Screening Human Rights Documentaries in Hungary for More than 20 Years- Enikő Gyureskó on Verzió Festival's Mission in Human Rights and Education
In this conversation at the Review of Democracy, Enikő Gyureskó- the Festival Director of VerzióInternational Human Rights Documentary Film Festival – discusses the program of the Verzió Film Festival, which will take place between 6-13 November; the rationale of choosing specific foci in this year's program; the importance of documentaries in raising awareness about contemporary human rights issues; the collaborations between Verzió with other European festivals to promote human rights; the relevance of educational initiatives and university partnerships to foster critical engagement in Hungary. Enikő Gyureskó has been a key figure at the Verzió Film Festival since 2016. Starting as Festival Coordinator, she became Managing Director in 2021 and was appointed Festival Director in 2024. Enikő is responsible for the festival's development strategy, team management, fundraising, partnerships, and grants. Since 2022, she has also been a board member of MADOKE, the Hungarian Documentary Association. Enikő holds a BA in Liberal Arts, with a major in Art History and a minor in Philosophy, from Pázmány Péter Catholic University (2013), and an MA in Design and Art Management from Budapest Metropolitan University (2017). Verzió created a much-needed platform in Hungary for international documentary films focused on human rights. Over 20 years, the festival has attracted more than 250,000 attendees. In 2020, it launched its online streaming platform, Verziotheque, offering films nationwide between festival editions. Verzió is a crucial gathering point for the documentary film community, hosting screenings, discussions, and events in Budapest and across Hungary. The festival partners with cinemas and cultural spaces in cities like Pécs, Szeged, and Debrecen. This year, the festival will run between 6th and 13th of November. Adrian Matus: Verzió has become a key platform for raising awareness on pressing human rights issues through documentary filmmaking. Could you introduce us to the agenda of the Verzió Film Festival? How do you view its significance within the global landscape of human rights film festivals? What does it share with other such festivals and what might make it rather special? Enikő Gyureskó: Verzió has been one of the steadiest festivals running in Hungary. This will be the 21st edition, and it takes place every year in November, not just in Budapest but currently in six other towns and online as well. It has a large regular audience that comes back to our editions yearly. At the same time, we also try to reach out to new audiences with each edition. Currently, about 20000 people participate yearly if we consider both offline venues and online audiences. Regarding its international embedment, we are part of the Human Rights Film Network, which consists of over 40 human rights festivals globally. This network raises awareness of human rights and filmmakers in danger, or festival partners who operate in dangerous circumstances, such as Belarus or Central Asia, where democratic institutions do not exist, or people who work with human rights and social issues are under constant surveillance or harassment. Within this network, we try to provide support and raise international awareness whenever one of our members gets into trouble. It also serves as an exchange of experiences and a learning platform for all of us to improve our festivals. We are also trying to build strong relationships with several European festivals that are regionally closer to us. For example, the One World festival in Czechia has been one of our oldest partners. They were founded just a few years before Verzió and even inspired us when our festival was created. There are many similarities in how we think and do our programs. They (One World) also have many discussions, panel talks, and roundtables. Besides the screenings, just like Verzió, they try to cooperate with civil organizations and involve them in public