Short films are a big deal in Prague this week, as the 13th annual edition of the Prague Short Film Festival kicks off at Kino Světozor and Kino Pilotů.
From January 17-21, visitors will have the opportunity to see some of the best contemporary short films from around the world at the festival, which is run by the same organizers as the prestigious Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Along with acclaimed shorts from around the globe in a variety of categories, 20 films will be presented in competition for awards at this year’s festival, along with five Czech films competing for bragging rights in a new section dedicated to local productions.
While Czech shorts have been featured at the festival since its inception, this is the first year that a national competition has been organized.
Among the five films vying for Best Czech Short Film are director Michal Blaško’s Atlantis 2003, which was screened in the Cinéfondation competition at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and also presented at Karlovy Vary, and director Dužan Duong’s Bo Hai, a portrait of the Vietnamese community in Prague that was awarded at the recent FAMUFEST.
The fest kicks off tonight at Kino Světozor with screenings of films playing in the international competition along with a block of films presented under a science fiction banner.
The block of films screening in the national Czech competition will play on Friday, January 19 at Kino Pilotů and at Kino Světozor on Sunday, January 21 in advance of the festival’s closing ceremony.
Each block of films runs roughly between 90 minutes and teo hours, and tickets to each block screened at Kino Světozor and Kino Pilotů can be purchased for 90 CZK.
All films screened during the festival will be presented in their original language with English and/or Czech subtitles when appropriate.
More information about the Prague Short Film Festival can be found via its official website and Facebook page.
