The documentary Hacking Hate closed the Human Rights Film Festival in Tirana. The film investigates how online platforms profit from hate, fuel extremism, and endanger democratic values.

This year’s theme, Human Rights in the Digital Age, focused on both the opportunities and the risks of the online world. The festival showed why protecting rights matters as much in digital spaces as in physical ones.

The EU Delegation in Tirana was the main supporter of this year’s edition. For 20 years, the festival has offered space for dialogue and reflection in Albanian society.

EU Ambassador Silvio Gonzato praised cinema’s power to inspire debate. He warned that societies cannot allow hate, racism, bullying, or other forms of violence to spread online. “The cost for our democracies is simply too high,” he said.

He stressed that defending democracy also means protecting the digital space as a place of rights and diversity. Gonzato added that the EU was the first to regulate the digital sphere and hold tech companies accountable for what is published on their platforms.

/a.c/