Discoveries from Czech Republic World Cinema

In Prague, two 16-year-old girls, the exuberant Dáša and the reserved Klára, have to deal with the toxic masculinity of two boys their age, Robert and Pavel.

When two teenage girls plot to steal liquor for themselves, their plan goes awry when they decide to visit their old piano teacher who's developed dementia.

In March 2022, after Russian forces occupied the Ukrainian city of Bucha, dozens of civilians were killed on Yablunska Street over the course of three days. Russian authorities later claimed that the footage of the massacre had been staged. However, testimony from survivors indicates that many civilians were not killed accidentally — they were deliberately targeted. Using CCTV recordings, drone footage, and military documents, the Ukrainian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reconstructed a detailed account of the bloodiest days on Yablunska Street and identified some of the officers involved in these crimes.

The Mole nurses an injured bird back to full health.

Futnet - a game similar to volleyball, played with one's feet, and on a tennis court - originated in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s. Now played internationally, village tournaments are still considered a point of pride.

In 35 years of one couple's shared life, a lot of things happen: from the moments of an absolute harmony to the dramatic falls. For the most of the time, the couple cares for common daily life issues and joys that come together with raising the children, running the household or running a business. And this is exactly the life of furniture shop owners Ivana and Vaclav Strnadovi, 2 characters that a director Helena Trestíková follows with her camera as of the year 1980 within a project The Marriage Story. Her new feature documentary about Strnad family is linked to TV films from this cycle, but most importantly it shows further shocking twists, that life brought to the couple and their children.

Stage-managed and manipulative picture, which can be viewed as an ironic pendant to poetic films celebrating the common sense, view into a static existence of a village alcoholic trying to cope with a text from the parish priest - within the context of the Christian rhetoric, the reconstructed commonness of the main character loses its meaningless nature, and the Man, on his way to catharsis through a catholic teaching, boozes away to a higher symbolic order.

A short animated film “Contact” reflects on the ability to express and accept love. Living far away as an emigrant, young woman learns about her beloved grandmother’s death and dives into deep reflection. On the flight to the funeral, she must choose to repeat her parents’ cold pattern or embrace the warmth her grandmother taught her.

Violinist Aleksey Igudesman and pianist Hyung-ki Joo in a unique comedy show combining humor, classical music, and references to popular culture. A program in which they subject Sergei Rachmaninoff to their relentless but respectful scrutiny.

“Do you know what I’ve always wanted to find out, brother? Where do you get your ideas for your drawings?” director David Sís asks his older brother Petr at the beginning of the film. He doesn’t get an answer right away, but perhaps it can be found in this documentary that, with great care, traces the highly successful career of a talented and multifaceted artist whose work crosses generational and geographic boundaries.

Aren't the deformed images of Marx which we often come across in the Czech Republic, a manifestation of the fact that we have not yet come to terms with the communist regime, asks Michael Hauser, philosophy lecturer from the Charles University in Prague. Filmmakers took his question and transformed it into a film. They followed a protest with their camera, they caught Slovenian philosophy bear Slavoj Zizek in a Prague archway. For those, who might get bored, they used colorful filters. Besides that, they invited a rat to participate, an animal that knows how to listen.

According to a 2021 study by analysts from Palacký University, around ten percent of teachers surveyed had difficulty distinguishing facts from disinformation. In this documentary report, we explore how disinformation can be identified within the education system and how both teachers and students can protect themselves against it.

The animated fairy tale tells the story of a woodcutter who cuts down a forest, carves a forest maiden out of one of the trunks and suddenly realises that he has served an evil master all his life. At the last moment, he defies fate and saves the revived tree. The artwork is based on the traditions of Czech puppet film. The plot is underscored by the haunting music of an acoustic guitar.

A festive event marking the 10th anniversary of the Czech Republic's accession to the European Union, during which the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a live broadcast of L. van Beethoven's popular Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, with Ode to Joy.

A demotivating story about internal and external, about accepting and understanding yourself and the world around you.

A special concert by Michal Hrůza to celebrate 20 years on the Czech music scene. The stage was graced by 51 members of the Bon Art Pops Orchestra, 50 children from Coro Piccolo, Michal Hrůza with Kapela Hrůzy, and guest performers Lenka Dusilová, Klára Vytisková, and Olga Königová, who sang duets with Hrůza and the musicians.

Forgotten Transports to Poland is a documentary by Lukáš Přibyl, part of a series that explores lesser-known Holocaust deportations. This film focuses on Jewish deportees sent to little-known camps in eastern Poland during World War II. It highlights their survival strategies and personal stories, offering a human perspective on these largely forgotten events.

A new play is being rehearsed at the theater. The director replaces the perpetually tardy actor with a robot. The offended actor cries out that technology has triumphed over humanity. After rehearsal, the robot sets out on a nighttime stroll through the city. Thanks to its programmed theatrical lines, it becomes a pleasant companion in one of the bars...

Film about the tragic history of the illustrious Neumann family house, one of the last remaining old building of the Zizkov district of Prague.

Elder brother Lukás and his teenage sister Nela begin to feel something other than a sibling relationship to each other.

Undersea adventure in snowy city. A short cartoon film as a homage to Jacques Cousteau.

