A cinema room filled with more than 800 students anticipating the moment some of them will be in the limelight, shining a light on human rights. The award ceremony for the 2019 edition of the annual this human world (thw) Youth Short Film competition on human rights took place on 3 December in the Viennese cinema Gartenbaukino, recognizing young talents and raising awareness about human rights.
Ten- to 20-year-old students from schools in Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia were eligible to submit their entries, reflecting creatively on human rights, specifically on the given theme, in a maximum three-minute-long video contribution.
This year's theme, "Stand up for our planet", was only fitting, as it reflects on how young people in particular all around the globe are standing up for their rights and for our planet. Secretary-General António Guterres referred to this in his remarks for Human Rights Day, saying: "This year, on Human Rights Day, we celebrate the role of young people in bringing human rights to life."
The award ceremony embodied that spirit and celebrated the efforts young people put into advancing human rights in various forms. The five winners from Slovenia, Hungary and Austria convinced the jury with their insightful and inspiring entries, which were shown during the ceremony.
1st Prize: TOGETHER by Marko Stupar (Slovenia)
2nd Prize: THE FUTURES PAST by Luca Szabó, Bogát Bancsi, Sára Horváth (Hungary)
3rd Prize: CHANGE OF HEART by Class 7A and THIS HUMAN WORLD by Class 8B of BORG Deutsch-Wagram (Austria)
4th Prize: NOISE by Zoltán Bendegúz Szabó (Hungary)
The awards were presented by Martin Nesirky, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna, Tadej Furlan, Deputy Head of the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the United Nations (Vienna) and Johann Spitzer, Deputy Head of the Permanent Mission of Austria. to the United Nations (Vienna).
The Short Film competition was organized by the International Film Festival on Human Rights this human world and held under the auspices of UNIS Vienna and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Austria.
The aim of the competition is to bring human rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights closer to young people, giving students an opportunity for critical reflection and offering a platform for committed young filmmakers to present their work.
