Theme: “FREEDOM: Rights and Responsibility”

The 2025 edition of the IREPRESENT International Film Festival will explore the intricate balance between personal freedoms and the collective responsibility that sustains a democracy. Set against the backdrop of contemporary global challenges, the festival invites filmmakers, thinkers, and audiences to engage with the essential questions: How do we reconcile the right to free expression with the need for societal order? In an age where digital platforms amplify both the promise and peril of free speech, what is the true cost of unrestrained liberty?

This year’s theme, “FREEDOM: Rights and Responsibility,” delves into the tension between individual rights — such as freedom of speech, personal autonomy, and the pursuit of prosperity — and the role of the state and institutions in curbing those freedoms in the interest of public safety, national security, or the rights of others. It also interrogates the impact of misinformation and disinformation in the digital age, where the line between truth and falsehood is often blurred. In an era of social media dominance, where the speed of information often outpaces truth, how do we safeguard the sanctity of truth?

The documentary genre, often seen as a vanguard in the search for truth, faces new and unprecedented challenges. As filmmakers confront censorship, propaganda, and a fractured media landscape, how do they continue to illuminate the realities of our time without compromising on the integrity of their craft?

With a focus on the interplay of rights and responsibilities, we aim to foster critical conversations on how freedom, truth, and justice coexist in our increasingly interconnected world. What does it mean to be truly free, and what do we owe each other in the pursuit and exercise of that freedom?