Programme sections

Opus Bonum is a competition section for the best world documentary films presented in world, international or European premieres. → USD 10,000 for the winning film → EUR 3,000 for the best film from V4 countries** (in cooperation with the International Visegrad Fund) → award for the best Central and East European film* → awards for the best cinematography, editing, sound design, film essay, etc. * Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia (only for films not supported by the Russian state institutions), Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan ** Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia The full list of films will be published on October 16.

First Lights is a competition section for the best world documentary feature debuts and second features presented in world, international or European premieres. The full list of films will be published on October 16.

Testimonies is a competition section dedicated to powerful documentary films which deal with important social, economic, environmental, and political phenomena. The full list of films will be published on October 16.

Czech Joy is a competition section for the best Czech documentary, celebrating diversity of themes and cinematic expression. → 200.000 CZK for the winning film. → Professional Nikon camera for the Special mention. The full list of films will be published on October 16.

Fascinations is a prestigious competition section for best world experimental documentary films. Unexpected representations of the lived world through exploratory work with film language in an atlas of contemporary experimental cinema from every continent.

Exprmntl.cz is a competition of the latest Czech experiments that relate to reality and never stop searching for a new audiovisual expression.

Short Joy is a competition section for the most remarkable world documentary shorts. All films are made available online and free for two weeks prior to the festival. The public, anywhere in the world, is the jury of the section. You can watch and vote here. → Free distribution on DAFilms.com platform for one year & additional support for the winning film. The full list of films will be published on October 9.

Virtual Reality competition gives viewers the chance to enter into 360° films and spatial installations. Here, you can find 360° documentary films, VR installations and works on the boundary between film and art that make use of virtual spaces to create autonomous worlds whose own rules are determined by visuality. We are interested in works that take advantage of the characteristics of virtuality in an innovative and contemplative manner, that experiment with the audiovisual representation of reality and real stories, or that build an entertaining and instructive world of knowledge and learning. The full list of films will be published on October 16.

A comprehensive look at the documentary methods, creative decisions, styles, and cinematic thinking of exceptional documentary filmmakers. The full list of masterclasses will be published on October 16.

The Constellations section presents films, that recently shone on world documentary skies. We introduce carefully selected remarkable titles from other film festivals. This selection features also the best films screened at Doc Alliance festivals. Ji.hlava IDFF is part of the alliance, which together consists of 7 key European documentary film festivals. Representatives from each festival nominate both a short and feature film from their program each year, from which European journalists select two Doc Alliance Award winners.

Exceptional cinema events that offer a unique and profound perspective on the complexities of human experience.

Food is a mirror of the times, and touches on many aspects of society, from politics, technology, and industry to ecology, ethics, and culture. This is evident in a collection of films from 1948–1989. It includes propaganda films, film surveys, satires, and feature films, as well as popular educational and instructional films about the influence of technological progress on women’s emancipation.