Džian Baban

In 1964, the discovery of secret Nazi documents in the bottom of a lake in the Šumava hits the press worldwide. Years later, it is revealed that the sensational event was orchestrated by the communist regime in a campaign against West Germany, code-named Neptune. Revisiting recent political past of the Cold War in a noir pastiche, this docufiction contributes to the process of myth-making as a necessary construction of our perception of the history.

The life of a young man (Jan Cina) is defined by order and modern technology; the closest he gets to any form of real communication is when he sprays his pet snail with water in its terrarium. But then the most common of all household appliances ceases to function and the man has to go out and be among people. In her short piece set in a familiar future, director Tereza Vejvodová conceivably builds on the aesthetics of her sculptural film accompanying the production Land of Body at Prague’s National Theatre. Intertwining limbs and torsos are extensions of the silent protagonist’s mind; his world is polished down to complete emptiness. What's the point of us having control of our every step if no-one else accompanies us on our walk?

The cooperation of Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan helps Russia resist Western economic sanctions. Due to the country’s strategic location, all Chinese goods bound for Central Asia and Russia must cross its borders, and it serves as a transshipment point for goods from countries with which Putin is not officially allowed to trade. Investigative journalist Ali Toktakunov, a long-time staff member of Radio Free Europe’s Kyrgyz section, helped to uncover the deeper implications.

Monika has the life she always dreamed of: she’s a successful doctor and expecting a child in a happy relationship with Lukáš. But is she truly happy? When she unexpectedly reunites with her ex-husband Petr after years, her doubts deepen. A brief meeting turns into a long walk through a summer city, during which unanswered questions begin to surface: "Why did we actually break up back then?" and "What if we had made a different choice?" Through dialogue and gentle humor, we observe how a subtle closeness re-emerges between them in quiet moments - whether in the rain, on a tram, or in the park. Director Bohdan Karásek crafts a sensitive, intimate drama about the roads not taken.

A dancer moving through a city seeking a space in which to exist.

After spending months as a prisoner in Donbas, Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance expert Lilia returns home to her family. But the trauma of captivity continues to torment her and surface in dreamlike ways. Something growing deep within Lilia will not allow her to forget, yet she refuses to identify as a victim and will fight to liberate herself.

Karel and Saša's marriage has reached a dead end, so Saša moves out of the house for a while. She finds temporary refuge with Dušan, an old acquaintance who once played at their wedding. Both of them, sometimes together, sometimes separately, explore the elusive topic of relationships and shed light on it from their opposite perspectives.

Every year, 15,000 Czech fishermen head to Norway to fulfill their desire to fish at sea. Here they experience moments of mostly male camaraderie, which, like the ubiquitous cigarette smoke, revolves around boyish talk over cans of beer and no one is immune to cabin fever. At least this is the case of six friends meeting in a restaurant in Jihlava. And when the legendary halibut start running through the fjords, the plot of this documentary tragicomedy is taken care of - the compulsive need to catch the coveted fish drives not only the six protagonists, but also the plot of the film itself.