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 regional program brings human rights documentaries to communities across the Czech Republic, with local teams organizing screenings and discussions. A selection of films also screens in Brussels and the United States.
One World accepts feature-length and medium-length documentaries (minimum 40 minutes), VR documentaries, 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. 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 premieres and films that have made an impact at Czech and international festivals
- Virtual Reality Competition - immersive films with social impact, evaluated on use of immersive technology 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
What Filmmakers Should Know
One World is specifically focused on human rights documentary content. Narrative fiction films are not eligible for competitive sections, though fiction with human rights themes may appear in non-competitive 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 audiences in Europe.
The festival's touring structure is a significant benefit. A film selected for One World travels to 59+ Czech towns through the One World in Regions program, plus Brussels and select US venues. A single selection can generate dozens of screenings across multiple countries, each accompanied by a debate or discussion program.
The school program reaches 16,500 students and teachers annually through One World in Schools, which operates year-round. Films selected for the Docs for Kids category are programmed for school-age audiences, with a Children's Jury Award voted by students.
There is no submission fee, which removes a financial barrier. The festival requires English subtitles or English-language films, and the preview screener must remain available online until the end of February 2027.
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 by journalists and humanitarian workers who had reported on the conflict in the Balkans. The festival emerged from Czech civil society's engagement with human rights values following the Velvet Revolution.
The festival has operated continuously for 28 editions, growing from a Prague-based event into 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.
The festival's director is Ondrej Kamenicky. The 2026 edition celebrated 10 years of systematic accessibility programming and opened a large stage for climate dialogue at the Archa+ venue. The closing ceremony is held at the Lucerna cinema in Prague.
Past Winners
2026 (28th edition):
- International Competition Best Film: My Word Against Mine (dir. Maasja Ooms, Netherlands, 2025). Also won the IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film at IDFA 2025. Cinema release in the Netherlands March 26, 2026 through Cinema Delicatessen; scheduled to air on NPO 2 in fall 2026.
- International Competition Best Director: A Fox Under a Pink Moon (dir. Mehrdad Oskouei and Soraya Akhlaghi, 2025). Profiles a young Afghan woman in Iran using artistic expression as survival under patriarchal pressure.
- Audience Award: Driving Europe (dir. Felix Lange, Germany, 2026). Also won the VFF Documentary Production Talent Award at DOK.fest Munich 2026.
- Right to Know Best Film: Surviving the Death Committee (dir. Nima Sarvestani, Sweden, 2025). Documents the historic trial of Hamid Noury in Sweden.
2025 (27th edition):
- International Competition Best Film: Songs of Slow Burning Earth (dir. Olha Zhurba, 2024). Premiered out of competition at Venice 2024, then won at Riga IFF, Verzio IDFF, Big Sky Documentary FF, Docville, and Millenium Docs Against Gravity. Available on Hoopla.
- Vaclav Havel Jury Award: The Brink of Dreams (dir. Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir, Egypt). Won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes 2024.
- Czech Competition Best Film: The Other One (dir. Marie-Magdalena Kochova).
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
One World functions as a documentary circuit hub rather than a market festival. Films typically arrive from IDFA, Venice, Cannes, or Sheffield DocFest, then gain extended life through the 59-town Czech touring network and the One World Online streaming platform.
- Songs of Slow Burning Earth (Olha Zhurba, 2024) premiered at Venice, won Best Film at One World 2025, then won at Riga IFF, Verzio IDFF, Big Sky Documentary FF, and Docville. Now streaming on Hoopla.
- My Word Against Mine (Maasja Ooms, 2025) won Best Dutch Film at IDFA 2025, then Best Film at One World 2026, followed by a theatrical release through Cinema Delicatessen and a scheduled NPO 2 broadcast.
- It Was Just an Accident (Jafar Panahi, 2025) won the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2025 and screened as the gala premiere at One World 2026. Now streaming on Hulu.
- The Brink of Dreams (Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir, 2024) won Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2024 and received the Vaclav Havel Jury Award at One World 2025.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
One World programs films that engage human rights as a problem of form, attention, and public speech, not just topic. A film about a human rights issue that lacks formal rigor or cinematic craft will not make the cut. The selection committee evaluates whether a film treats its subject with enough force and specificity to justify inclusion alongside 106 other titles.
The competitive sections require documentaries of at least 40 minutes. Short films are only eligible for the Docs for Kids category. Fiction films are not eligible for competition. Films that have already screened at major festivals (IDFA, Sundance, Berlin, Cannes) carry an advantage in the International Competition. The Right to Know competition favors films with direct advocacy impact, judged by human rights defenders and NGO representatives rather than film critics.
Industry Reputation Notes
One World is the largest human rights documentary festival by geographic reach, screening across 59+ Czech towns plus Brussels and select US venues. In 2026, the festival took over leadership of the international Human Rights Film Network, connecting 50+ festivals worldwide.
Compared to IDFA (Amsterdam), One World has a narrower curatorial focus on human rights but broader geographic distribution through its touring model. IDFA offers a larger industry market and more acquisition activity, while One World offers deeper community engagement and direct access to EU policymakers through its Brussels edition. Compared to Sheffield DocFest, One World has a more specific advocacy orientation through its parent organization, People in Need.
The festival does not operate a film market. Its industry value lies in the debate program (128 debates in 2026), the touring network, and the One World in Schools program. A One World selection generates more community-level screenings and debate engagements than a typical festival selection, but fewer direct distribution deals.
Watch
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.
