Preview of the industry programme
In three weeks, a rich variety of industry events will unfold as part of the 23rd Ji.hlava IDFF:
Emerging Producers 2020 – presentation of 17 up-and-coming documentary film producers from Europe and one from the guest country – Taiwan
Inspiration Forum – platform initiating new topics in documentary film and a source of inspiration for filmmakers
Festival Hub – unique showcase of world film festivals and other film events
Visegrad Accelerator – meeting of key personalities from the Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak film environments
Discussions and focused presentations for film professionals (Creative Europe – MEDIA programme, East-West Index, pitchings of new Czech documentaries, etc.)
Matchmaking Accelerator – a service that will connect you with other film professionals visiting Ji.hlava
Conference Fascinations – a conference on distribution of experimental documentary film, accompanied by a special retrospective of Ukrainian experimental cinema
Open programme of Ex Oriente workshop organised by the Institute of Documentary Film (IDF)
East Silver Market video library with hundreds of documentary titles from Central and Eastern Europe (IDF)
Masterclasses, panel discussions, presentations, industry drinks, and much more. Join over 1,100 film professionals expected to attend the 23rd edition of Ji.hlava IDFF between October 24–29, 2019.
Are you a film student? Then note that you can acquire a substantially discounted Early Bird industry accreditation until this Sunday!
First films revealed
Ji.hlava will see a special screening of documentary essay Communism by Karel Vachek, the classic of Czech cinema. The author’s ninth film that takes many hours and has four parts, maps out the contemporary Czech political scene, philosophy, religion and art. Other sections will offer the story of human relentlessness made by the Macedonian duo Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, Honeyland, one of the winners of this year’s Sundance festival. The Canadian director team composed of Jennifer Baichwal, Nick de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky from Canada will bring to the audience Anthropocene: The Human Epoch in which the authors follow the effects of human activity on the planet’s ecosystem. The Brink by American director Alison Clayman shows the mentality of Steve Bannon, the right-wing populist and former strategist of president Trump. The full selection of the 23rd Ji.hlava IDFF will be published at a press conference on October 8.
Tribute to Man Ray
As late as in the 1980s, Man Ray – American avant-gardist, a renowned photographer, painter and experimenter close to surrealism – was considered the author of only four films. This year, as part of his retrospective at Ji.hlava, you will have a chance to watch additional footage discovered in the estate of his partner, Ada Fidelin, that open the doors to Man Ray's private world. The exclusive screenings will include the dispute between Pablo Picasso and Paul Eluard during a palm-reading session and many other gems!
Erotica in experimental film
This year’s thematic section of the Conference Fascinations will focus on Erotica. Along with Man Ray, we will recall other classical authors such as Kenneth Anger, Carolee Schneeman and Peter Tscherkassky, as well as less-known authors whose works will for the first time ever be shown on the screen. The retrospective will show a range from pure visual joy inspired by the naked body to radical political manifestos.
Czech films look beyond the borders
The Czech Joy competition section will feature a diverse selection of documentaries. Barbora Berezňáková will present her debut Never Happened, which follows the leads in one large political and criminal case of the 1990s in Slovakia. Kiruna – A Brand New World by Czech-Swedish director Greta Stocklassa is a portrait of a town, which is to be moved away. The Sound Is Innocent by Johana Ožvold pays tribute to world’s electronic music and its development since 1950s until today. Solo by the Czech-based French director and producer, Artemio Benki, follows the destiny of talented Argentinian piano player, Martín Perin, whose promising career was influenced by his long-term stay at a psychiatric clinic in Buenos Aires. The full selection of the 23 Ji.hlava IDFF will be published at a press conference on October 8.
Inspiration Forum will search for new topics for documentary films
The Ji.hlava’s Inspiration Forum, which annually offers space for discussion will host over 100 prominent guests from outside the film world. You can look forward to full six days dedicated to six particular topics, entitled God & co., The Changing Woman, Re:Democracy, How Not To Be Afraid, Climageddon, and Made in China. This year's speakers include Dagestan-born novelist Alisa Ganieva, Croatian philosopher and political activist Srećko Horvat, writer and former US border patrol agent Fransisco Cantú, renowned environmentalist Bill McKibben, a former leading figure of German Neo-Nazi scene Christian Weissgerber, and Afghani writer and parliamentarian Fawzia Koofi. The full programme and list of guests will be announced on October 8.
Ex Oriente Film workshop with Niels Pagh Andersen and Audrius Stonys
Masterclasses and lectures by acclaimed documentary filmmakers will be open to the public at the Ex Oriente Film workshop in Jihlava (October 23-28). Editor Niels Pagh Andersen received numerous awards, and his editing credits include Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Look of Silence and The Act of Killing, as well as Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow. Among other guests are director and cinematographer Erick Stoll, known for his award-winning América, and director and producer Audrius Stonys, whose Earth of the Blind got European Film Award.
