Ji.hlava '23

A clever balance between magical realism and formal fly-on-the-wall documentary, Ivan Ostrochovský and Pavol Pekarčík’s striking Photophobia is an examination of life within Ukraine’s Kharkiv metro, where men, women and children live a strange underground existence as they escape the bombardment of the city.

Set against the stunning backdrop of Kyrgyzstan’s vast plains, Janyl Jusupjan’s ironically titled feature doc follows the enterprising and warm-hearted Atirkül as she attempts to carve a place for herself in the intensely masculine traditional team sport of buzkashi, in which horse-riders battle to steal the trophy - in the form of a dead goat - from the rival team of riders, all the time on horseback.

The leading Czech docfest invites submissions from “diverse audiovisual formats” such as fiction with documentary aspects, hybrid, experimental, short films, docu and web series, cinema expanded projects, games with documentary aspects, as well as VR+AR+Live documentaries. Cash awards are on offer for the most promising projects. The deadline for applications August 15.

The Ji.hlava New Visions Forum: Europe & U.S. Docs Awards (ten in total) were handed out 27 October as doors closed on this year’s Industry event. Additionally, the festival announced the creation of the Ji.hlava/JB Films co-production project. Next year, up to €110,000 will be distributed to creative documentaries from the region of Central and Eastern Europe.

This year, the Ji.hlava IDFF offers up 357 films in both competitive and non-competitive sections, of which 115 will be world premieres, 22 international premieres and 17 European premieres. "Ji.hlava is a place that brings forth striking images from around the world, connecting the community of filmmakers and viewers," says festival director Marek Hovorka. Ji.hlava IDFF runs October 24-29.

Ji.hlava IDFF unveiled its winning films October 29. Photophobia by Ivan Ostrochovský and Pavol Pekarčík took home the Best Czech Doc Award, while the Opus Bonum Award for Best World Doc went to Elvis Lenić's Ship from Croatia. Maia Gattás Vargas, the Argentine director, was honoured for her original approach, and Hungarian director Béla Tarr received recognition for his contribution to world cinema.

With 357 films across 7 competitive and 11 non-competitive sections, the Ji.hlava programme is particularly intense in 2023, chock full of doc from emerging and established makers alike, and presented to a highly cinephile Czech audience. “We don't think that daring and personal films ignore audiences. Quite the opposite. Documentary film has long been the most diverse and vibrant part of the audiovisual landscape, and interest in it continues to grow,” says festival director Marek Hovorka.

This year’s Ji.hlava IDFF is primarily dedicated to women, the Czech festival announced September 13, with topics such as female physicality and sexuality, ageing, friendship, childbirth, coming to terms with motherhood, sexual violence, and the effort to break free from gender roles running through the programme. Special guests include Claire Simon and Naomi Kawase. The festival also presents a Marguerite Duras retrospective.

The story of ageing Romanian Constantin Reliu is complex, fascinating and, indeed, cautionary. A man with no documents, personal or pension rights, he worked in Turkey for 25 years and after being deported returns to his homeland only to find that he was presumed dead and has to face up to a system that refuses to formally recognise that he is actually alive.

In French director Clément Deneux’s project, the renowned Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase explores self-acceptance through a bicycle trip love story. “The real-time animated piece that maximizes the medium's potential, offering viewers full freedom of movement and a sense of story participation in a documentary about a feature film that was never produced,” the jury said.