Inner view to the social bubble of those who are running our society without being any part of it. Mixture of shots taken on unspecified VIP event and records from artist’s performative piece which he realized in Prague, is a though reflexion of bitter reality of our lives: No matter how many plastic straws we won’t use, it is not us, who sets the limits.

Kinetopsia, a disorder in which one believes that static objects are in motion, serves as a metaphor for the social situation we find ourselves in: the Velvet Revolution took place thirty-five years ago, and while the opaque present continues to bring new problems, public discussion often still revolves around the hunt for the "spectre of communism". From the perspective of a young couple, we discover the fascinating project of Sylvia's abandoned Discoland and become aware of the critical moments of the political transformation that has determined the economic and cultural conditions in which we live today.

The story of Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi in a spectacular multimedia show by Michal Dvořák and Jaroslav Svěcený from the sold-out Prague O2 Arena on June 10, 2015. Following the success of their two previous projects, in 2015 the two main protagonists, Michal Dvořák and Jaroslav Svěcený, prepared the release of a new album, their third, and a new concert program that combines a live concert, film projections, and theatrical elements. The concerts make extensive use of film projections prepared for the new compositions. The entire concert performance is based on a composed format of the live Vivaldianno orchestra, the aforementioned projections, theatrical elements, and the "story of A. Vivaldi," which connects the entire concert as the main leitmotif of the evening.

Young and unfulfilled student Killian follows a dream to Würzburg; a German city which he begins to believe holds profound spiritual meaning.

Prince Dominik torments his father with his aversion to marriage so much that the king has him locked up in an old tower. In prison, the prince is discovered by the water nymph Aneta, who is enchanted by the young man's beauty. She boasts about her latest discovery to her friend, the genie Létavec. However, he objects to the nymph, saying that the most beautiful creature is the emperor's daughter, Princess Budúr, who rejects all suitors. The magical beings bring their favorites together so they can compare their charms. However, they have no idea that this fateful meeting will cause Prince Dominik and Princess Budúr to fall in love.

A series of short family films created by FAMU students that have shone at international festivals: 659, Fear Nothing, The Basics of Art, We Are Closer to Death, Asylum, Red Shoes, and Sing.

A wealthy Turk intends to establish an opera house in Smyrna with the help of opera lover Count Čipera. Opera singers are applying for the engagement, and the female singers are also fighting fiercely for the position of prima donna. The Turk has a weakness for women, but will he be the one to make the final decision? And how will this bold project turn out? A recording of a theater performance by Prague's Činoherní klub.

A crazy video show in which you will be thoroughly entertained by characters such as Captain Sobota, Sergeant Holzmann, Major Miloš Zeman, and other chaotic figures in uniform.

An evil wizard longs to obtain what he does not yet have—a magic lamp. However, only a young boy can help him, so he seeks out the orphan Ali and sends him to a magical cave. The boy obtains the lamp, grows up, and woos the beautiful princess Fatima. Their happiness does not last long, as the vengeful wizard has no intention of giving up the lamp... How the love of the poor merchant Ali, with his wealth of goodness and love in his heart for Princess Fatima, ultimately triumphs, you will see in this fairy tale inspired by an oriental story from the collection One Thousand and One Nights.

An animated adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Raven' using a painted brushstroke style.

During the aggression on Ukraine, Russian soldiers killed more than 400 Ukrainian athletes. Russians destroyed hundreds of stadiums, sports centers, gyms, and pools. Thousands of young athletes and children fled war to foreign countries.

The short reportage film depicts the situation of hard-to-recycle waste. Our guides are a local government employee and the staff of Technical Services Zlín, whom the director interviewed and filmed at work. In the local context of an East Moravian municipality, it examines the technical, economic and political aspects of the problem. In addition, there are the inevitable social issues regarding the wider sustainability of the contemporary consumer lifestyle.

What impact do the Olympic Games have on their host cities? Athens, Tokyo, Beijing and Paris – cities that have changed the urban layout of entire neighbourhoods for the Olympics, transforming their appearance forever. Unused sports stadiums are falling into disrepair and grass is growing over them, while public attention is focused on the construction of new stadiums costing billions, displacing thousands of residents who have to make way for them. The director travels to Olympic host cities to explore this unsustainable cycle, which has a devastating effect on the city's economy, the environment, and the lives of ordinary people.

Slightly meteorological film about creating, behaving and blustering of clouds, about how the invisible (e.g. water in atmosphere) can become visible and in what way formating of ideas is similar to that of clouds. Also a painter and a physicist participate, to talk about elements (the first one) and colours (the latter one).

Hundreds of thousands of Czech men and women who travel to the seaside in Croatia every year not only shed their clothing, but also their cultural mimicry on the country’s beaches. From distinct and close encounters between Czech and Croatian people comes a documentary about the human need for the sea, saving money at all costs, and returning to the same places. This peculiar ethnographic study sparkles with tragicomedy at the moments when it most consistently applies the techniques of participant observation. Seen through Croatian eyes, it seems that Czech people truly can be recognised by the socks in their sandals, the pâté and beer in their bags, but perhaps also by their humour, which is something the locals lack.

A cinematic poem delving into recurring dream epiphanies of a grandmother’s death and the birth of an unwanted child. Říká se, že nejdelší sen trvá 45 minut guides us through the bleak, desolate landscape of gloomy Polish Lodz.

An unconventional portrait of Emma Srncová, a painter, artist and occasional actress.