One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival

Overview

One World (Jeden svet) is the world's largest human rights documentary film festival. Organized by People in Need, a Czech non-profit organization, the festival held its 28th edition from March 11 to 19, 2026, in Prague, with programming continuing until April 24, 2026, across 59 other Czech towns and in Brussels. The 29th edition is scheduled for March 10 to 18, 2027.

The 28th edition screened 106 films accompanied by 128 debates, drawing 22,038 attendees in Prague alone. The festival's regional program brings human rights documentaries to communities across the Czech Republic, with local teams organizing screenings and discussions that give the films a personal dimension beyond the capital. A selection of films also screens in Brussels and, starting recently, in the United States.

One World accepts feature-length and medium-length documentaries (minimum 40 minutes), VR documentaries (interactive projects and 360-degree films), and short documentaries or animated films for children with human rights content. The festival does not charge a submission fee. Submissions are made through the festival's online form.

The festival was founded in 1999, a decade after the Velvet Revolution ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia. Czech civil society's commitment to human rights values, shaped by the experience of decades of political oppression, gives One World a particularly engaged audience and cultural resonance. The festival's program addresses civil liberties, political freedom, social justice, refugee and migration issues, economic rights, environmental justice, and climate.

Submission Details

Submissions for the 29th edition (2027) open June 3, 2026.

Submission deadlines for One World 2027:

• First deadline: September 1, 2026
• Final deadline: November 1, 2026 (for films completed between September and November 2026)

Eligibility:

• Feature-length and medium-length documentaries: minimum 40 minutes
• Short documentaries or animated films for children (for the Docs for Kids category)
• VR documentaries: interactive projects and 360-degree films
• Films must have been completed in the past 2 years (2025-2027)
• Films must have English subtitles or be in English
• Unfinished films can be submitted upon prior agreement with the festival
• Preview screeners must be provided via online link (Vimeo recommended), free of charge, unlimited views, available until end of February 2027

Submission fee: None. The festival does not charge for submissions.

Notification: Mid-February 2027 by email to the submitter.

Key Sections

• International Competition - the main competitive section, featuring documentaries that have recently screened at the world's leading festivals. Two awards: Best Film and Best Director
• Right to Know Competition - films making an exceptional contribution to the protection of human rights, judged by a jury of human rights defenders and NGO representatives
• Czech Competition - domestic documentary filmmaking in the context of human rights, featuring premiere screenings and films that have made an impact at Czech and international festivals
• Virtual Reality Competition - immersive films with significant social impact, evaluated on use of immersive technology and storytelling to raise awareness of human rights issues
• One World for All - non-competitive section exploring disability and systemic barriers
• Climate in Need - non-competitive section on environmental and climate justice
• Against the Tide - non-competitive section on people moving against accepted norms
• Fault Lines - non-competitive section on polarization and democratic dialogue
• One World for Children / Docs for Kids - short documentaries and animated films with human rights content for school audiences
• One World in Schools - year-round program using films in elementary and high-school education, organizing school screenings and outreach projects

What Filmmakers Should Know

One World is specifically focused on human rights documentary content. Narrative fiction films are not eligible for the competitive sections, though fiction films with human rights themes may appear in non-competitive thematic sections. For filmmakers whose work addresses civil liberties, political oppression, social justice, refugee experiences, or environmental justice, One World provides one of the most targeted and engaged audiences in Europe.

The festival's touring structure is a significant benefit. A film selected for One World does not just screen in Prague. It travels to 59+ Czech towns through the One World in Regions program, plus Brussels and select US venues. This reach means a single selection can generate dozens of screenings across multiple countries, with each screening accompanied by a debate or discussion program.

The festival's school program reaches thousands of students each year. The One World in Schools program operates year-round, using festival films in elementary and high-school education. Films selected for the Docs for Kids category are specifically programmed for school-age audiences, with a Children's Jury Award voted by students involved in the year-round program.

There is no submission fee, which removes a financial barrier that many festivals impose. However, the festival requires English subtitles or English-language films, and the preview screener must remain available online until the end of February 2027. Filmmakers should plan to maintain their Vimeo or equivalent screener link for the entire selection period.

The 28th edition's award winners illustrate the festival's programming range. The International Competition Best Film award went to My Word Against Mine (dir. Maasja Ooms, Netherlands, 2025), set in a psychotherapeutic environment. The Audience Award went to Driving Europe (dir. Felix Lange, Germany, 2026), about working conditions faced by truck drivers on European roads. The Right to Know Best Film went to Surviving the Death Committee (dir. Nima Sarvestani, Sweden, 2025).

Major Awards

• International Competition Award for Best Film - jury prize
• International Competition Award for Best Director - jury prize
• Right to Know Competition Award for Best Film - jury of human rights defenders
• Czech Competition Award for Best Film - jury prize for Czech documentary
• Virtual Reality Competition Award for Best Film - jury of immersive art and VR experts
• Regional Jury Award - voted by regional jury representatives across Czech towns
• Student Jury Award - voted by secondary school students in the One World in Schools program
• Children Jury Award - voted by students for the Docs for Kids category
• Audience Award for Best Film - voted by festival audiences on tablets in cinemas (1-5 stars)
• Best Post-Screening Debate Award - voted by audiences, supported by the Abakus Foundation

Festival History

One World was founded in 1999 by People in Need, a Czech human rights and humanitarian organization established in 1992. The festival emerged from Czech civil society's engagement with human rights values following the Velvet Revolution and the consolidation of Czech democracy. The founding organization, People in Need, was itself created by Czech journalists and humanitarian workers who had reported on the conflict in the Balkans.

The festival has operated continuously for 28 editions, growing from a Prague-based event into what the organization describes as the largest human rights film festival in the world. The regional expansion to 59+ Czech towns makes One World one of the most geographically distributed film festivals in Europe. The Brussels edition extends the festival's reach to EU policymakers and international audiences.

The festival's director is Ondrej Kamenicky. The 2026 edition celebrated 10 years of systematic accessibility programming and, for the first time, opened a large stage for climate dialogue at the Archa+ venue. The festival's closing ceremony is held at the Lucerna cinema in Prague, one of the city's oldest and most architecturally significant cinema venues.

See Also

To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For documentary filmmaking guidance, see Documentary Filmmaking. For international film markets and distribution, see International Film Markets. For festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy.