As every year, the One World International Human Rights Film Festival happening alongside the East Doc Platform presents multiple films that have passed through the activities within the IDF in the past. The screenings are often followed by discussions with the filmmakers. Below you will find an overview of the screenings in the various locations of the festival.
The One World programme is only accessible in combination with your accreditation and a ticket for the film that needs to be picked up prior to the screening. You can find detailed instructions in the Institute of Documentary Film's Guest Zone after logging in. If you don’t have an accreditation, information about tickets can be found at jedensvet.cz.
Doctor on a Trip (dir. David Čálek, Czech Republic, 2025, 82 min.)
Is there any human community that doesn’t have a word for depression, sadness or anxiety? How does Western culture deal with mental illness, its acceptance, and its treatment?
Filmmaker David Čálek charts psychedelic use as an alternative way to treat mental illness. Interviews with people with depression are interspersed with footage from an international expedition of psychiatrists who study the traditional ritual use of ayahuasca among the Amazonian Huni Kui.
Reports from the encounter between two different cultures are a scientific record but also tell of the roots of modern civilisational disorders, leading to a search for lost rituals, solidarity and shared spiritual experience in today’s European society.
IDF activities: East Doc Platform 2020, East Doc Market 2020, East Silver 2025
One World screenings:
03/13 20:30 Světozor Cinema – great hall, Vodičkova 41, Praha 1
Discussion with David Čálek – director, script, camera, Tomáš Páleníček, Jiří Horáček, Lucie Ingrová – protagonists
Moderated by Lenka Lovicarová
03/19 21:00 Prague Municipal Library – small hall, Mariánské nám. 1, Praha 1
Fakir (dir. Roman Ďuriš, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, 2024, 82 min.)
Dalibor, a Roma in his 20s, spent 2 years in prison for perjury. Upon his return home, he immediately faces new problems. His younger brother Kevin is living with their father, an abusive alcoholic. Dalibor wants the boy to be entrusted to his mother. But the decision is up to the court.
The protagonist finds refuge from strained family relationships in the captivating world of a travelling circus. During his performance, the young man becomes a fakir who confidently swallows and spews out fire. However, he finds inner stability at the cost of even greater isolation from the outside world.
The portrait of a man escaping mainly from himself is both an archetypal story of a hero overcoming obstacles and a social drama anchored in the realities of socially excluded communities.
IDF activities: Ex Oriente Film 2021, East Doc Platform 2022, East Doc Forum 2022, Czech Docs: Ready to Go 2023, East Doc Platform 2024, East Silver 2024, Silver Eye 2024, East Silver Market 2024, Czech Docs: Ready to Go 2024, East Silver 2025, East Silver Caravan 2025, East Silver Caravan 2024, Ex Oriente Film Follow-Up 2022
One World screenings:
03/16 20:30 Bio Oko, Františka Křížka 460/15, Praha 7
Discussion with Roman Ďuriš – director, Michaela Hošková – director of photography, Michal Sikora – czech producer
Moderated by Ivo Mathé
03/20 21:00 Prague Municipal Library – Small Hall, Mariánské nám. 1, Praha 1
Discussion with Michal Sikora - Czech Production, Michaela Hošková - Camera
Ms. President (dir. Marek Šulík, Czech Republic, Slovakia, 2024, 109 min.)
Zuzana Čaputová assumed Slovakia’s presidency with the idea of being president for all. She promoted humanity and tried to unite society even in the face of the Covid pandemic, the Tepláreň Club murders and a government crisis.
Politician, activist, lawyer and mother, she faced tough challenges in private and in public during her 5 years in office. Due to hate attacks, the need to protect her family, and a lack of strength to continue, she chose not to run again.
Should we blame Čaputová? Or sympathise and understand her? Using the president's daily life, director Marek Šulík made a film about blame and the zigzag path of Slovak democracy.
IDF activities: East Doc Platform 2024, Czech Docs: Coming Soon 2024, East Silver 2025
One World screenings:
03/13 18:30 Prague Municipal Library – Small Hall, Mariánské nám. 1, Praha 1
Nice Ladies (dir. Mariia Ponomarova, Netherlands, Ukraine, 2024, 97 min.)
Dancing lets them forget about life’s difficulties. In competitions they succeed next to women a generation younger. Their energetic performance overcomes prejudices. They share a joy of movement, a sense of humour, and deep friendships.
War breaks up this atypical cheerleading team from Kharkiv, Ukraine. Sveta moves to Amsterdam with her grandson and other family, but the core of the team remains in the bombed city. The women keep in touch and support each other. But the division between those staying and those leaving is emotionally challenging.
The story of the unconventional cheerleaders is also a personal testimony of leaving one’s homeland and with it a part of one’s identity that will be difficult to reclaim.
IDF activities: Ex Oriente Film 2020, East Doc Platform 2021, East Doc Forum 2021, Individual online mentoring program 2020, East Silver 2025, Ex Oriente Film Follow-Up 2020
One World screenings:
03/15 20:30 Bio Oko, Františka Křížka 460/15, Praha 7
Discussion with Mariia Ponomarova – director
Moderated by Aleš Matějka
03/17 15:00 Edison Filmhub, Jeruzalémská 1321/2, Praha 1
Discussion with Mariia Ponomarova – director
Moderated by Eva Mrázková
Panic Button (dir. Samara Sagynbaeva, Czech Republic, Kyrgyzstan, 2025, 76 min.)
