Verzio Film Festival returns for the 20th time in Budapest on Wednesday

Why do violent and sometimes deadly initiation rituals persist in the Belarussian army? What did the Taliban do with $7 billion worth of American military equipment? Who owns the ocean depths? What makes someone male or female? These are some of the questions explored at the Verzió Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, held from 22–29 November, in Budapest and six other cities across Hungary. The 20th edition of the Verzió will present an exceptionally rich program, with more than 80 films and a fresh visual identity that aligns with this year’s theme: Where are We Headed? Ticket sales for both cinema screenings and the Online Verzió have already begun.

Verzió has presented human dignity and common social issues through international and Hungarian documentary films for twenty years in Hungary. The 20th anniversary edition of Verzió offers an incredibly diverse program, taking viewers on a virtual journey through more than 40 countries, with the help of 80 films.
This special anniversary has provided an opportunity for Verzió to undergo a visual identity makeover. This year’s films continue the tradition of provoking contemplation about the future, the human values we wish to preserve, and things we would like to change. Hence, Verzió’s fresh visual identity is built on the triad of the past-present-future. It places us on a timeline and poses the question: Where are we headed?

“Documentary films heighten our emotional engagement with their protagonists and help us reflect on the many ways of seeing the world. Knowing the past and understanding the present, we can better grasp where we are headed and contribute to navigating the path” – says Oksana Sarkisova, festival director.
Verzió’s selection of films have provided valuable insight for 20 years. They have invited us to explore different layers of reality, and to become closer to the diversity and unity of our world, both globally and locally. They have helped us understand our position in the world and where we are headed. This year will prove no different.

From intersex individuals to the Norwegian forests, from Bengali weavers to deep-sea mining, this year’s festival delves into the most pressing international and domestic human rights issues. While these themes could easily be incorporated into fictional film adaptations, it’s their reality that truly sets these films apart. Seven fresh, new works will be showcased in the Hungarian competition program, and more than 80 films will be available for viewing in five competitive categories and seven thematic sections.

HERE’S A SNEAK PEEK AT SOME OF THIS YEAR’S MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS!

Fairy Garden, directed by Gergő Somogyvári, portrays the daily lives of two people who have escaped society and now live in a forest near Budapest. Fanni, a 19-year-old transgender teenager ostracized by her family, and Laci, a tough former factory worker, attempt to create a family and a home with their version of a father-daughter relationship. This intimate film, making its debut at the Verzió Film Festival, tells a unique coming-of-age story about the importance of human relationships and unconditional acceptance.

The festival’s opening film, We Will Not Fade Away, directed by Alisa Kovalenko, made its debut at this year’s Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for the Silver Bear in the Generation Section. The young protagonists reach the threshold of adulthood in the Donetsk Basin, but dream of conquering the world. They rebel, ride waves of adventure, walk through minefields, and sunbathe by a nearby lake. An opportunity arises for them to embark on a long journey to Nepal. Will their dream of conquering the world come true?

The director of Five Seasons of the Revolution went underground to document the Syrian revolution using a variety of pseudonyms: she’s Lina in Damascus, Maya when she’s a war correspondent in Homs, and Lama in Aleppo. Lina records her thoughts and memories in smuggled videos as she and her friends become more deeply involved in the fight for freedom, and she repeatedly returns to the frontlines. The film spans an entire decade and tells Lina’s story across various historical shifts and forces. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Ibrahim Nash’at’s film Hollywoodgate is another daring piece of cinema; it follows the Taliban in Afghanistan for one year as they seize a weapons depot left behind by the Americans, and transform from a fundamentalist militia into a heavily-armed military regime.

The International Competition includes Motherland, a powerful film about “dedovschina,” a state-directed, military initiation ceremony that employs the same mechanisms of fear and control used to suppress the general population. Increasingly dissatisfied, the violent abuse, torture, and killings taking place in the military are a breaking point for Belarusians.

The Anthropocene Section features films that address our planet. The Song of Earth, where the Norwegian highlands provide the backdrop for a magical journey, is one example. In this lyrical film, director Margreth Olin sets out into the infinite wilderness with her elderly parents, demonstrating how the environment resonates with humans’ inner being.