Guest blog by Marcell Lőrincz, Chairman of Subjective Values Foundation (Szubjektív Értékek Alapítvány)
Every March since 2011 the British Embassy has been organizing a very important event called the “Human Rights Movie Day”. This time our NGO, the Subjective Values Foundation, was asked to help in the implementation – so we did our best.
As we were cooperating so much in the “Music Against Racism” campaign before, it was obvious that we can rely on the community we created through the years. And as it is a tradition, Toldi cinema in Budapest agreed to host the event.
On 20th of March many people came to watch the films and to participate in the discussions after the show. The day was opened by Theresa Bubbear, the Deputy Head of Mission of the British Embassy. She remarked how important all the selected topics are, and also noted that despite the fact that day was the International Day of Happiness, all these issues must be taken seriously.
The first movie “Auschwitz Requiem,” directed by Kristóf Asbót and produced by the Romedia Foundation, was about the Roma Holocaust. The roundtable discussions following the film featured two protagonists, Éva Fahidi and Erzsébet Brodt, survivors of the Holocaust, who were able to tell their personal memories about that terrible part of history. There was a conclusion about the present day situation in Hungary – the strengthening of the far-right and increasing radical voices suggest that people did not learn from history.
The next film “Why Hungary” introduced immigrants, who became successful in Hungary, while “Regina”, by Diana Groó told the story of the first female Jewish rabbi. In the small room we showed “Tollfosztás” from Rodrigó Balogh, which is about the serial murder against Romas. Then, the “Three Weddings” gave a picture of the difficulties of mixed (citizen and migrant) couples. At the end, the screening of “Music Against Racism” helped to understand why music is a great tool against intolerance.
All together, we got a lot of positive feedback after suffering so much from radical comments on the event’s Facebook page. The visitors enjoyed the film, actively participated in the debates and all of them are looking forward to next year’s continuation.
Sosinet.hu’s video interview with DHM Theresa Bubbear – entitled ‘Films for Human Rights‘ (Filmekkel az Emberi Jogokért)
