“We are very happy that, even in the pandemic times, the Ji.hlava IDFF attracted our audiences back to cinemas and showed how important culture and social gatherings for each of us are. We are glad to report that our safety measures have been efficient and generally complied with. The subsequent online part of the festival has confirmed that Ji.hlava can reach its audience both live and digitally. Thanks to the online part, the individual documentaries had several times more viewers. This is also a long-term effort of the festival team – to make the films available to the broadest possible audience,” said Festival Director Marek Hovorka.
This year’s Ji.hlava IDFF hosted 5,698 visitors and guests. Over 1,200 viewers and professionals attended the online part. Attendance of the live festival exceeded 30,000, and the Ji.hlava Online registered 32,000 film views. When converted by a factor of 1.7 (used by streaming services to determine the number of viewers), we arrive at nearly 55,000 online viewers.
Out of 338 screened films, 100 were shown in their world, international and European premiere. This year, films competed in 6 sections. Films were shown in 8 screening halls in Jihlava and in Třešť. The programme offered over 100 Q&As after screenings and over 25 discussions as part of the Inspiration Forum. The online part of the festival included 13 streamed evening screenings accompanied by an introduction and Q&As with the filmmakers.
Greatest attention at the online Ji.hlava was dedicated to Out in Force made by Czech director Martin Mareček, a portrait of film critic Kamil Fila that reflects on the current conception of masculinity. Close behind came Brotherhood directed by Francesco Montagner. The film that tells a story about three boys growing up in an orthodox Muslim family also won the main prize in the Czech Joy section. Other award-winning films, such as the unconventional portrait of the last Soviet statesman, Mikhail Gorbachev, called Gorbachev. Heaven by Vitaly Mansky and the winner of the Opus Bonum section, Lines directed by Barbora Sliepková were also greatly popular. One of the five most viewed films was also the short Love, Dad by director Diana Cam Van Nguyen.
This year’s Inspiration Forum was also a success with the audience. Over the course of five days, 25 programmes and discussions held live in Jihlava or online brought nearly 80 guests from all over the world, including gender studies legend Judith Butler and Afghan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi. Among the guest speakers was one of the most notable contemporary ecological thinkers, David Abram, Canadian philosopher and writer Nick Srnicek or famous US psychiatrist Bruce D. Perry. The live Inspiration Forum discussions were attended by 2,500 visitors, and the online discussion space was visited by over 25,000 viewers.
Over 420 children could become a part of the Ji.hlava for Kids programme. The six-day platform for kids offered 15 workshops, 6 performances, 5 concerts and other off-screen events.
This year’s Ji.hlava festival spot was created by Filipino director Khavn De La Cruz, and the festival prizes were designed by visual artist Federico Díaz.
Dozens of activities also took place as part of the Industry Programme, intended for film professionals. This year it reached more than 1,200 film professionals from around the world, 200 of whom joined the programme online. The festival hosted for example the educational workshop Emerging Producers, Festival Identity and Conference Fascinations focusing on experimental film distribution. “Over 40 upcoming documentary films from Europe and the USA were presented as part of the industry programme at the first annual Ji.hlava New Visions Forum. Another novelty was the relocation of the industry programme to a new auditorium of the College of Polytechnics in Jihlava,” said Head of the Industry Programme Jarmila Outratová.
The 26th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival will take place on October 25 – 30, 2022. More information at www.ji-hlava.com and on the festival’s Facebook and Instagram profiles.
TOP 20 / Ji.hlava Online (November 1–14, 2021)
1. Out in Force
2. Brotherhood
3. Gorbachev. Heaven.
4. Love, Dad
5. Peculiarity of the Fisherman’s Soul
6. Leaving Beginnings Behind
7. Lines
8. Votes for the President or Attempted Counterrevolution
9. Anny
10. This Time Is Not for Us
11. Dark Red Forest
12. One-room School
13. How to Kill a Cloud
14. Kinloss
15. Blood Kin
16. Ordeal
17. The Law of Love
18. The Sailor
19. No Desire to Hide
20. A Marriage
See the list of all awarded films of the 25th Ji.hlava IDFF here.
