From besieged Gaza to Hungarian rap: One World film festival brings the globe to Prague
The 28th edition of the One World film festival gets underway in Prague on Wednesday night with a screening of the Hungarian documentary Meant to Be. Over eight days the event – which is run by NGO People in Need – will bring around 170 filmmakers from around the globe to the Czech capital. I spoke to the head of One World, Ondřej Kamenický, and asked why Meant to Be had been selected as the curtain raiser.
“We think that at a time of global tension and at a time when human rights are under attack everybody will expect One World, a human rights film festival, to reflect on that.
“Of course we will, but we decided to select as the opening film a documentary about a young Hungarian rapper, to show something perhaps a bit different and which is very close to us.
“This film is about Pogany Indulo, a rapper who is just living his life as a really young guy who is very much into rap music, which helps him to deal with his family, with his relationships – and also with the social and political situation in Hungary.
“And Pogany Indulo will be present in person at the opening [also the film’s world premiere].”
All festival organisers say that all of their films are great. But if you could recommend just one or two films, what would you recommend?
“I would mention that we’re also focusing on the Middle East this year, because we think it’s something we should talk about it.
“We’ve got several films made by great Iranian filmmakers, like Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident.
“Or there is Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk. It was made by the Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi but it’s set in Gaza – it’s about Fatima, a photographer who photographs life and death in besieged Gaza.
“And there is also A Fox Under a Pink Moon, which is made by Mehrdad Oskouei.
“I think Iranian film is important to talk about now.”
The festival is bringing something like 170 guests to Prague. Who for you are some of the most significant?
“Stella Nyanzi, the poet from Uganda, is coming. She is the main protagonist of The Woman Who Poked the Leopard.
“Also we will have Alisa Kovalenko, the Ukrainian filmmaker. She just had the premiere of her new film Traces at the Berlinale a few weeks ago and that will also be premiered here in Prague.”
Both publicly funded arts institutions and NGOs are looking at cuts in their budget in the coming year, it seems like. You have a foot in both of those areas – what’s your future looking like?
“At the moment we still don’t know if we will be supported by the Ministry of Culture.
“We are still in this uncertainty – the festival is beginning tomorrow and we still don’t know if it will still be supported by our main partner.
“I think that the budget will definitely be cut for all cultural events and we have to count on that.
“It’s definitely not right that the, let’s say, weakest ministry, the Ministry of Culture, has its lowest budget, if not in history then definitely in the last few years.
“People are already struggling in culture and we don’t know what will happen in the coming weeks and months.”
