Three films connected to Czechia have been selected for the competition programme. Two additional Czech films will be screened in the Panorama section (non-competitive) and one as a special screening.

Competition Films

Abigél Dérczy: Ř (2025)

The film by Hungarian animator and illustrator Abigél Dérczy, an animation student at MOME Budapest (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design), who completed an exchange stay at UMPRUM in Prague, was inspired by the Czech letter “Ř”. The film uses repeated experiences of hearing the distinctive sound of “Ř”, which is notoriously difficult for foreigners to pronounce, although it is a common part of spoken Czech. The film is a personal testimony about finding one’s own way in Czechia and an expression of gratitude to the country and the people the author encountered there.

Živa Divjak: Our Walls (2026)

An animated documentary by a Slovenian director currently living in Prague, who made the film at FAMU. The film is based on an intimate conversation between a daughter and a mother and explores understanding and family relationships. It uncovers fragile boundaries between freedom, sacrifice, and the gradual breaking down of barriers between generations. The film emerged from the director’s own conversations with her mother about caring for her grandmother and raises questions about the boundary between love for others and love for oneself.

Anna Mantzaris: Please (2026)

A darkly comic animated short film by Swedish director Anna Mantzaris about the human desire to love and be loved, on the themes of loneliness, intimacy, and romance. The film was created as an international co-production involving Finland, France, Norway and Czechia.

Panorama Section

Antonie Zavadilová: The Author Crushing on Hot Guys (2026)

The animation captures a conversation between two female friends about relationships and feelings. Although they have different life experiences, both women deal with similar themes.

Šimon Mészáros: Quantum Jump (2026)

This surreal journey of self-discovery follows a man embarking on a symbolic odyssey through a magical forest. The film reflects on the dual nature of thinking and its impact on free will. It resonates with the theme of creation as a path toward a new beginning and a further ending.

Special Screening

Jan Švankmajer: Alice (1988)

Švankmajer’s Alice is a surrealist adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, combining live-action scenes with stop-motion animation. The film will be presented in cooperation with the Czech Centre Stockholm.

 

More information about the programme, tickets, and screening times can be found on the festival website.