This Human World/One World in Vienna – 1st Austrian Human Rights Film Festival

About the Project

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (LBI-GMR) organised the 1st Austrian Human Rights Film Festival “This Human World/One World” in Vienna together with the Czech Centre Vienna, the One World Film Festival, Prague and Top Kino in Vienna. The list of films dealing with the topics of human freedom and dignity, justice and democracy as well as their global problems is long, but they often find no place in a commercialised cinema landscape focused on pure entertainment.

They were offered a platform in the framework of the new festival from 2 to 12 December 2008. Human rights issues were addressed in films and dealt with in depth in subsequent discussion events. A total of more than 50 films were shown during the festival. About 4,000 guests attended the events. One of the many highlights of the festival was the Austrian premiere of the Oscar-winning documentary Taxi to the Dark Side, which deals with human rights violations in the so-called “War on Terror”, as well as the subsequent panel discussion (among others with Murat Kurnaz, former Guantánamo prisoner from Germany).

The festival is expected to become a permanent feature of the Austrian cinema landscape in the coming years and thus build on the success of the human rights film festivals that already exist in many European countries.

Projekt Data

Country: Austria
Persons involved: Roland Schmidt (Coordinator)
Supporting organisation: This Human World Film Festival/Top Kino
Partner organisations: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (LBI-GMR), Czech Centre Vienna, One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Prague.
Project start: 12/2008
Project end: 12/2008
Project completed: Yes
Funded by: This Human World (Top Kino), Czech Centre Vienna
Programme Line LBI-GMR: Human Dignity and Public Security