A return to reel life

It's the largest film festival devoted to human rights in Europe, and it's still based in Prague, where it was founded. But the scope of the One World Human Rights Documentary Film Festival is global, offering a weeklong feast of documentary films from around the world.

The list of films (those playing in English or with English subtitles can be found in the listings on pages B16-17) is not only impressive, but gives a good idea of what contemporary documentarists are currently thinking about. Needless to say, there are a number of films dealing with the trouble spots of Asia. There are also a number of films dealing with the environment, oil production and the economy.

As in years past, the festival ends with an awards night, where Václav Havel, one of the original founders, will give out an award bearing his name to a promising new filmmaker.

The following is a brief list of suggested films to seek out - though, with 123 entries, there's bound to be something to fit every taste.

Welcome to North Korea! Linda Jablonská, director. This recent Czech documentary on life in the bizarre hermit kingdom is finally getting a showing with English subtitles. Obviously, North Korea is a constant source of both mystery and confusion. But who better than a filmmaker and crew from a former communist country to try and make sense of it all?

The Death of Stalinism in Bohemia, Jan Švankmajer, director. There are a number of Czech films dealing with the experience of communism and its aftermath here. Perhaps the most entertaining is this piece of animation from one of Czech cinema's master surrealists.

Forgotten Transports, Lukáš Přibyl, director. Then there's the history of the Czech lands before communism, particularly the Nazi period. Director Přibyl has spent years tracking the forgotten transports of Jews out of Czechoslovakia that didn't follow the route from Terezín to Auschwitz. Last year, he released his Forgotten Transports to Latvia. This year, he shows the final three films of his quartet: Forgotten Transports to Belarus, Poland and Estonia.

Pizza in Auschwitz, Moshe Zimmerman, director. As in every documentary film festival in Europe, there are bound to be new films dealing with the legacy of the Holocaust. Israeli director Zimmerman's film follows the return to Poland's most notorious death camp of a survivor who insists that his children accompany him, so they might gain a better understanding of his life.

Burma VJ-Reporting from a Closed Country, Anders Ostergaard, director. It would be nice to come to a future documentary film festival where there were no need for films about people trapped in a totalitarian system. Alas, that will be some time coming, though this Scandinavian co-production proves that the Burmese people are nothing less than active on their own behalf. It shows what is really happening in the Burmese police state, and what exactly happened during the violently defeated protests of 2007, with footage secretly shot by Burmese journalists. Burma VJ has garnered a number of international awards for its fearless reportage.

Afghan Women Behind the Wheel, Sahraa Karimi, director. It's difficult not to think that the world might be a better place without Afghan men, who seem to spend far too much time devising new physical, mental and psychic tortures for women. Karimi's film, produced in Slovakia, follows four women who have bravely stepped forward to learn to drive a car - something that not just the Taliban believe to be evil. America's bosom friends the Saudis think the same thing. Another act of defiance can be found in Afghan Girls Can Kick, in which director Bahareh Hosseini follows the creation of an Afghan girls' football team. Perhaps kicking and a few cars might change the balance in Afghanistan to the long-suffering women's favor. Let's hope so.

Sari Soldiers, Julie Bridgham, director. Sometimes, women wind up fighting other women. Bridgham's film, which she shot over three years, follows four different women soldiers on different sides in Nepal's civil war.

Crude, Joe Berlinger, director. There are a number of films this year looking at our petroholic consumption of oil, and all the misery it brings. Berlinger's film charts the human and environmental cost of Chevron's drilling in Ecuador. Scenes of blatant damage to the Amazon and the health crisis that exists among people living close to the Chevron field are juxtaposed with bland assurances from Chevron that what we are seeing isn't really true. A similar exploration on the topic can be found in Lars Johansson's Poison Fire, which looks at the hell Shell is creating in Nigeria. For an overall view of oil's evil, Andrew Evans' PetroApocalypse should suffice. It also provides a good description of the peak oil phenomenon, and how oil reserves in the world are actually disappearing quickly.

I.O.U.S.A., Patrick Creadon, director. Though it was shot in 2007 and edited and screened in 2008, Creadon's film went from prophecy to fact rather suddenly. I.O.U.S.A. follows U.S. Comptroller General David Walker as he crosses the country warning of impending financial disaster. If you hadn't noticed, the disaster has arrived.

Steffen Silvis can be reached at
ssilvis@praguepost.com