Pragueshorts at KVIFF 

Sections of 56th KVIFF


Pragueshorts at KVIFF

Since 2005, the Karlovy Vary film festival has organized the Pragueshorts Film Festival as its second festival project, with a focus on films with a running time of thirty minutes or less.

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Every year, Pragueshorts presents around 120 films in its various competition sections and thematic programs – a selection of the most interesting works from this specific segment of international cinematic production completed during the previous year. Short films, most of which are made by the next generation of filmmakers in search of their own particular style and themes, offer a wide range of perspectives on what a cinematic narrative might look like, and also often possess a very specific, fresh energy.

This year’s 17th edition of Pragueshorts could not take place and will thus be held next February. Nevertheless, its originally planned program gave rise to the Pragueshorts Selection, which presented audiences with a selection of Czech and international short films as part of the brand new Young Academy Forum organized in collaboration with the Audiovisual Producers’ Association. And now you, too, have the opportunity to see this selection of films at the 56th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Pragueshorts at KVIFF 1 features five films originally chosen for the Pragueshorts International Competition. All of the entrants have won awards at various international festivals, including the most prestigious events such as Cannes or Sundance.

Pragueshorts at KVIFF 2 and 3 showcase the latest domestic offerings. Alongside shorts by film school students Jan Daniel (FAMO), Marie-Magdalena Kochová (FAMU), and David Payne (FAMU), the program also presents a film by Štěpán FOK Vodrážka, a successful director of commercials and music videos, the directorial debut of actor Igor Chmela, a short comedy by Marek Najbrt, and a new short by one of the most renowned contemporary Czech directors, Olmo Omerzu, whose feature-length films Winter Flies and Bird Atlas were shown in KVIFF’s Crystal Globe Competition.

Karel Spěšný


  • All the Crows in the World Všechny vrány světa / Tian xia wu ya
    Directed by: Yi Tang
    Hong Kong, 2021, 14 min

    18-year-old Shengnan is invited to a mysterious party by her cousin. The party is full of greasy, middle-aged Chinese men, but Jianguo is so very different.

  • Barcarole Barcarole / Barcarole
    Directed by: Igor Chmela
    Czech Republic, 2022, 30 min

    Zdena, a young nurse, starts her first night shift at an old people’s home and immediately faces a difficult task: she has to deal with the body of a deceased client. A gentle portrait of faltering youth and a realistic tale of an encounter with death in a blend of physically intense moments and absurd humour.

  • Casting Casting / Casting
    Directed by: Marek Najbrt
    Czech Republic, 2022, 20 min

    Casting is stressful. Hanka (Jana Plodková), the casting director, is heading for a breakdown and her state of mind isn’t helped by the myriad whims of her actors (Vojta Dyk, Lukáš Pavlásek, Pavel Liška) or the unwelcome visits from her ex-husband, a desperate hypochondriac (Marek Daniel). A short comedy by Marek Najbrt with a truly stellar cast.

  • The Last Day of Patriarchy Poslední den patriarchátu / Poslední den patriarchátu
    Directed by: Olmo Omerzu
    Czech Republic, Slovenia, France, 2021, 16 min

    Nina is pregnant with Jakub’s child and today he is introducing her to his family. They are all gathered round his grandfather's bedside at the hospital. Nina is trying to put on a brave face but then she gets a surprising request from the dying relative: he wants to see her breasts. This prompts a discussion to which she is not invited - should the patriarch’s last wish be granted?

  • The Right Words Správná slova / Haut les coeurs
    Directed by: Adrian Moyse Dullin
    France, 2021, 15 min

    Kenza, 15, and her younger brother Madhi, 13, regularly try to embarrass each other on social media. On the bus, Kenza puts her naive and romantic brother to the test: Madhi has to profess his love for Jada, whom he adores, even though she doesn’t know he exists.

  • Shells Schránky / Schránky
    Directed by: Marie-Magdalena Kochová
    Czech Republic, 2022, 9 min

    The elevator at a nursing home is the perfect place for a dancer to explore the limits of his body, memory, and the flow of time. Imprisoned by four walls, he is forced to face the helplessness of his own weakening body. Starring Pina Bausch’s long-time soloist Jan Minařík, one of the most important Czech dancers of the twentieth century.

  • Sideral Sideral / Sideral
    Directed by: Carlos Segundo
    Brazil, France, 2021, 15 min

    In Natal on the northern coast of Brazil, the country is preparing to launch its first manned rocket into space. A couple lives with their two children near the space center: she is a cleaner and he is a mechanic, but she dreams of other horizons.

  • Still Awake? Ještě nespíš? / Ještě nespíš?
    Directed by: David Payne
    Czech Republic, 2021, 22 min

    Šimon (46) has been suffering from insomnia for several years. Behind the illusion of a secure and happy life, he has a monotonous job he doesn't like, his wife looks down on him, his son doesn’t take him seriously, and Šimon has long since lost any hope for change. But then he discovers a 16-year-old YouTuber on his son’s computer whose ASMR videos finally help him to sleep. But he soon realises that the girl means much more to him than he had thought. The illusion begins to crumble.

  • Tomorrow's in a Few Hours Za pár hodin zítra / Za pár hodin zítra
    Directed by: Jan Daniel
    Czech Republic, 2021, 29 min

    Five 20-year-olds live a naive way of life that often just revolves around alcohol and having as much fun as possible. But their carefree existence is disrupted when one of them becomes seriously ill. The others learn of his illness at different times, which leads to misunderstandings, conflicts, and eventually the sick friend’s alienation from the group. The story tells of the superficial nature of their relationships, helplessness, and disenchantment with the youth perspective.

  • The Trees Stromy / The Trees
    Directed by: Ramzi Bashour
    USA, Lebanon, 2020, 22 min

    Bashir attends his father’s funeral in rural Lebanon only to discover a pathogen infecting the trees in his village. A dark comedy about tradition, grief, and the environment.

  • Warsha Warsha / Warsha
    Directed by: Dania Bdeir
    France, Lebanon, 2021, 16 min

    Mohammad is a crane operator working in Beirut. One morning he volunteers to take on one of the tallest and most dangerous cranes in Lebanon. Away from prying eyes he is able to live out his secret passion and find freedom.

  • Yung Michal Yung Michal / Yung Michal
    Directed by: Štěpán FOK Vodrážka
    Czech Republic, 2022, 17 min

    On Instagram Michal presents himself as a rapper who is one step away from stardom. In reality, he is a fast-food worker in a place from where no-one ever made the big time. What he doesn't yet know is that his dream will come true this afternoon.

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