We organize the One World film festival sustainably and inspire the audience to be more environmentally responsible
Published: Oct 24, 2024 Reading time: 3 minutes
The One World Festival aims to make the festival's organization sustainable and to make important environmental topics accessible to the public. For several years now, our programme has included a category in which we select six or seven documentaries focusing on the environment. We highlight films that address the negative impacts of climate change, ocean pollution, endangered species, environmental racism and activism, and many other topics.
Our annual research shows that environmental issues are central to our audiences, and films that deal with these topics are among the most popular.
Partner network
During the preparation of the festival, we regularly cooperate with environmental organizations in the Czech Republic. We are in regular contact with the Prague office of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung and their ecology programme coordinator, and we organize discussions with representatives of environmental NGOs (Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, etc.) to raise awareness and communicate the importance of this topic to the public.
We also strive for sustainability when organizing the festival itself. We try to minimize the negative impact on the environment, from waste sorting (placing recycle bins in cinemas, eliminating plastic bottles), to reducing unnecessary waste, to supporting local producers and organizations. In line with the approach of People in Need, of which we are a part, we integrate the principle of "reduce, reuse, recycle" into our daily operations and office management. We strive to reduce our consumption of water, electricity and other resources and seek sustainable alternatives where possible.
We have strengthened our communication strategy in the online environment, offering advertising and relevant information to our audience through more sustainable channels instead of print. We also serve only vegetarian food at banquets and parties.
Rather by train than by plane
Another important issue is reducing flights and finding new ways to bring international guests to the festival. Discussions with directors, protagonists and experts from abroad are one of the most important parts of the One World Festival, and we always try to bring as many of them as possible in person. However, the coronavirus pandemic has taught us that online streaming of discussions can be a great way to virtually bring guests from far away countries and reduce the number of flights.
The guests we physically bring to Prague are mainly from European countries not too far from the Czech Republic and we try to bring them by train or bus rather than by plane. This way we can organize a festival with physical and virtual presence of interesting speakers and filmmakers in the most sustainable way. We also want to raise awareness of this topic within the film industry through the Festivals Meet Festivals platform.
We are part of the Green Film Network
The One World Festival is also a member of the Green Film Network, which brings together film festivals that deal with environmental issues and work to minimize negative impacts on the environment. The Green Film Network also promotes and distributes documentaries with environmental topics.
Climate change and environmental issues in general are among the most important topics of today, as they affect all parts of society. We believe we can contribute to a better environment for all and inspire others to join us.