The cooperation of Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan helps Russia resist Western economic sanctions. Due to the country’s strategic location, all Chinese goods bound for Central Asia and Russia must cross its borders, and it serves as a transshipment point for goods from countries with which Putin is not officially allowed to trade. Investigative journalist Ali Toktakunov, a long-time staff member of Radio Free Europe’s Kyrgyz section, helped to uncover the deeper implications.
This was one of a series of cases that made Toktakunov an inconvenient figure to the corrupt regime. His wife Samara Sagynbaeva, the director of this film, was also in danger. Her diary-style documentary presents a portrait of a courageous journalist and a cautionary tale about the fragility of democracy and the justice system in a country where freedom of speech is definitely not a certainty.
IDF activities: Co-Production Booster 2024, East Doc Platform 2024, East Doc Market 2024, East Silver 2025
One World screenings:
03/15 18:00 Bio Oko, Františka Křížka 460/15, Praha 7
Discussion with Adam Oľha – cameraman, Veronika Janatkova – producer, Hedvika Hansalová - editor, Dzian Baban - composer, Zdeněk Durdil – graphic
Moderated by Anna Zamejc
03/18 15:00 Evald, Národní 28, Praha 1
Revolution 3.0 (dir. Reza Bird, Czech Republic, USA, 2024, 78 min.)
Filmmaker and editor Reza Bird fell out of favour with the regime due to his political and social activism and in 2016 fled Iran with his family, finding refuge in Los Angeles.
As he builds his career, the unrest in his homeland persists. He gradually joins the revolutionary movement, continuing to reflect on and support the anti-government demonstrations in Iran, at least from a distance. Revolution 3.0 tells about the revolutionary changes in his life and his country.
In a brisk collage-like film, Bird’s autobiographical narrative is interspersed with footage of recent protests in Iran, which people have been sharing en masse on social media. On both a personal and political level, modern technology is becoming a tool to bridge great distances and gain control over the story and its interpretation.
IDF activities: East Doc Platform 2024, East Silver 2024, Silver Eye 2024, East Silver Market 2024, East Silver Delegation at IDFA Docs for Sale 2024
One World screenings:
03/16 20:30 Světozor Cinema – great hall, Vodičkova 41, Praha 1
Discussion with Reza Bird – director and protagonist, Leona Kunayova - producer, Gabriela Daniels – producer
Moderated by Matouš Horčička
03/19 15:00 Evald, Národní 28, Praha 1
Discussion with Reza Bird – director and protagonist, Gabriela Daniels – producer
Moderated by Matouš Horčička
Scent Evidence (dir. Zuzana Piussi, Czech Republic, Slovakia, 2024, 79 min.)
Today it seems that forensics uses the most advanced technologies and is slowly moving towards infallibility. But the reality is often very different.
Even now, in Czechia one can be imprisoned simply because a police dog identifies an assigned scent trail after months of unsuccessful attempts. This unreliable method results in a large number of false accusations and led Zuzana Piussi to create a compelling report about this dubious investigative procedure.
What to do with a method that seems to survive only because some investigators like dogs and have devoted their entire lives to training them? Now they are doing everything they can to ensure that their position doesn’t change. The film soon exceeds its basic framework, becoming a report on the rigidity of the system and the inevitable imperfection of justice.
IDF activities: Co-Production Booster 2024, East Doc Platform 2024, East Silver 2024, East Doc Market 2024, Czech Docs: Ready to Go 2024, East Silver 2025, East Silver Delegation at IDFA Docs for Sale 2024
One World screenings:
03/15 21:00 Světozor Cinema – small hall, Vodičkova 41, Praha 1
03/19 15:00 Edison Filmhub, Jeruzalémská 1321/2, Praha 1
Discussion with Zuzana Piussi – director, Václav Peričevič – protagonist
Moderated by Mikoláš Ježek
Pit Stop Reporter (dir. Zora Čápová, Czech Republic, 2024, 54 min.)
Seeking the roots of disinformation in Czechia, journalist Ivana Svobodová is mocked and faces personal attacks at anti-government protests when she confronts people who share a hatred of traditional media and spreading disinformation.
Determined to track how unverified news, popular blogs and alternative media are thriving, Ivana travels from Respekt’s editorial office to meet the founder and author of the blog Vidlák’s Kydy. Trying to understand his views only leads to more insults. The story about the futility of mutual dialogue takes us among disgruntled citizens and, together with the reporter, we see what the price of professional journalism is in the age of misinformation.
IDF activities: East Silver 2024, East Doc Platform 2025, East Silver Market 2025, Czech Docs: Ready to Go 2024, East Silver 2025
One World screenings:
03/16 21:00 Světozor Cinema – small hall, Vodičkova 41, Praha 1
03/19 17:30 Edison Filmhub, Jeruzalémská 1321/2, Praha 1
Discussion with Zora Čápová – director, Ivana Svobodová – protagonist
Moderated by Ondřej Kamenický
The Guest (dir. Zuzanna Solakiewicz, Zvika Portnoy, Poland, Qatar, 2024, 78 min.)