PARTNERS AND SPONSORS 2021
MAIN SUPPORTERS
Ministry of Culture Czech Republic
Czech Film Fund
Creative Europe MEDIA
Statutory City of Jihlava
Vysočina Region
GENERAL MEDIA PARTNER
Czech Television
MAIN MEDIA PARTNER
Czech Radio
EXCLUSIVE MEDIA PARTNERS
Aktuálně.cz
Respekt
PARTNERS OF INDUSTRY SECTION
Creative Europe MEDIA
Czech Film Fund
International Visegrad Fund
Ministry of Culture Czech Republic
Audiovisual Producers’ Association
Statutory City of Jihlava
Creative Europe Desk CZ – Media
Czech Film Center
THE INSPIRATION FORUM PARTNERS
European Cultural Foundation
Prague office of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V. – representation in the Czech Republic
Masaryk Democratic Academy
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom
Czech Centres
Creative Europe Desk Czech Republic
EUNIC – EU National Institutes for Culture
PARTNERS OF JI.HLAVA FILM FUND
UPP
Soundsquare
Center for Documentary Film
CO-ORGANISER OF THE INDUSTRY SECTION
Institute of Documentary Film
PARTNER PROJECT
Doc Alliance Films
SUPPORTED BY
EEA and Norway Grants
U.S. Embassy in the Czech Republic
Current Time TV
European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic
Czech Centres
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Romanian Cultural Institute
Italian Cultural Institute
Austrian Cultural Forum
Goethe Institute
French Institute
German Films
Delegation of Flanders in the Czech Republic
Instituto Camões
Slovak Institute
Embassy of the State of Israel
Embassy of Canada
Jan Barta
FESTIVAL PARTNER
Czech Tourism
Kudy z nudy
REGIONAL PARTNERS
CZ LOKO
Chesterton
Sepos
Vysoká škola polytechnická Jihlava
WFG Capital
OFFICIAL SHIPPING PARTNER
FedEx Express
PHOTO PARTNER
Nikon
PARTNER OF VR ZONE
Go360
PARTNER OF SAFE FESTIVAL
ANYGENCE
OFFICIAL FESTIVAL BEER
MadCat Brewery
OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS
Autocolor
Autonapůl
AZ Translations
BIOFILMS
Böhm
BOKS
Dřevovýroba Podzimek
Fine Coffee
Flexipal
Husták
ICOM transport
Johannes Cyder
KINOSERVIS
KOMA Modular
M-SOFT
Mlékárna Krasolesí
Natural Jihlava
On Lemon
Osmička 2.0
Little Urban Distillery
Vinařství Kolby
Wero Water Service
PARTNERS OF JI.HLAVA FOR KIDS
Baby Office
Bistro na tři tečky
ČT:D
DAFilms Junior
Dětský lesní klub Hájenka
DIOD a Tělovýchovná jednota Sokol Jihlava
Dům Gustava Mahlera
EKO-KOM
Husták
Kavárna Paseka Nikon Škola
Oblastní galerie Vysočiny
VOŠG a SUŠG
CO-OPERATIONS
Academia
Aerofilms
Bombus Energy
Dům kultury a odborů Jihlava
Dopravní podnik města Jihlavy a.s.
Foto Škoda
Horácké divadlo Jihlava
Knihkupectví Otava
Město Třešť
Newton Media
Oblastní galerie Vysočiny
Prádelna a čistírna Jihlava
ScioŠkola Jihlava
Skaut: Středisko ZVON Jihlava
Studio VOKO
DIOD – Divadlo otevřených dveří
MEDIA PARTNERS
25fps
A2
Cinepur
Dějiny a současnost
Film a doba
Iluminace
Radio 1
REGIONAL MEDIA PARTNERS
City.cz
Hitrádio Vysočina
Jihlavská Drbna
Jihlavské listy
Náš Region
SNIP a CO.
MEDIA CO-OPERATIONS
Art Antiques
ArtMap
ČSFD
Festival Guide
Flash Art
Full Moon
HIS Voice
Heroine
Host
Kinobox
Kult.cz
Nový prostor
Protišedi.cz
Revolver Revue
7.G
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA PARTNERS
Variety
Cineuropa
Modern Times Review
Business Doc Europe
Film New Europe
Kapitál
Kinema.sk
Kinečko
Kino Ikon
