International Competition 1
The international competition, which is open to live-action, animated, and documentary films, features twenty-six productions or co-productions involving twenty-three countries. The geographically diverse selection also includes works from places such as Panama or Haiti whose cinematic creations are rarely seen by Czech audiences. This year’s line-up is similarly colorful and diverse in terms of subject matter, visual form, and narrative style, and the section’s five blocks of films thus represent a unique opportunity to learn about contemporary trends in short film.
Matta and Matto, a quirky animated film from Switzerland, takes you to Hotel Vaip, where one’s deepest desires are fulfilled – but, as so often is the case, nothing is for free. The energetic Italian Majonezë takes us to Albania, where a sense of resentment towards the patriarchy is slowly maturing within young Elyria. The Portuguese film Bad for a Moment, which premiered at Cannes, opens with a botched team-building event, followed by an unexpected movement of the mind. Set at a local laundromat, the Canadian documentary Hello Stranger lets its sympathetic heroine Cooper tell her story of transition. In the dreamily haunting Filipino poem Vox Humana, a group of people investigate whether an unknown man has caused local natural disasters.
The International Competition jury will present an award for Best Film, which comes with a financial prize of 3,000 euros. The jurors will also award two Special Mentions.
English spoken or English subtitled screening. Suitable both for English speaking viewers and Czech viewers alike.
