acknowledged the film as a powerful example of how film art might contribute to the human rights advocacy. “It is an exceptionally personal and powerful story which accurately captures not only the political context of Georgia, but also of the whole Europe. We admired the director’s sensitive approach towards the protagonists and her deep connection with them. The intense and intimate camera draws the viewer so deep into the family’s environment that they become part of it. The relationship between mother and daughter unfolds before our eyes in all its strength and care, allowing us to feel even more deeply the feminist perspective of the characters and the author herself – their devotion, empathy, and strength,” said the jury of the European Glitch competition section, consisting of Ivana Laučíková, Tomáš Poštulka, and Lidija Zelović.

Similarly to previous years, the partner portal DAFILMS.SK also presented its award. This award was given to the Million Moments film. “The film Million Moments is a remedy against resignation, hopelessness, and lethargy in our society that is witnessing the decline of recently gained democracy and freedom. Even though we may seem helpless to ourselves, the protagonists and authors of the film show that each of us is important on the road to change. Even if we have to fight for it repeatedly,” the jury justifies its choice.

The student award of the At Second Sight jury, focusing on unconventional documentary films, was given to the Ukrainian film Militantropos. “The mosaic-like micro-stories of the inhabitants create a cohesive narrative of the nation – organically, without staging, and pathos. The director trio of Alina Gorlova, Simon Mozgovyi and Yelizaveta Smit proves that sometimes you do not need many words to understand the essence of the war,” says the student jury.

Accompanying programme

This year’s One World festival was characterised by an exceptionally rich accompanying programme.

After-film discussions are traditionally an important part of the programme of the One World festival. This year, there were 15 of them, reflecting current social issues, withfestival partners were heavily involved in their dramaturgy and preparation. This led, for example, to cooperations on the preparation of discussions such as Radio Devín Discussion: Premiering Slovak Documentaries – How Does It Feel? (in cooperation with Radio Devín), How to Build a Library (in cooperation with Staromestská Library), discussion with the makers of the film The Guest and the Deputy High Commissioner of UNHCR (in cooperation with the portal Aktuality.sk), discussion with Lidija Zelović, director of the film Home Game and political scientist Pavol Hardoš (in cooperation with The World Between the Lines), discussion about the film The Propagandist on the occasion of the launch of the Slovak translation of the book Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi by Absynt publishing, and many others.

In addition to the discussion programme, the accompanying programme of One World also included a wide range of other activities, such as Activism & Roller Skating Workshop with Ahojwrld, Walk to the Stumbling Stones (Stolpersteine), an afterparty at Nová Cvernovka combined with charity concerts and tattooing for Palestine, and the dance-protest performance A Safe Country at One World in cooperation with the Open Culture! platform.

Festival visibility

201 media outputs

5 press releases

19 media partners

93 Facebook posts

126 Instagram posts and 319 stories

113 951 organicviews

2 310 850 displayed ads

Programme for film professionals

I thought more about the obstacles faced by the community.

The Deaf and Blind communities in culture (in cinema) or in their everyday lives. (Feedback from the audience questionnaire)

This year, One World prepared two international events for audiovisual professionals.

The first Slovak educational programme Climate Stories in the field of audiovisual production was held in cooperation with the civic association ERIS (Climate Stories), focusing on how storytelling in audiovisual media can address climate challenges and promote a sustainable future. The one-day programme offered lectures, discussions, and an interactive workshop with local and foreign professionals (Lucie Trémolières – French screenwriter, consultant, and trainer in the field of green transformation of the audiovisual sector, Andrea Culková – Czech director, Lucia Szabová – Slovak environmentalist and climate activist), creating a platform for knowledge exchange, professional networking, and the development of new climate-aware creative projects.

For the fifth time, One World hosted an international panel discussion entitled Audiovision without Barriers: On the (Non-)Compliance with Accessibility Requirements in Cinema Distribution in cooperation with the Department of Translation Studies at Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. In this 5th edition of the discussion dedicated to accessibility and inclusion of people with visual and hearing impairments in the world of film and film screenings, we looked at the growing initiatives that, a year later, aim to promoting inclusion and accessibility in film, cinema, and media environments across Europe.

