What are the keys to making documentary films that change minds and transform behaviour? How can documentaries deal with human rights issues in an impactful way, and how can such an impact be measured? What happens when documentary filmmakers and human rights activists join forces to reach wide audiences in campaigns for social change? These are questions we invite you to explore with us as film directors involved in successful social campaigns share their experiences in three separate master classes.
In recent years, vivid attention has been paid to social impact in the world of documentary filmmaking. Filmmakers, funders, activists, and academics seek to understand how to encourage and create impact through film screenings, campaigns, and documentary films that promote progressive causes, and how to measure the success of these films and campaigns aiming for outreach in an ever-changing distribution landscape.
Verzio’s Explore Impact bloc takes part in that discussion by inviting practitioners of social impact documentary to show their work and reflect on their experiences.
Rehad Desai (South Africa) investigates state violence and social inequality in the gripping documentary Miners Shot Down. Through Desai’s engagement with grassroots activists and alternative distribution methods, the film became an important voice demanding justice for 34 miners gunned down during peaceful demonstrations. By exploring food waste in the global food industry (in the eye-opening Taste the Waste, among other films) and leading successful impact campaigns, Valentin Thurn (Germany) has significantly contributed to recent interest in the subject. Andrei Dăscălescu (Romania) has worked closely with activists throughout the process of making and screening Planet Petrila, which explores the potential of cultural activism in preserving and repurposing industrial heritage.
Verzio’s Explore Impact bloc is the first session in a large-scale, collaborative project of five documentary festivals investigating the ways of studying and enhancing documentary films’ potential in promoting democratic values and human rights. The participating festivals are One World (Czech Republic), Watchdocs (Poland), Docudays UA (Ukraine), CineDOC-Tbilisi (Georgia), and Verzio. Explore Impact is organized with the support of the Visegrad Fund.
Program schedule:
November 15. 18h Taste the Waste, dir. Valentin Thurn, 2011, Germany, 88 min
November 16. 18h Miners Shot Down, dir. Rehad Desai, 2014, South Africa, 86 min
November 17. 18h Planeta Petrila, dir. Andrei Dăscălescu, 2016, Romania, 80 min
Films are screened in original language with English and Hungarian subtitles.
Moderator: Orsolya Komlósi
Verzio International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival is the only human rights documentary film festival in Hungary, organized yearly since 2004. Verzio aims to promote open society, democratic values, rule-of-law, freedom of expression, political and cultural pluralism as well as to expose abuse and human rights violations throughout the world by presenting quality, creative documentaries.
For the last 13 years Verzio grew dynamically, has screened more than 700 documentaries attracting altogether over 80,000 visitors. The program includes creative, exceptional documentary films which undertake important issues such as poverty, civil wars, war crimes, terrorism, crisis zones, political oppression, freedom of press, minorities, nationalism, xenophobia, racism, discrimination, migration, integration, equal rights, women’s rights, feminism, gender roles, sexual diversity, socialization of children and young people, drug abuse, corruption, domestic violence, people living in the margins of society, exclusion of the disabled and the sick or stereotypes.
Verzio has been showcasing outstanding films from all over the world addressing important social and political issues which examine the present, reflect on the past, arouse sympathy in the viewer and approach their subjects in authentic and imaginative ways.
In recent years, vivid attention has been paid to social impact in the world of documentary filmmaking. Filmmakers, funders, activists, and academics seek to understand how to encourage and create impact through film screenings, campaigns, and documentary films that promote progressive causes, and how to measure the success of these films and campaigns aiming for outreach in an ever-changing distribution landscape.
Verzio’s Explore Impact bloc takes part in that discussion by inviting practitioners of social impact documentary to show their work and reflect on their experiences.
Rehad Desai (South Africa) investigates state violence and social inequality in the gripping documentary Miners Shot Down. Through Desai’s engagement with grassroots activists and alternative distribution methods, the film became an important voice demanding justice for 34 miners gunned down during peaceful demonstrations. By exploring food waste in the global food industry (in the eye-opening Taste the Waste, among other films) and leading successful impact campaigns, Valentin Thurn (Germany) has significantly contributed to recent interest in the subject. Andrei Dăscălescu (Romania) has worked closely with activists throughout the process of making and screening Planet Petrila, which explores the potential of cultural activism in preserving and repurposing industrial heritage.
Verzio’s Explore Impact bloc is the first session in a large-scale, collaborative project of five documentary festivals investigating the ways of studying and enhancing documentary films’ potential in promoting democratic values and human rights. The participating festivals are One World (Czech Republic), Watchdocs (Poland), Docudays UA (Ukraine), CineDOC-Tbilisi (Georgia), and Verzio. Explore Impact is organized with the support of the Visegrad Fund.
Program schedule:
November 15. 18h Taste the Waste, dir. Valentin Thurn, 2011, Germany, 88 min
November 16. 18h Miners Shot Down, dir. Rehad Desai, 2014, South Africa, 86 min
November 17. 18h Planeta Petrila, dir. Andrei Dăscălescu, 2016, Romania, 80 min
Films are screened in original language with English and Hungarian subtitles.
Moderator: Orsolya Komlósi
Verzio International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival is the only human rights documentary film festival in Hungary, organized yearly since 2004. Verzio aims to promote open society, democratic values, rule-of-law, freedom of expression, political and cultural pluralism as well as to expose abuse and human rights violations throughout the world by presenting quality, creative documentaries.
For the last 13 years Verzio grew dynamically, has screened more than 700 documentaries attracting altogether over 80,000 visitors. The program includes creative, exceptional documentary films which undertake important issues such as poverty, civil wars, war crimes, terrorism, crisis zones, political oppression, freedom of press, minorities, nationalism, xenophobia, racism, discrimination, migration, integration, equal rights, women’s rights, feminism, gender roles, sexual diversity, socialization of children and young people, drug abuse, corruption, domestic violence, people living in the margins of society, exclusion of the disabled and the sick or stereotypes.
Verzio has been showcasing outstanding films from all over the world addressing important social and political issues which examine the present, reflect on the past, arouse sympathy in the viewer and approach their subjects in authentic and imaginative ways.