Maciek and his family live on the Belarus-Poland border, where, in 2021, thousands fleeing from the Middle East and other dangerous areas are trapped. Belarus promised them free access to the EU, but Polish armed forces are forcibly returning them from the border zone.
The Pole helps a medical team navigate the dense forests of the 3-km-wide forbidden zone in order to save people on the brink of death. That’s how the young Syrian Aldyher arrives in Maciek’s house.
Despite the language barrier, the men become friends, making Aldyher’s decision about when and how to continue his journey to pursue his European dream all the more difficult. He doesn’t want to endanger his Polish friend and realises that he has received an exceptional dose of rare humanity.
IDF activities: East Doc Platform 2024, East Silver 2024, Silver Eye 2024, East Silver Market 2024, East Silver 2025
One World screenings:
03/14 15:00 Evald, Národní 28, Praha 1
03/18 18:00 Světozor Cinema – great hall, Vodičkova 41, Praha 1
Discussion with Zvika Gregory Portnoy and Zuzanna Solakiewicz – directors
Moderated by Tomáš Poštulka
The Other One (dir. Marie-Magdalena Kochová, Czech Republic, Slovakia, 2024, 87 min.)
While her peers deal mainly with completing school, relationships and plans for the future, 18-year-old Johana must reconcile her own dreams with taking care of her younger sister Róza. The Other One provides a sensitive insight into the lives of so-called glass children – healthy siblings of children with a health disadvantage. In Róza's case, this means a form of autism that requires constant supervision from those closest to her. who has a form of autism and requires constant supervision.
The film tracks Johana during the formative final years of school in a small town. This intimate debut film focuses chiefly on her, showing her inner dilemmas and daily struggle to balance personal ambitions with family responsibilities. A sensitive look at relationships, the film opens the topic of the invisible burdens of “glass children” and the need to support families who have children with disabilities.
IDF activities: East Doc Platform 2022, East Doc Forum 2022, East Doc Platform 2024, East Silver 2024, Silver Eye 2024, East Silver Market 2024, Czech Docs: Ready to Go 2024, East Silver 2025, East Silver Caravan 2024, East Silver Caravan 2025, East Silver Delegation at IDFA Docs for Sale 2024, Ex Oriente Film Follow-Up 2022, Silver Eye Award 2024 Special mention
One World screenings:
03/13 20:30 Lucerna Cinema – great hall, Vodičkova 36, Praha 1
03/18 18:30 Světozor Cinema - small hall, Vodičkova 41, Praha 1
The Last Expedition (dir. Eliza Kubarska, Poland, Switzerland, 2024, 86 min.)
Prior to her last expedition, she told her mother that if she didn’t return from the world’s third highest mountain, it would be because she had joined a nunnery in Nepal’s mountains. Polish mountaineer Wanda Rutkiewicz was last seen on 13 May 1992, heading for the summit of Mount Kanchenjunga, considered sacred by the locals. Her body was never found.
Film director and mountaineer Eliza Kubarska has created a multi-layered portrait of Wanda – a strong, determined woman who broke into the then male-dominated world of high-altitude expeditions.
The narrative is built around Wanda’s audio diary, which includes topics such as the nature of interpersonal relationships, freedom, independence and the meaning of life. The film also includes interviews with nuns from Nepalese orders as well as with big names from the mountaineering community, such as Reinhold Messner, Krzysztof Wielicki and Carlos Carsolie.
IDF activities: East Silver 2024, East Silver 2025
One World screenings:
03/15 17:30 Evald, Národní 28, Praha 1
03/17 18:00 Bio Oko, Františka Křížka 15, Praha 7
Discussion with Monika Braid – producer
Moderated by Lea Petříková
When Harmattan Blows (dir. Edyta Wróblewska, Poland, 2024, 80 min.)
Confident young Barbara returns to her village to confront her parents with her lifelong trauma. As a child, they sent her to Ghana’s capital, but instead of school she faced hell. Barbara wants to ask them things that have since been suffocating her: do they know what happened to her and are they sorry? She hopes that when the Saharan harmattan blows, things might change.
Images from the past appear – rape, pain, fear. Despite the still vivid trauma, Barbara supports her family financially and pays her younger brothers’ tuition. She hopes her siblings will stand on their own feet and not suffer the same fate she did. The film poetically captures Barbara’s determination and will to forgive despite the indifference of her family and society. It shows the path that each of us can take.
IDF activities: Co-Production Booster 2024, East Doc Platform 2024, East Silver 2024, Silver Eye 2024, East Silver Market 2024, East Silver 2025
One World screenings:
03/15 17:30 Edison Filmhub, Jeruzalémská 1321/2, Praha 1
Discussion with Edyta Wróblewska – director
Moderated by Lea Petříková
03/19 20:30 Kino Pilotů – hall A, Donská 19, Praha 10