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.

Šimon Lovecký’s impressionistically intoxicating A Dream of Summer presents rare moments of tenderness and closeness capable of cutting through human solitude, even if only for a moment. Vojtěch Konečný’s The First Patrol follows two ordinary police officers in a small town, whose routine is upended when they are called to respond to a mass shooting. Following its showing at Rotterdam, Pragueshorts presents the Czech premiere of Marie Lukáčová’s rap fairy tale Orla. Can wisdom, warmth, and a generous dose of female anger defeat the ultimate injustice? Anastázie Rainischová’s animated Sleep Dreams plays out in the spirit of carnival-like playfulness and mischievousness – but also disquiet. It is a film that overwhelms us with sensations so that we may see. Tomáš Rampula makes a repeat appearance in the national competition, this time with the dark and mysterious Snowblind, which was inspired by the literary work and tone of Edgar Allan Poe.

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.