The Heritage Film Festival Heritales dedicates its 6th edition to the role of peace.
In this 2024/2025 edition, the Heritales Festival aims to highlight how communities achieve sustainability through peaceful lifestyles, values and collective coexistence mechanisms that have endured for decades.
The films submitted to the Heritales Heritage Festival competition may deal with peace-building in its various manifestations through cultural and natural heritage, understood in a broad sense (1). Given that this concept is capable of addressing different expressions in the field of heritage, here are some ways of understanding this concept to encourage authors and producers of films, short films, animated shorts and other audiovisual media to submit their works to the 6th edition of the Heritales festival.
Peace-building can be understood and manifested in very different ways. Raising the possibilities of peace, sometimes from a romantic or utopic perspective, can be the way to start building it, especially in contexts of ongoing war. A first perspective can be the imaginary one, as expressed in the words of Clement Atlee, in the preamble to the Charter of the United Nations, “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed” (2).
A second way in which peace can be expressed is in symbolic representations, through its expression both in colours (such as yellow in Western society or blue in Cameroonian textiles, and various codes that exist in most cultures), and in the conventions and figurations that represent it among different communities. For example, the broken arrow of the Native Americans featured in the poster of this issue of Heritales, or the Japanese orgami bird “orizuru”(3). Other symbols of peace, which are more familiar to Western society, such as those that emerged in the context of nuclear disarmament, used against the Vietnam War (4) and in the May 1968 protests, such as the widespread rainbow (banner of the protest boat of the NGO Green Peace’s Rainbow Warrior).
Thirdly, ways of building and forging peace can be linked to promoting solidarity and fraternity. The legacy of relationships based on ties of everyday or extraordinary sociability, is another essential pillar for building or maintaining peace, especially in the context of neighbourhoods, local networks and alliances, whether traditional or contemporary. All forms that promote solidarity, cooperation and fraternity (5), as constitutive elements of lasting peace, fall within this scope. In order to build and sustain peace, places (relational and symbolic spaces), forms, practices or stories of people who have exemplarily practised and reproduced ways of building relationships that facilitate the construction and maintenance of long-term harmony can be addressed. Examples of film topics could be: associations, cooperatives, informal organisations, neighbourhoods, or collectives that have mobilised in extraordinary ways to defend a just cause; manifestations of solidarity that contribute to achieving social peace; spaces for social relations that promote solidarity; mechanisms of support between neighbours and the broader community that encourage and enable the achievement of shared and just goals. In short, films and documentaries about mechanisms that promote informal bonds of solidarity, neighbourhood support, associative spaces, and traditional or contemporary socialisation mechanisms could be eligible for this call.
Fourth, the intangible heritage of festive or ritual conviviality is another critical pillar of sustainable peace. Popular festivals, annual village rituals, have always encouraged communities to join fraternally They bring people together to share and celebrate moments of transition, whether of nature, sowing, slaughtering or the solstice, or to celebrate the ritual union of individuals and families, such as traditional marriages lasting several days and with numerous activities to celebrate symbolic unions.
Fifth, natural heritage is another essential bastion for communities to survive in peaceful contexts. In this sense, any film or documentary that reflects ways of life that respect the ecosystem, and promote sustainable communities living in harmony with their natural environment, may be eligible for this call. Examples of themes reflecting long-term peace-building can come from natural heritage among communities that achieve balance and harmony with the environment. Good management of agricultural and hydrological resources is an excellent example of promoting sustainable beliefs and practices. Although some of these forms have already been declared Immaterial World Heritage by UNESCO, such as the Water Court of Valencia, numerous manifestations of cultures promote this sustainable management of resources, which are little known and disseminated, especially in indigenous contexts.
