For its 17th edition, the One World Romania Film Festival is reflecting on its own role and place in a world where crises and tragedies are following one another without end, a world where finding balance is more of an individual concern that is achievable in particular circumstances, or can – at best – become the isolated and fragile objective of a collective struggle.

Our choice is to create a space that also allows conversation on subjects we are most often silent about.

We choose solidarity over comfort, and to listen rather than impose beliefs. Through this edition’s programme and selection, we aim to look beyond ourselves, to sit with the other at an equal level and look them in the eye, and, finally, to be able to look at our own selves with much greater clarity.

The films in the main section address the questions that informed the theme for this edition, that is, the relationship between the individual and the collective, and the ways in which one's inner life permeates and impacts the surrounding reality. The invisible traces that faith, tradition and history leave behind are met, head-on, with very singular attitudes, and, in turn, these attitudes further lead to societal reactions.

ECHOES FROM THE PAST talks about re-examining and confronting the past, whether it is to bring back to our attention forms of suffering that have been historically  ignored, to gain a deeper understanding of the present, or to uncover recurring patterns.

In BEYOND CONSTRAINTS, the curators investigate the boundaries of freedom of choice, as well as the ways in which sociopolitical factors shape and limit individual and collective choices. These documentaries depict initiatives, struggles and perspectives on resilience in very diverse circumstances, painting together a collective and deeply human portrait of the different groups of marginalized people who refuse to remain silent and invisible.

A SAFE PLACE is dedicated to a need for solidarity and empathy, to the relationship we have with each other. The films in this section showcase forms of allyship in diversity, and how one’s privilege can be transformed into a tool to help others in the common struggle for stability.

This year’s retrospectives are dedicated to Maryam Tafakory and Eyal Sivan, two filmmakers belonging to different generations and traditions, whose body of work are ever the more relevant and urgent today, through their investigation of those human aspects and the tensions created by concepts such as identity, power and supremacy - on an individual as much as on as systemic level.

In addition to the two programmes dedicated to her short films, artist and filmmaker Maryam Tafakory’s presence at the festival will also extend to a series of special live performances, while the five screenings highlighting some of Eyal Sivan’s most notable work will be followed by masterclass held by the filmmaker: “Brushing history against the grain - Documentary; Truth; Montage”.

In addition to its film selection, the festival is also showcasing a series of projects and events focused on education, community and the documentary film industry.

The Sahia Vintage program returns with a selection of newsreels curated by Adina Brădeanu, and the new addition to the festival, the High School Days, will take place over three days, during which high school students are invited to attend screenings and activities aimed at providing them with the necessary tools to further contribute to and engage with their communities. 

Together with all of our partners for this year, whom we thank for their commitment, their courage and their trust, we hope that this edition will be a transient island of proactive attitudes, solidarity, respect and curiosity – a territory that will linger in each of our members of the audience long after the end of these ten intense days we have have prepared.

Andreea Lăcătuș