Searching for the truth about humanity

A fundamental need of mankind, and certainly of every creator involved in the media, is the search for truth and, as far as possible, for an objective image of the current state of affairs. Today's media broadcasts give grounds for concern, however. Popular TV series and docu-soaps portray an unreal world, the news is often manipulated, and objectivism is erased by constant sensation-seeking. In this media chaos, the truth disappears, facts are circumvented and reality is distorted. Incessant and repeated inaccuracies cause reality to lose its contours and become fiction. This fiction can be attractive to the media, but it is unfortunately also exciting and often functions as entertainment or as readily accepted images of reality for the oblivious viewer. An untruth can even make a strong impression on people precisely because it appears to be genuine and correct, yet without actually being so.

In a film context, an honest, realistic and straight documentary film is an exception. At the same time, it serves an expected and important function for those people who value the truth and wish to become acquainted with it. In feature films, the director may sometimes want us to believe in the unreal, but this is never the case in a well-made and non-manipulated documentary film. A good documentary film embodies the highest possible openness and harmony between fact, reality and truth.

We adopted this as the underlying principle when we started to organise the 4th. International Documentary Film Festival concerned with human dignity, tolerance and the Holocaust and when we compiled the programme of films - from around 300 films we have selected 35 for the Festival. Although the truths portrayed in our film programme are at times shocking and uncomfortable and difficult to sit through, there is also space for beauty here. Space not only for the beauty that lies in the truth and in the humanistic values that have always defended humanity and its dignity, but also for the beauty associated with the high class as an art form in their own right achieved by the documentary films to be shown at the Festival.

Émile Zola once stated that art is a fragment of reality that has been interpreted through the artist's talent and temperament. Several of the films presented by us demonstrate precisely this approach.

Just as preparations for the Festival were being made, the tidal wave swept over a number of countries in Asia. This shocking event gripped us all and left us dismayed. But the enormous strength of human energy and warmth was suddenly also released, accompanied by a feeling of sympathy and a desire to help - irrespective of origin and religion. The good in humanity suddenly became more apparent. It is precisely this goodness that all our earlier festivals have sought so strongly to safeguard, to bring to attention and to keep alive, and it is of central importance on this occasion, too. We extend a warm welcome to our film salon for this very reason, and we hope that you will be affected by it in precisely the same way as we are.

We would like to thank the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnsons Foundation, without whose support we would never have been able to undertake the Festival.

Leo Kantor
Chairman of the Festival Organising Committee.

News