Tolerance Talk

Tolerance Talk

Film is a powerful tool that can separate our fears, passions, and discomforts from ourselves so that we can more easily face them and talk about them. The 17th edition of the Tolerance Festival reopens difficult, polarizing, but important topics for democracy in the format of structured discussions called Tolerance Talk, which are related to the films that will be shown in the festival's program sections. This year, we are discussing several such social phenomena – the rights of persons with international protection, Islamophobia; layers and effects of the gaming industry; and anti-Semitism and genocide denial.

1. TOLERANCE TALK - Eat. Sleep. Games. Repeat. - What can we learn from the gaming industry? – with the support of the Office for Associations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia (45')

* The support of the European Commission and the Office for Associations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia for holding this discussion does not imply approval of its content, which reflects only the views of the speakers, and the European Commission and the Office for Associations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia cannot be held responsible for any use of the information contained therein.

FILM: The Gamer

TIME: 24.1.2024  Wednesday, 17:30 – 21:00

VENUE: The DokuKino KIC cinema, Preradovićeva 5, Zagreb

Over the past few decades, video games have come a long way since their inception, with new advancements in technology and graphics leading to a growing fan base and growing into a mass market industry with annual revenue of nearly $200 billion. Many scientists, gamers, health and educational professionals and the public discuss the problems and benefits that affect games and their future, from the changing demographics of players to streaming, privacy and the creation of geopolitical soft powers.

Who is all into gaming? What are facts and what are prejudices about gaming? How much does the gaming industry make? What are the benefits and what are the potential harmful effects of gaming? What is gaming disorder? What do people from the industry say about gaming, and what do educators say? These are the questions we ask in the Tolerance Talk discussion, in which different profiles of experts participate who look at this important social phenomenon from different angles - economic, medical and therapeutic.

  • Moderated by Andrej Kovačević, video game producer

  • The debate participants are:

  • Paulina Lalić, gamer

  • Aleksandar Gavrilović, Secretary-General of the Croatian Video Game Developers Cluster

  • Dr. Irena Rojnić Palavra, Sveti Ivan Psychiatric Hospital, Zagreb

  • Maja Trkulja, Academy of Dramatic Art project manager

  • Associate Professor, Ph.D. Lucija Vejmelka, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law Department of Social Work

2. TOLERANCE TALK - Hope far from home: refugee children - in cooperation with UNHCR Croatia (45')

FILM: Sirena (The Siren)

TIME: 25.1.2024. Thursday, 11:00 - 13:30 (film screening from 11:00 to 12:40; discussion from 12:45 to 13:30)

VENUE: The Museum of Contemporary Art, Avenija Dubrovnik 17, Zagreb

Event description:

The global crisis of forced displacement is reaching alarming levels, with the number of forcibly displaced people exceeding 110 million. This staggering figure is a stark reminder of the immense challenges faced by individuals fleeing from war, violence, and persecution in search of safety. Externalization, growing discrimination, criminalization and politicization of refugees are on the rise, posing a direct threat to their right to seek asylum and the realization of their fundamental rights. 

More than half of the world's refugees are children. Many will spend their entire childhood away from home, sometimes separated from their families. Many of them have endured unimaginable hardships, including violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. Some have even fallen victim to human trafficking or coerced military recruitment, either as a result of their forced displacement or during their perilous journey to safety. 

What does being a refugee mean to them? What is their experience as refugees in Croatia? Why is it challenging for us to accept others and be different? And most importantly - what can we do to welcome and facilitate integration into the local community for refugees who are rebuilding their lives in Croatia? These are the children who will share their thoughts during the Tolerance Talk, one with the experience of being a refugee, the other with the experience of supporting refugees, and the representative of the school in Dugave, Zagreb, which has the most experience of including refugee children in education and the local community. The conversation will be moderated by a prominent journalist and editor of Croatian Television with rich experience in reporting on the topics of forced displacement, and at the beginning, the audience will be addressed by a representative of UNHCR Croatia, the UN Refugee Agency.

  • Moderated by Danijela Draštata Flock, editor and journalist at the Croatian Television

  • An introductory greeting will be held by a UNHCR Croatia representative

  • The discussions will be participated by

  • Nagham Oufan, a young girl from Syria

  • Maja Lisska, pedagogue at Fran Galović Primary School

  • Nikola, a young volunteer in the Jesuit service for refugee

3. TOLERANCE TALK - "It wasn't quite like that." - About denial, distortion and confrontation (45')

MOVIE: Reckonings

TIME: 27.1.2024 Saturday, 19:30 – 23:00

VENUE: DokuKino KIC cinema, Preradovićeva 5, Zagreb

According to many genocide researchers, the denial of genocide is its final stage. When it comes to the Holocaust, denying, distorting and relativizing the crime go hand in hand with the ever-present anti-Semitism in society. When it comes to the wider social context, denial has many faces – we can deny the existence of viruses, scientific evidence and medical and technological achievements, and even the shape of our planet, while still appealing to critical thinking and freedom of speech. Denial is an important and layered topic that requires careful research and argumentation, because otherwise it can, very quickly and skilfully, shift the focus in the direction of collective gaslighting, and after that any outcome is possible. The discussion we bring after the film will be tough, we can promise that much. Historians, representatives of international organizations and journalists will take part in it, each from their own angle approaching this elusive and elusive topic.

  • Moderated by Jasmina Popović, journalist

  • The discussion will be participated by 

  • Tvrtko Jakovina, historian, full professor at the Department of History, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb

  • Ernest Herzog, executive director, Operations and Head of Global Jewish Community Security Department 

  • Dario Špelić, editor and journalist at Croatian Radio


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