Sixth, this call also encourages works referring to moments of political change that generate democracy and historical contexts of social peace. Films in which a revolution leads to the emergence of a democracy that promotes social peace are of particular interest to this call. We also consider it of special interest to call for documentaries that show how the breakdown of sustainable, peaceful ways of life can destroy the regular economy or life of a region. For example, populations threatened by external elements that displace communities that have remained in the same space for decades or centuries, which may be threatened by processes of gentrification. Another of the most typical extreme cases is wars provoked by invasions and attacks on the territorial integrity of sovereign countries. Cases of wars provoked by invasions are the order of the day, with conflicts that are currently more visible to European eyes (such as the destructive invasion of Ukraine or Palestine), but which have existed for decades in all parts of the world, as the reports of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) constantly show. In this sense, it is possible to present films that talk about how peace is disturbed by looking at the threats that continually endanger the world’s different cultures through invasions that also often target the field of cultural heritage. In other words, historical property is frequently attacked or stolen because the manifestations of cultural heritage ultimately hold the key to ancestral ways of life. They refer to a past that justifies a country’s existence, and symbolically, they are the leading indicator of the differences between each culture, so the enemies attack those historical goods or structures to destroy their corresponding culture. We can cite the defence of indigenous peoples’ lands connected to their archaeological past, as well as others more well known in Western society. For example, the internationally condemned violation of the principles of the 1954 Hague Declaration (6) for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (7) is currently embodied by the Russian Federation, which is stealing Ukraine’s historical treasures, in order to take possession of its past. Also, the destruction of Palestinian heritage sites, or the theft and destruction of Syrian heritage sites by radical groups, who have also killed people who refuse to reveal where they were hidden. When submitting a film to this contest, please be aware that Heritales is a heritage festival that aims to promote education for a wide range of audiences and age groups, so it is not ideal to submit documentaries that focus on forms of warfare that constantly show explicit violent content; also, if they do not contribute to reflecting the values of achieving peace based on some of the pillars mentioned above, they may not be accepted.
To read other possible interpretations of the multiple concepts that peacebuilding can encompass, we suggest consulting the principles, bases, and activities of the UNESCO Chair “Education for Global Peace Sustainability” of the University of Lisbon (8). This chair supports the current edition of the Heritales 2024/2025 Festival, which is supported every two years by a thematic UNESCO Chair on the principles promoted by its edition.
Visual, artistic, or cultural expressions of the principles of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and UNESCO 2030 that contribute to the development of social peace in the long term are also eligible. Musical or artistic initiatives that promote the values and principles that underpin global peace, encouraged by local initiatives or in the format of supranational alliances, in their traditional or contemporary form, are also eligible.
Other forms not included in this programme described by Maria Zozaya-Montes may be considered if they relate to the proposed guiding theme of peace, particularly the role of peace for sustainable communities.
Films, short films, and animations on this theme can be submitted by 15th May 2024 by registering through the official link (click here). The registration fee is €25, which gives access to the selection process and the competition, whose symbolic prize is the unique statuette made exclusively for each section by artists from the Lisbon University of Fine Arts. Please check the prizes for other years and the artists in the link on the official website for 2022, 2020, or 2018.
To submit your film before 15th May 2024 (call for films extended), click here.
To see the competition deadlines and essential data, click here.
Click here to propose a space anywhere in the world where you would like to screen these films, especially if they have a symbolic meaning for the need for peacebuilding (former political prisons, community centres).
READ the call for films in SPANISH: click here
REFERENCES
- Sobre los conceptos de patrimonio relacional aquí tratado véase el monográfico que contó con el apoyo de Heritales: M. Zozaya-Montes, (Coord.), De la sociabilidad al patrimonio cultural material e inmaterial, Granada, Editorial Comares, 2022. Disponible en: https://dspace.uevora.pt/rdpc/handle/10174/34935
- “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed”. UNESCO, 1945, traducción tomada de: Leonor Zozaya-Montes: “Actitudes ante la guerra rusa en Ucrania y el Patrimonio histórico cultural. De la Unesco a ICOMOS”, Patrimonio Cultural. Recursos sobre España y Portugal, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Hypotheses, 24 de marzo de 2022, https://patrimonio.hypotheses.org/1150
- Editors of Give Me History, “24 Important Symbols of Peace & Harmony With Meanings”, The Editors of Give Me History, 20 oct. 2020, https://www.givemehistory.com/symbols-of-peace.