Together with experts in the field of audiovisual accessibility (Josélia Neves, international expert in design and production of accessibility and inclusion, Portugal; Joanna Stankiewicz, Head of Development, Promotion and Relationship Building in the international project Cinema Without Barriers, ZAMEK Cultural Centre in Poznań, Poland), film production experts, managers of successful projects, relevant institutions (Richard Kováčik, cinema programme dramaturge, member of the Audiovisual Fund Council) and community representatives (Renáta Majerčáková, representative of audiences with hearing impairments, member of the Committee of the Slovak Association of Clubs for Young Deaf People, and Peter Kozák, representative of audiences with visual impairments, actor and marketer), we reflected on Slovakia’s progress in the field.

One World in Schools

One World in Schools brought three documentary films and five accompanying discussions to classrooms across Slovakia and to the Lumière cinema in Bratislava. The programme focused on current social issues – climate change, civic engagement, and migration – through films and discussions with public experts and filmmakers.

The film With Grace (directed by Julia Dahr and Dina Mwende) follows the funny and courageous 13-year-old Grace from a Kenyan family of farmers as she faces the consequences of the climate crisis and the changing life of her family. The film was followed by discussions with Andrea Najvirtová and Lukáš Osvald from the organisation People in Peril, who spoke about the impacts of climate change in Kenya and Slovakia, development cooperation, and the importance of global solidarity.

The second film, Million Moments (directed by Amálie Kovářová), recognised by the festival’s international jury, offered a glimpse into the young generation actively involved in social events. The discussion with the director focused on topics such as civic engagement, activism, and the power of individuals to change society.

The programme concluded with the documentary uStopia (directed by Denisa Parobeková), capturing the stories of Slovaks living in the US without valid documents. The film reflects the migration experience, relationship to one’s home country, and the search for identity. The discussion with the director raised questions about dignity, benefits of migrantion, and the reality of the “American dream.”

In 2025, the One World in Schools project once again linked documentary film and education, offering young people a platform to think about global challenges through personal stories and an open discussion.

One World in Schools in numbers

4137 pupils from various regions of Slovakia

124 teachers

102 schools

62 cities and municipalities

5 discussions

3 films

What did teachers think of One World in Schools’ film selection?

I participated as a teacher in three discussions with three different classes—yesterday, today, and tomorrow, always during civics lessons. It was useful because many things were related to civic engagement in general. It’s great that the discussions are not just about films but have a broader scope and offer further insights.

Business Academy, Pezinok

Inspiring films that show students a world that is different yet the same as the one we live in. The guest speaker not only explained the background of the film’s making, its topic and the issues it addresses, but also answered all questions very patiently and in an erudite manner.

Primary School, Tbiliská 4, Bratislava

It is a useful enrichment of the learning process, as students see stories of real people in real situations and can compare their own lives with people from other regions.

Imrich Karvaš Business Academy, Bratislava

We care about people and the environment

One World takes care to run the event in an environmentally friendly manner. The programme includes films addressing environmental challenges and the climate crisis, accompanied by related events.

The festival team strives as much as possible to ensure that all advertising and marketing products meet the standards of environmentally friendly production and sustainable consumption.

This year, the One World team also volunteered for the first time in Mestské lesy Bratislava (Local city forests) to contribute to the positive development of the environment in the city where it organizes its annual event.

After consulting its audience, One World has not produced any gift or promotional items in three years.

We encourage our international guests to travel by train, and many respond positively and with understanding, choosing rail for their journey.

The festival programme takes place on premises where waste is being sorted systematically.

Cinepass plastic accreditation cards are transferable to future years.

One World brings together those who want to contribute to a more resilient and inclusive society

This year’s festival exceeded all expectations. We had fuller screening rooms than ever before and the richest accompanying programme. I believe that this success is primarily thanks to the support and common effort of all our partners, from the financial ones to the media, experts, and artists who actively contributed to the programme and brought their communities along with them.

Eva Križková, director of the One World festival

The large number of organisations, institutions, academic departments, movements, and individuals involved make the One World festival unique. They can participate in the preparation and implementation of the festival, whether financially, through in-kind donations, by providing information, or by contributing to the programme and content of the festival. It is important to emphasise the partners’ common interest in being a part of a wider movement involved in solving social and human-rights challenges in Slovakia and in the world.

This unique feature, which emphasises ethical fundraising and cooperation, is a long-term interest for not only the festival but also for the main organiser – non-profit organisation People in Peril.