As the fundraiser seems to be right on track and all the team is hard at work, I want to take a step back and dedicate this blog post to the readings. Even though I enjoy the rush and the buzz of real-life events, I think it’s important to stop and reflect on things from time to time. And after such a busy week, some mindfulness and reflection are just what I need.

Last week’s readings and the guest lecture were all focused around programming, which, at first sight, I found quite discouraging, considering that my role at this festival has nothing to do with this, and my personal interests are not aligned with this topic say the least. After sulking for a little bit, however, I came to a realization that it’s, in fact, a chance for me to learn something that I would have never otherwise research on. So, in today’s blog post I’ll talk about my brand new insights about programming a film festival, especially the issue of taboos.

It never occurred to me that every film festival might have certain topics that they won’t tolerate for one reason or another, and it was interesting too read about such topics for a human rights festival. There’s something that really caught my attention in the article:

The programmer should select films that will help the viewer to better deal with his or her trauma, rather than deepen it.

Indeed, it’s incredibly important for everyone involved in a film festival to be sensitive and mindful of the viewer’s emotional and mental state. It can be difficult to relate to someone with a completely different background and life journey, but we must try our best to do so. This reading got me thinking about a controversial yet viral Netflix show ’13 Reasons Why’. The series showed scenes of extreme violence and disturbing topics very graphically, which caused a lot of discontent among the audience. I think the producers should’ve read Setting Up a Human Rights Film Festival before approving the script, particularly:

Films that depict high levels of suffering can deepen traumas, so be sure that the films also have an empowering effect…

And that’s where they went wrong. Instead of showing an empowering struggle and promoting hope for teenagers suffering from depression, bullying, or those who were sexually harassed and abused, ’13 Reasons Why’ simply explicitly showed it on TV. Some even argued that apart from being traumatising even for mentally stable people, this show was suicuide-inclining with its darkness and gruesomeness.

So, even though I don’t think I will ever find myself doing programming, this is an insight that’s applicable to everyday life and generally makes you a better, more sensible person. That’s why I enjoy writing blog posts on the readings: it gives me a chance to reflect on new topics, make connections with my own experiences and learn something new.

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Kateřina Bartošová, Hana Kulhánková & Zuzana Raušová, “Knowing Yourself and Your Audience: Programming a Human Rights Film Festival (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.” in Setting Up a Human Rights Film Festival, vol. 2, Human Rights Film Network, Prague, 2015, pp. 27-46.