- Redacción BBC ¿De dónde viene el símbolo de la paz? BBC, 24 junio 2018, https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-44560600
- Sobre la premisa de la fraternidad y la harmonia, y el uso que se hizo desde las asociaciones europeas y las organizaciones transnacionales han promovido en un plano internacional, véase: María Zozaya-Montes, “Sociabilidad y Fraternidad. Influencias masónicas en la creación de círculos asociativos (1800-1850)” En: Ferrer y Benimelli, José María; y Fernando Martínez (Coords), La masonería española: represión y exilios. Almería: Universidad y Centro de Estudios de la Masonería, 2010. Vol. II, pp. 1373-1390. Disponible en: https://dspace.uevora.pt/rdpc/handle/10174/8891
- UNESCO, 1954 Convention, Cultural Heritage & Armed Conflicts-UNESCO, Disponible en: https://www.unesco.org/en/heritage-armed-conflicts/convention-and-protocols/1954-convention
- CICR, Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja, Segundo Protocolo de la Convención de La Haya de 1954 para la Protección de los Bienes Culturales en caso de Conflicto Armado, La Haya, 26 de marzo de 1999 . Disponible en: https://www.icrc.org/es/doc/resources/documents/misc/treaty-1954-hague-convention-protocol-2-1999-5tdks5.htm
- «The UNESCO Chair on “Education for Global Peace Sustainability” (E = GPS) is a project that brings together within its competences four main lines of action: applied scientific research, advanced education and training, praxis innovation and dissemination. It is a participatory and co-constructed project that seeks to promote a scientific and practical approach to the complexity of peace, wellbeing and quality of life, at various levels: individual, collective, national and international. It addresses peace from the point of view of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Human Rights and Public Happiness. It is about positive approaches to positive global peace. In particular, it will consider the sustainability point of view: both from an environmental perspective, and in terms of maintaining peace in organizations and institutions. Connections with the science of happiness will be underlined. The key objectives of this Chair include:
- The key objectives of this Chair include: Innovative and inclusive training (throughout online learning and postgraduate courses); Supervised and supported practices through workshops and laboratories; Observatories identifying resources and needs; Monitoring and evaluation of practical tools; Fostering Research; Exchange, dissemination, co-construction and transfer of knowledge; Celebration and highlight of good practices (in research, publication and action); Encouraging multidisciplinary relationships among several domains – culture, arts, humanities, social and political sciences, education, technology and media», On: UNESCO Chair on “Education for Global Peace Sustainability”, UNESC http://unescoglobalpeacechair.iscsp.ulisboa.pt/index.php/en/chair/presentation
- Sobre los conceptos de patrimonio relacional nacido de las relaciones de sociabilidad, véase: María Zozaya-Montes, “Cuando los espacios de sociabilidad informal y formal crean patrimonio material e inmaterial, 1500-2021”, en M. Zozaya-Montes (Coord.), De la sociabilidad al patrimonio cultural material e inmaterial, Granada, Editorial Comares, 2022. Disponible en: https://dspace.uevora.pt/rdpc/handle/10174/3493
QUOTING THIS ENTRANCE:
Maria Zozaya-Montes (2024, 7 abril). Call4Films Heritales 2024 «Peace for sustainable communities». Heritales Project, ISSN 2990-0468. 7 April 2024, de https://doi.org/10.58079/w6h9
OpenEdition le sugiere que cite este post de la siguiente manera:
Maria Zozaya-Montes (7 de abril de 2024). Call4Films Heritales 2024 «Peace for sustainable communities». Heritales Project . Recuperado 25 de marzo de 2025 de https://doi.org/10.58079/w6ju