National Competition 3

For the past several years, the National Competition has presented audiences the best that domestic cinema has to offer. This year’s three blocks contain a total of fifteen films – live-action, documentary, and animated.

The third competition block includes five films as well. Jan Saska’s Hurikán recently competed at the renowned Sundance festival of independent film in the United States. In The Lodge, Eliška Přádová follows a young woman hoping to find a brief escape from her mental problems among a group of friends. Michael Jiřinec’s They Can Hear Your Smiles constructs an original, dystopian, and twisted microworld, while Tomáš Rampula’s experimental, almost radical Time Metallurgist uses artificial intelligence to creatively process archival footage. And Jamaica Kindlová’s Touching Darkness introduces us to the world of ten-year-old Vítek, a world “seen” primarily through sound and touch.

The three-member international jury will present an award for Best Czech Film, which comes with a financial reward of 2,000 euros. The jurors can also choose to present a Special Jury Mention. The director of the winning film will receive in-kind post-production services from Beep and PFX for his or her next project.