It might sound paradoxical to choose ‘Good Life’ as the theme for a human rights festival, when usually the films on offer are traveling through wounded worlds, oftentimes linked to the worst atrocities and violations (of man towards man or nature). 
While this may hold some truth, sometimes it’s important to take a step back and reassess the perspective through which we look upon, and exist within, the world. Be it a philosophical ideology or personal creed, the harmony of existence lies at the core of our daily ‘life drive’. For all the liberties or restrictions that make up (or disrupt) this balance, at the very center must lie a fundament of basic human rights, serving as ends and means for a dignified life. 
The relativity of our individual view on what constitutes ‘a good life’ is (nearly) as varied as the many subjectivities and circumstances of the 8 billion people that make up our planet. It goes to follow that whatever views or comforts we hold on to, our worldview could be broadened and enriched, should we not hold it captive to our circumstances. 
Short of real-life encounters, cinema is one of the most vivid confrontations an audience could have with worlds that lie within or outside their ‘comfort zones.’ Particularly within the enclosed, communal space of the movie theatre. It’s those stories that are enriching us, making us question our stances, create dialogue and hopefully, change. What is most important, they are helping us not to lose our sense of empathy and gradually become an emotional tabula rasa on which anyone can imprint their own ideas. 
We strongly believe in the power of cinema as a tool of personal enrichment but also of solidarity. The experience is at once solitary and collective – and One World Romania aims to harmonize it. From a main section dedicated to individual experiences of the proverbial ‘good life’, to examinations of acts of resistance, our present’s mirroring of the past, a dissection of the labour that defines our lives and of our interconnectivity with nature. These are the common threads we chose to explore together with our audience, serving as unique talking points from which to connect and relate, the global to the local. 
Extending the bridge to other regions and perspectives are the three retrospectives chosen for this year’s edition - varied in formal approaches yet bound by a personal, social and politically engaged cinema. 
Želimir Žilnik, undoubtedly one of the most prominent and provocative directors of socio-political film, made an essential contribution to the Yugoslav ‘New Wave’ and he is an initiator of the docu- drama genre. His films disappeared and reappeared, he was banned, censored and threatened, but Žilnik managed throughout all his career to remain faithful to his ideas, questioning authorities and giving a voice to the unprivileged. This retrospective dedicated to this cult director will offer a selection of emblematic and less known titles of his different artistic epoch and give the opportunity to our public to engage with him during Q&As and a masterclass session. 
Equally uncompromising in her cinematic vision, moral integrity and emotional impact, Jocelyne Saab’s extensive filmography can be characterized by its humanistic perspective on the socio- political conflicts of the 1970s/80s in the Middle East and beyond. A pioneer of Arab cinema, Saab was one of the first filmmakers to document the Lebanese Civil War that would wreak havoc for nearly two decades on the city and country she called home. Moving beyond its borders, she related the changing tides of the Arab region (Egypt, Iran, Libya, etc.) from an objective position of fascinating access and rare humanity. Screening for the first time in Romania, Jocelyne Saab’s films will be presented in a retrospective aimed to familiarize audiences not just with her films, but a country and region not explored enough. One World Romania is proud to have the four programs hosted by Mathilde Rouxel, researcher and independent curator specializing in Arab cinema. 
The Visual Arts Foundation’s retrospective organized by One World Romania is a continuation of the festival’s concerns to revisit cinematic memory (e.g. through Sahia Vintage). It proposes programmes documentary, experimental films, plus a small selection of musical films aimed to rediscover a family album created in the confusing and traumatic period of the 1990s, in the unique play and game space that was FAV. 
Amidst the multitude of global perspectives and artistic visions on offer at One World Romania 2023, the essential takeaway that we aim for is twofold: to expand one’s worldview and thereby instill a sense of connectivity and understanding towards others, but most importantly, a feeling of optimism and inspiration towards the possibility of change. Any improvement or change is predicated on an awareness - of the self, of the other and the proverbial ‘ties that bind’ (social, economic, cultural, political, etc.). While we don’t have the illusion to change the world, we accept the temporary condition of an increasingly polarized world and refuse to let it solidify into dualistic dogmatism. Instead, we want to underline and impress the importance of the common good - of small, individual acts that build into bigger-scale efforts - and the necessity to question and remain open to different opinions. 
Between utopia and a better future, there is always a quest, a struggle and many defeats that pave the way of life. 

(Anca Păunescu, Andrei Tănăsescu)