BIM Annual Report 2008 - Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für ...

Fundamental Rights / Human Rights general BIM Annual Report 2008
this human world/One World in Vienna – First Austrian Human Rights Film Festival
Summary
At the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
BIM together with the Czech Center Vienna, the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival
One World (Prague) and Top Kino organised the first Austrian Human Rights Film Festival. While
the number of films dealing with human rights topics – such as freedom, human dignity, justice and
democracy – is considerable, these movies are much too often marginalized and sidelined by a business
oriented film and cinema industry. It was the purpose of “this human world/One World in Vienna”
to provide human rights films with a platform, to bring the various human rights issues to a wider audience
and to trigger awareness and public debate. In the course of the festival more than 50 films were
screened, approx. 4,000 visitors joined the event. One of the highlights during the festival was the Austrian
premiere of Oscar award winning “Taxi to the Dark Side”, which raises the various human rights
violations in the so called “war on terror”. Murat Kurnaz, former Guantánamo detainee, participated as
invitee of the festival in the ensuing panel discussion.
It is the intention of the organisers to establish the festival as an annual event and follow the successful
examples of similar festivals in many other European countries.
Country
Persons
involved
Austria
Co-ordination (BIM)
Roland Schmidt
Contact person
Roland Schmidt, roland.schmidt@univie.ac.at
Lead
organisation
this human world Film Festival/Top
Kino
Partner
organisations
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute
of Human Rights
Czech Center Vienna
One World International
Human Rights
Documentary Film Festival
(Prague)
Starting/
end date
Funded by
2 December to 12 December 2008 (Festival)
this human world (Top Kino)
Czech Center Vienna
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