On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 November, Iron Sky will host the second season of the Iron Sky Film Festival, exploring the rise of far-right extremism in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
During the two-day event, movies directed by Slovak and Czech documentary makers and experts will provide input for debates. The selected movies take the viewer to the roots of far-right extremism. They uncover the fear of the unknown, necessity to defend one’s national values and guides them through the anti-immigration sentiments which are still present in both countries.
This year’s festival is symbolic as Slovakia and the Czech Republic commemorate 30 years since the fall of the Iron Curtain. More information about the festival and films, can be found on the Iron Sky Festival.
Movies
Teaching War is a documentary that examines how a military spirit is slowly returning to our society. Attempts to renew military training or compulsory military service in Czech Republic and in general to prepare the nation for the next big war go hand in hand with society’s fear of the Russians, the Muslims, or whatever other “enemies”. It is not only a documentary about people let themselves get manipulated into a state of paranoia by the media, but also a warning against the possibility that extremism will become a part of the regular school curriculum.
Czechs against Czechs is movie directed by Tomáš Kratochvíl which is presented as a personal diary of the director, takes the audience through his unconventional journey and defies social stereotypes and prejudice. The movie reflects on xenophobe attitudes of Czechs towards Roma population and offers solutions to notoriously problematic cohabitation between two ethnic groups.
Speakers
Andrej Ban is een bekroond pers fotograaf en reporter. Momenteel werkt hij bij DennikN. Hij heeft meerdere artikelen geschreven over extremism in Slowakije. Hij heeft ook berichtgeving gedaan over de oorlog in Kosovo en is voorzitter van de humanistische organisatie People in Perill.
Klára Kalibová, PhD, is the director of the In IUSTITIA NGO, a lawyer, analyst, and author. Her main focus and expertise is on hate crime, hate speech and victims´ rights. She regularly represents hate crime victims before the courts and is considered one of the most experienced Czech lawyers in the field.
Leonie de Jonge is Assistant Professor in European Politics & Society at the University of Groningen. Léonie is interested in right-wing populist parties in Western Europe. Her PhD focused on the success and failure of right-wing populist parties in the Benelux countries.
Program
3:00 pm: Doors open
3:30 pm: Welcome by Iron Sky Film Festival
4:00 pm: Screening Teaching War
5:20 pm: Break
6:30 pm: Screening Czechs against Czechs
8:00 pm: Break
8:15 pm: Discussion with the experts, Q&A