The Prague Science Film Festival returns this fall with an ambitious lineup of international documentaries and cutting-edge immersive experiences. Running from October 20–23 at the Czech University of Life Sciences (ČZU) campus in Prague’s Suchdol district, the festival will showcase 21 films selected from a record 2,830 global submissions and introduce audiences to the latest in virtual reality filmmaking.
The event, jointly organized by the Czech University of Life Sciences and Palacký University in Olomouc, aims to make science accessible and engaging for broad audiences. Alongside screenings, the festival will feature talks, outdoor projections, and interactive workshops designed to spark discussion on how film can communicate complex research and inspire curiosity.
Films exploring science and society
This year’s festival presents two competition sections: an International Competition and a Short Film Competition. Highlights include Do Pigs Grunt with Joy?, which follows research using artificial intelligence to decode the vocalizations of domestic pigs; Kratom Collectors, offering a complex look at the global spread of the psychoactive plant; Fasting: A New Path in Medicine, which examines the health benefits and risks of extended fasting; and Light Darkness Light, a moving account of a patient regaining sight after 30 years through a groundbreaking implant.
The festival explores how science documentaries can immerse audiences beyond traditional storytelling. “Film can act like diving,” said festival director Zdeněk Rychtera. “With the right techniques, it can transport viewers anywhere on Earth and beyond, engaging all of our senses.”
The program also includes a selection of top VR projects that invite visitors to experience scientific environments firsthand, from creating a coral reef on a smartphone to exploring the fragile ecosystems that sustain it.
Talks, workshops, and outdoor screenings
Beyond the competition films, the Prague Science Film Festival offers a robust accompanying program. Czech Television presenter Daniel Stach will give a public lecture in the ČZU auditorium on the role of media in science communication, opening a discussion on how film can educate and inspire across generations. MyStreetFilms will return with hands-on workshops for students and the public, encouraging participants to create their own science-themed projects.
A new addition to this year’s schedule is an outdoor screening on the festival’s opening night. Visitors can watch Mad Max: Fury Road, a landmark in action cinema, as an example of immersive filmmaking that goes beyond VR headsets. The festival’s jury will include faculty leaders as well as a student panel representing all six ČZU faculties, ensuring a diverse range of perspectives in selecting award winners.
Founded in 2011 as the Life Sciences Film Festival and later known as ČZU Film Fest, the event was rebranded as the Prague Science Film Festival in 2020 through a partnership with the long-running Academia Film Olomouc. Its continued growth reflects a rising appetite for science storytelling that blends education with cinematic innovation.
The Prague Science Film Festival runs Oct. 20–23 at the Czech University of Life Sciences campus in Prague-Suchdol. More information and the full program can be found on the festival’s official website.
