“The programme for this year’s Prague Film Festival is based on the main theme ‘Seeing Beyond the Image’. At a time when the boundaries between reality and illusion are becoming increasingly blurred, we wanted to create a programme that allows viewers to look beneath the surface of the images that shape our lives. The individual sections combine intimate personal narratives with experimental forms, and student work with established filmmakers in an international context. Alongside a strong section of Czech short films, we are also presenting notable international titles and feature-length films reflecting on themes of war, identity, family, physicality and social responsibility. Thirty Czech pre-selectors, predominantly film students and young film professionals, contributed to the programming and selection of films. “Our aim is not merely to screen films, but to create a space for sharing and to raise questions about what lies behind the image,” says director Erik Jasaň, who, together with producer Hynek Spurný, is the founder and director of the Prague Film Festival.
“This year’s edition will also feature a rich Industry programme, which will include the second edition of the Anirama competitive pitching forum. This will showcase student animation projects in development from five Czech film and art universities – FAMU, UMPRUM, UTB Zlín, the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art, and the University of Creative Communication. The projects will be judged by an international jury composed of audiovisual professionals. The Industry programme will also include an analysis of the screenplay for the cult film The Godfather, led by screenwriter Michal Baláž, and a masterclass with Vojtěch Hönig, director of the series Generation Nika, who will reveal the pitfalls of filming a documentary in war zones. “And last but not least, filmmakers can look forward to evening networking events during the festival,” adds Hynek Spurný.
Feature films
The festival programme includes the Golden Globe-nominated film My Father and Qaddafi, directed by Jihan K., the daughter of former Libyan diplomat and anti-Gaddafi peace activist Mansur Rashid Kikhia. Her father, Mansur Rashid Kikhia, disappeared in Cairo in 1993, and Jihan is investigating the circumstances of his disappearance. The screening of the film*Clearing*will be accompanied by a Q&A with its director, Magdalena Ewa Pieta. The film begins with the moment when a young mother disappears on the slopes of the sacred Ślęża mountain, leaving behind a pram with her child… Actress Aliaksandra Vaitsekhovich– who plays the lead role inspired by the true story of young journalist Katsiaryna Andreeva, who is currently serving an eight-year sentence in a Belarusian prison – will attend the screening of the drama*Under the Grey Sky*in person. The fourth feature film in the festival selection is *The Man Who Saw the Bear*– the screenwriter, director and lead actor is the famous Pierre Richard. The film was screened in a special showing at the Cannes Film Festival.
Short films
Over 40 films will compete in the Best Czech Short Film and Best Short Film categories, some of which had their world premieres at the Cannes – The Spectacle: Our Own Shadowand Annecy – The Magician festivals. The Czech film Death Lives– a finalist for the Student Oscar – will have its Prague premiere, and Dog and Wolf, nominated for a Czech Lion, will also be featured. Music videos will also be shown, includinga new video by the band Berlin Manson.
Several of the filmmakers behind these short films will be attending Kino Pilotů, where they will take partin discussions with the audience following the screenings.
Industry programme
The masterclass ‘Filming in War Zones’ will share the personal experience of Vojtěch Hönig, director of the series Generace Nika, who decided to enter an environment where filmmaking takes on a whole new dimension – areas scarred by armed conflict. The series Generace Nikais currently being broadcast on ČT – iVysílání. The masterclass‘Analysis of The Godfather’ will offera detailed look at the narrative structure of this cult film and, among other things, reveal how Francis Ford Coppola builds tension and shapes complex relationships between characters.
The Anirama Pitching Forum competition for Czech student animation projects in the development phase will showcase a selection of talented creators from leading domestic film and art universities. Students from FAMU, UMPRUM, UTB Zlín, Sutnarka Plzeň and VŠKK will present their projects. The entire pitching session will be conducted in English, and the projects will be judged by experienced professionals from the European animation industry.
Juries and other distinguished guests
The festival will culminate on Saturday 18 April witha closing gala eveningand awards ceremony. The winners will be decided by the audience – the Audience Award – and in other categories by an international jury comprising: Slovak screenwriter and lecturer Michal Baláž, Hungarian director Dániel Erdélyi, who experiments with film form, and Belarusian director Liza Chakanava, who works in Prague. The Anirama jury will comprise: German director and animator Arne Hain, director of the Berlin Animation Hub Maximilian Breckwoldt, and Czech film producer Rozálie Brožková.
The festival will also be attended by prominent figures from the international festival scene, including Isioro Jaboro (TINFF), Dominika Krop (ZOOM Zblizenia) and Joaquín Calderón (Navarra IFF).
The Prague Film Festival 2026 in April will thus become a unique source of inspiration, new contacts and a space for discovering contemporary world cinema.
Ticket sales:https://goout.net/sk/prague-film-festival-2026/szloogy/
Source: vecerni-praha.cz