Amnesty International Slovenija Award
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The jury (composed of Maryse Hendrix, Rok Biček and Tina Plahutnik) has made a unanimous decision to present the Amnesty International Slovenia Award to Collective by Alexander Nanau. More >> We are glad to inform you that the 22nd Documentary Film Festival – 22nd FDF, originally scheduled for March 2020, will take place between 9 and 16 June 2020. The programme has not been changed. Please see the schedule of screenings. The 22nd Documentary Film Festival is being held in conformity with the Government of the Republic of Slovenia’s current measures introduced to limit the spread of the novel Coronavirus. In accordance with the Ordinance on the temporary restriction of the gathering of people at public places and areas in the Republic of Slovenia (Official Gazette RS, no. 69/20) events admitting up to 50 people have been allowed. If the restrictions are lifted by the beginning of the festival, some Cankarjev dom screenings will be relocated to a bigger venue, Linhart Hall.
Documentaries Are Back! When it comes to box office revenue June cannot compete with March, but this sorry fact has not dampened our ethusiasm for finding an alternative date when the restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus were lifted. Documentaries will be the first to again light up the movie screens, perhaps this will be the first film festival in post-Covid times, that is, the period when life is returning back to normal. It will definitely be an event that places film back into its natural environment. The thirty-year-old slogan “one is never alone in a cinema” could in these times be transliterated into “one is never alone while watching a film”. We got used to seeing films on TV- or computer screens during quarantine, but I most sorely missed the collective vieweing experience, an experience manifested most aptly in movie theatres. Simon Popek
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Simon PopekCD Film Programme Director |
Work EthicApproximately ten years ago the Documentary Film Festival featured a theme section titled The Death of a Worker, which, needless to say, dealt with the difficult situation faced by the labour force. Today, in these precarious times, when people work under deplorable conditions and languish on the margins of society despite being permanently employed, this problematic topic remains a burning issue both locally and globally. Nevertheless, the topic of work is not necessarily pessimistic, for example, the common thread running through American literary genius Kurt Vonnegut’s short stories was “Work Ethic vs Fame and Fortune.”
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People want their story to be heardWe are looking forward to another collaboration between Amnesty International Slovenia and the Festival of Documentary Film, where the three members of our jury will pick the best human rights documentary for the 12th year in a row. The depiction of human rights in art is important for promoting their understanding and subsequent adoption, and documentaries are in a unique position to realistically and comprehensively hold up a mirror to reality. That is why we believe it is important to support such creativity through our competition and give it additional exposure. The films competing this year are extremely diverse – they explore the issues of punishment and forgiveness for a crime (Exemplary Behaviour), a woman’s experience of war (For Sama), the story of an Israeli lawyer fighting for the rights of Palestinians (Advocate), the broken Romanian healthcare system (Collective) and modern-day slavery (Overseas). The documentaries are as diverse as the fates of people, with whom Amnesty International has been working to make the world a better place. Our work centres on people, who bring human rights to life, but on the other hand also frequently violate them. While documentaries give a voice and visibility to their protagonists, providing a platform where they can share their stories with others, human rights organizations create a platform that brings the testimonies of these people to the political and/or social sphere. When we talk to the survivors of human rights violations, they often want their story of suffering and trials to reach as many people as possible. This shows their touching hope that others will understand this was wrong, if only they learned about the injustice. When we went on a research mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2018, the asylum seekers who were pushed back at the Slovenian border huddled around us to tell us why they were there and what happened to them. When a two-month Roma baby died in Ribnica, after spending his short life in a shack with no water or electricity, his grandmother and entire family were determined to get this horrifying tragedy to the media. That shows hope that putting their story in the spotlight would reveal that there are people living in such conditions amidst us, because the government does practically nothing to provide such essentials as water and electricity. Or that knowing will be the first step towards acting. This is the same hope that fills Amnesty International – that exposing violations will mobilize people and force the governments to remedy the situation. It often works! The path to victory is never easy or short, but through years of working with people whose rights have been violated we have learned how extremely precious just knowing they are not alone is to them. Again and again, people with whom we work tell us about the strength they found in the letters of support from our members and supporters. The latter write the letters after they hear about injustices from us. Passing on such information is one of the greatest powers of documentary films on human rights. Perhaps the events shown in them will challenge our worldview, frequently shaped from our place of comfort. This is an unpleasant experience, however, it is absolutely necessary in this connected world, where our lives depend on mutual solidarity. It is for these reasons that we are delighted that the films competing at FDF will once again bring us together. If the new awareness has inspired you to act, join us at www.amnesty.si. |