The Ji.hlava New Visions Forum, a key industry event of the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, will showcase a new selection of bold and exciting documentary projects from emerging and established filmmakers.
A total of 29 projects from 15 countries will be presented during the Forum, taking place October 28–30, offering their teams the opportunity to connect with potential co-production, financing, sales, and distribution partners.
Eight of this year’s selected projects are directed by first-time filmmakers, alongside new works by acclaimed and experienced directors. These include Lindsey Sitz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning documentary filmmaker, Simantini Chakraborty, a close collaborator of Godfrey Reggio and director of The Original Badass, Iranian filmmaker Ali Razi (At Night, the Red Sky), and Polish director Agnieszka Zwiefka (Silent Trees, Vika!), among others. The selection also features new projects by Emerging Producers alumni Charlotte Heilstone from the United Kingdom and Matej Sotník from Slovakia.
The Forum will present projects from Europe, the United States, and East and Southeast Asia, complemented this year by six upcoming projects from Montenegro, the Country in Focus of Ji.hlava Industry 2026.
Across the selection, several recurring themes emerge: memory, archives, and what has been suppressed or silenced; individuals confronting systems and structures of power; and the intersection of personal experience with larger historical processes. At the same time, it is precisely the diversity of perspectives, cinematic approaches, cultural contexts, and stages of filmmakers’ careers that makes this year’s selection particularly distinctive.
The Ji.hlava New Visions Forum takes place October 28–30, 2026, and is complemented by an extensive Matchmaking Accelerator, connecting selected projects with international decision-makers and industry professionals.
Around 1,200 industry professionals are expected to attend this year’s jubilee 30th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival.
