Festival of Tolerance 2019: Focus on Equality and Justice

The 13th Festival of Tolerance, to be held in Zagreb from 7 to 13 April, speaks about equality and justice, timeless topics which gain new dimension with current affairs in the world, using the language of various art genres and forms of communication.

The 13^th Festival of Tolerance, to be held from 7 to 13 April, focuses on equality and justice. These are the very topics that more than 70 films will cover using various cinematic expressions. They are mostly regional or Croatian premieres, divided in several programs, which won awards at renowned international festivals. Screenings and thematic discussions will be organised in cinemas Europa, Kinoteka and Tuškanac.

This year’s news is the section Small Steps for children, which consists of several films suitable for young generations.

Another novelty is the section Tolerance Masterclass in which authors from the region will talk in front of the audience and cameras about the creation of their films as a powerful tool in the struggle for tolerance.

The public will also be intrigued by two exhibitions in the production of the Festival of Tolerance. As of 1 April a photographic exhibition Oni/They has been set up on squares in Zagreb under the auspices of UNHCR Croatia and in collaboration with the Jesuit Refugee Service. The exhibition consists of pop-up installations with portraits of four refugees currently living in Croatia.

The second exhibition shows reproductions of murals found in Poland about the history of Polish Jews and it is entitled They Fill No Space: Reviving the Memories of Polish Jews. The exhibition will be held from 6 to 17 April in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb in collaboration with POLIN – the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Another aim of the Festival of Tolerance is educating youth, and the concept of the Digital School of Cinema is based on play and innovative methods of teaching such as VR films screening. Educational Mornings bring lectures of experts from the Polish State Museum at Majdanek about horrors of holocaust. Also Vesna Domany Hardy, a holocaust survivor, will share her testimony with students.

Within the framework of the Festival of Tolerance, a round table discussion will be held on the topic of attitudes to the concentration camp of the Ustaša, Jasenovac.

All events are accompanied by an interesting music program – the Austrian band HI5  – Minimal Jazz Chamber Music and the international gypsy world music sensation, EtnoRom Band from Hungary.

The entrance to all events of the Festival of Tolerance is free of charge.