And the Oscar for promoting human rights and diversity goes to...

But although the tune may be well-known, not everyone is singing the same lyrics. In fact, each diner claims the song as his or her own. And when they learn it's a common tune shared among their Balkan neighbours, tempers boil over.

This is the opening scene from Whose is this Song?, a film by the Bulgarian director Adela Peeva, which won the OSCE Award for Human Rights and Diversity at this year's Dokufest film festival from 8-13 August in Prizren, Kosovo.

Although the OSCE Mission in Kosovo has sponsored Dokufest since its inception in 2002, this was the first year that the 1,500-euro prize for the film offering the best insight into the theme of human rights and diversity was awarded.

Different nations, different meanings

Peeva's film explores the different meanings of the song in Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. For some, it's a romantic hymn, for others a battle cry.

The song has many different names too. In Bosnia it's known as Anatolian Girl, in Serbia as Thick Hair, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as Oh My Dear Patsa Dreneovcanka and in Bulgaria as A Clear Moon is on the Rise.

What emerges from all this is a telling picture which shows that - despite the obvious cultural ties - there are still continuing regional divisions.

Common culture

"My main aim was to show how different we are and yet how close we are to each other," says Peeva. "In the Balkans, we don't want to admit to ourselves that the Ottoman Empire gave us a common culture."

Over 300 films were submitted to Dokufest this year, with Peeva's film beating out five other contestants in the human rights and diversity category. A close contender was The Shutka Book of Records, a Czech film about a Roma town and its unique traditions.

But, according to jury member and OSCE Human Rights Officer, Maria Alcidi, the judges wanted to select the film that best promoted OSCE principles in a creative and coherent manner.

"Whose is This Song? presented the clearest message, using a simple song to illustrate human rights and diversity issues," says Alcidi.

Room for debate

Though the film's message is clear, it still leaves much room for debate. After the screening at Dokufest, viewers came away with a variety of understandings.

"The song should connect people, but I realized that here in the Balkans people can fight even over a song," said one Dokufest film-goer, Kurtish Ahmeti.

Another movie buff, Arben Krasniqi from Prizren, offered a different perspective. "I thought the song was Albanian, but now it seems it belongs to everybody. It is proof of our common recent history," he said.

The OSCE's Alcidi adds that Whose is this Song? also educates people about the need for tolerance of diversity: "Tolerance is the result of knowing that even 'unique' features of your identity can be found elsewhere."

A broader message

And Peeva is quick to point out that just because the film is set in the Balkans, it doesn't mean that its message is only applicable there.

"Usually people see this film and think 'Oh, this is the Balkans', but when I screened it in Amsterdam, a lady from the European Parliament said it was a European problem of identity and diversity."

The OSCE Award for Human Rights and Diversity will continue to be an important feature of the increasingly popular Dokufest Film Festival. As Peeva explains, it's this kind of initiative that can open people's minds to new ideas.

"We can't expect films to change people's lives. But it's good to discuss things, and if even one person starts to think differently, then that's a big success," says the film's director.