For the third consecutive year, Ji.hlava IDFF will support outstanding auteur filmmaking from Central and Eastern Europe. The new call for applications to the Ji.hlava / JB Films support programme is now open, with a deadline of August 31. The 30th edition of the Czech docfest runs October 23 to November 1.
The financial support will take the form of co-production contributions to film projects. Around 3–4 documentary and hybrid films in production or post-production will be supported, and one project can receive up to 40,000 EUR. By contributing to the selected projects, a share of the future profit will be assigned to Ji.hlava / JB Films and will be subsequently allocated in full to film projects selected in subsequent calls.
The aim is to support the effective distribution of films in both national and international contexts. “We are aware that distributing auteur films is much more difficult after the pandemic, and we want to make it easier for exceptional projects to reach their audiences. We are convinced that these exceptional films can help us understand better the changes and the mounting crises of the world we live in,” the festival writes.
Films supported through this support scheme in the past years include My Dear Theo by Alisia Kovalenko, Wishing on a Star by Peter Kerekes, and other titles.
JI.HLAVA IDFF CELEBRATES 30 YEARS WITH FILMS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
The festival’s 30th anniversary is reflected in this year’s visual identity for which long-time Ji.hlava graphic designer Juraj Horváth transformed the motif of a circle transforming into rippling waves.
“It beautifully captures the essence of every action spreading outward in concentric circles, like a stone thrown into a pond,” the festival notes. “The same idea lies behind this year’s central retrospective section, Films That Changed the World. The visual concept also refers to the festival’s long-standing motto, ‘Thinking Through Film,’ which encapsulates Ji.hlava’s curatorial vision. The retrospective will present documentaries whose impact reached far beyond the cinema screen.”
Comments festival director Marek Hovorka: “I’ve often been asked whether films can change the world. We decided to take that question seriously and search across the past century for films that truly did. Among them are documentaries that helped free wrongly convicted people from prison, led to changes in regulations, contributed to investment in neglected regions, or even changed legislation. These are not ideological films, but films that stand alongside ordinary people—individuals, communities and society as a whole,”
The section is presented in partnership with Pale Fire Capital, the investment and philanthropic organisation founded by Czech entrepreneur and philanthropist Jan Barta, which also becomes the festival’s new General Partner for the next three years.
Says Jan Barta: “Documentary film is closely connected to what we do through Pale Fire Capital’s philanthropy. For more than a decade we have been addressing social inequality from various perspectives and understand how important it is for society to truly see and understand its consequences. People are naturally far more willing to tackle problems they can genuinely perceive and comprehend. Documentary film plays an irreplaceable role because it transforms abstract issues into human experience, strengthens empathy and creates space for public debate. Data and analysis are essential, but they are not enough on their own.”
“To create change, they need a broader ecosystem of awareness and education,” Barta adds. “That is why we want to help strengthen the role of documentary film in society through our partnership with Ji.hlava. We also recognise that recent developments in cultural funding have brought greater uncertainty to the sector and made long-term planning more difficult. Becoming the festival’s main partner this year therefore felt like a natural decision.”
