Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival audience will have a chance to discover multiple new Slovak film; the festival program includes nine documentaries, while another upcoming projects will be presented during industry events. The 30th anniversary edition of the festival takes place from October 23 to November 1, 2026.
Two Slovak documentaries are competing for awards in the main Opus Bonum competition section, as well as in the Czech Joy national competition. Wasteland Chronicles, directed by Viera Čákanyová, Barbora Sliepková, and Lucia Kašová, and produced by filmsomnia, will have its international premiere in Jihlava. The film explores three stories of major environmental burdens that continue to impact Slovak landscape and population to this day. The second film, Love Exposed, examines the relationship between the renowned Czech photographer of nudes and erotic imagery, Vlastimil Kula, and his daughter, Blanka Kulová, who also served as the film’s editor. Directed by Filip Remunda and co-produced by kerekesfilm, the film will have its world premiere at the festival.
Also featured is Tomáš Krupa’s film We Have to Survive, produced by HAILSTONE, which appears in the Testimonies competition section. The film follows four stories of people adapting to climate change across four continents. Two short films are also up for the festival awards, both making their world premieres. The experimental poetic documentary Inside by Dorota Vlnová (produced by HITCHHIKER Cinema), which is featured in the Short Joy section, explores women’s experiences with abortion; while the experimental film which focus on fleeting perceptions, Elusiveness of Today by Dominika Kováčová, will appear in the Fascinations section.
Two Slovak films are screened as Special Events. Sára Prokopová spent over two years observing events at the Slovak Television and Radio, resulting in the film Retuning, produced by CinePunkt, which will have its international premiere. The documentary Hidden Quarter Tone, directed by Saša Dlouhý and Adam Oľha, and co-produced by atelier.doc, will have its world premiere; it traces the life and career of Karel Ančerl, the chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. In the Czech Television Documentaries section, audiences can see successful festival titles The Pint of Ink (dir. Ester Geislerová, SK co-prod. PubRes) and If Pigeons Turned to Gold (dir. Pepa Lubojacki, SK co-prod. by guča films).
Several Slovak films-in-making will be presented as part of the festival’s industry events. The projects A Spectre Is Haunting Europe (dir. Robert Mihály, prod. filmsomnia) and Iridiscence (dir. Dominika Kováčová, Kihan Wittock; prod. guča films) have been selected for the Ji.hlava New Visions Forum programme and will be presented publicly; while the projects City of Dreams (dir. Adam Šoltés, Matúš Chovanec; prod. Cinefil), Raw (dir. Veronika Kováč, prod. MEDIAPULZ), and Ora et Labora (dir. Dzhovani Gospodinov, SK co-prod. SEN FILM) are participating in the Ji.hlava New Visions Market.
Also being presented in Jihlava is the short documentary in development, My Father Is a Sailor by Alica Cvečková (prod. VŠMU), which is participating in this year’s Future Memory Lab workshop. Michaela Kaliská is the Slovak representative in the Emerging Producers educational and networking programme.
More information can be found on the Ji.hlava IDFF festival website
