Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival was founded by staff members of Blinken OSA Archive in 2004. Verzió Film Foundation was established in the following year to provide a stable background for the organization of the festival. The founders’ vision was to create a platform, till then missing from Hungary, for international documentary films with a focus on human rights. In 19 years, Verzió programs were attended by more than 180,000 visitors. Since 2020 the festival's online streaming platform (festival.verzio.org) allows access to the festival films from anywhere in the country. Almost 50 films are available for rent between two festival editions as well.
Verzió is an important meeting place for the documentary film community and a diverse audience of documentary film lovers. In Budapest, we hold film screenings, discussions and accompanying events at the Toldi, Művész and Kino cinemas, the Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, the Blinken OSA Archive, the CEU and Eötvös10, with the participation of invited filmmakers and experts. Our permanent partners in the countryside are the Apolló Cinema in Pécs, the Grand Café Cinema and the Megálló Community House in Szeged, the Otthon Cinema in Kecskemét, the Savaria Cinema and the Bohém Café in Szombathely and the AltKöz Association and Malter in Debrecen.
In addition to the annually held Festival in November and the online film library, Verziotheque, we are actively involved in the national and international documentary film and cultural scene throughout the year. Every year we organise dozens of free screenings in educational settings, film clubs and cultural festivals. Re:Verzió, traditionally held in the spring, is an encore screening series that re-screens favourites and award-winners from the last festival in the Blinken OSA Archive.
The Verzió Blog is the only platform in the country dedicated exclusively to documentary film reviews and recommendations. It is also the place where works from the UniVerzió programme and the Young Critics workshop are published.