Ji.hlava IDFF honours Dušan Hanák - Slovenský filmový ústav

26th edition of Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (25 – 30 October 2022) will honour Dušan Hanák with Contribution to World Cinema Award. Festival will also present 19 Slovak films, multiple of them in world premiere.

“His film work is very inspiring for its distinctive handwriting, courage and ability to capture the essential themes of his time, even at the cost of the prohibitions and restrictions imposed by the totalitarian regime. The critical nature of Dušan Hanák’s films stemmed primarily from their consistent authenticity, combining experimentation with civility. Since 1992, he worked as a teacher at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, where he significantly influenced the next generation of directors,” said Ji.hlava IDFF’s director Marek Hovorka about Dušan Hanák. On the occasion, the festival will screen Pictures of the Old World and Old Shatterhand Came To See Us.

Opus Bonum, the main festival competition, will see the world premiere of new film by Jaro Vojtek The Shift, while Good Old Czechs, the latest film by Tomáš Bojar, was selected for Testimonies competition.

Five Slovak films are up for the best Czech documentary film award, including two that are presented in world premieres: Leaving to Remain (d. Mira Erdevicki) and Bandits for a Ballad (d. Vladimír Morávek). Another three Slovak films in the Czech Joy competition are: Pongo Calling (d. Tomáš Kratochvíl), Kapr Code (d. Lucie Králová), and The Visitors (d. Veronika Lišková).

Short films competitions include five Slovak films. We Have to Survive: Fukushima! by Tomáš Krupa and Building Slovakia – Decorations by Mária Pinčíková, both in the international premiere, were selected for Short Joy, while forests and coasts near zingst (d. Peter Podolský; world premiere), Kambium 1492 (d. Peter Kašpar, Denis Kozerawski; festival premiere), and Asterión (d. Francesco Montagner) were selected for Exprmntl.cz competition.

Apart from the two aforementioned films by Dušan Hanák, Special Event section will see world premiere of the new film by Marek Kuboš ± 90.

In non-competitive Czech Television Documentaries section, audiences in Jihlava will have a chance to see four Slovak films that premiered in last 12 months: Dežo Hoffmann – Photographer of The Beatles (d. Patrik Lančarič), Identity ES (d. Alena Činčerová), Michael Kocáb (d. Olga Sommerová), and Wild Prague (d. Jan Hošek).

Slovak film professionals will also take part in the industry programme. Tereza Tokárová was selected for Emerging Producers training programme. Three projects in development will be looking for international partners at New Visions Market: Becoming Ema (d. Patricia Drati), Maybe, It’s Not Real (d. Štefánia Lovasová), and The Four of Us (d. Josefina Lubojacki). Feature-length The Cathedral (d. Denis Dobrovoda) and a short Strigov (d. Barbora Berezňáková) are nominated for Silver Eye Award.