The spa town of Mariánské Lázně will once again host the Marienbad Film Festival, celebrating its 10th edition from June 12 to 15, 2025. Dedicated to experimental cinema and audiovisual exploration, this year’s event will unfold at the town’s Městské divadlo and the House of Chopin.
The 2025 edition revolves around the theme Sound Therapy, which echoes through its film selections and musical programming. With 28 finalists selected from a record 436 submissions, the festival signals a growing appetite for experimental work and non-traditional cinematic narratives.
Experimental cinema and essays take center stage
This year’s two competition sections—Forum Marienbad: Main Competition and Audiovisual Essays—highlight the festival’s continued focus on boundary-pushing formats. Program director Tomáš Vobořil noted a record-breaking number of submissions, saying the response gives him hope for the future of experimental cinema.
The festival opens with In Our Day, a minimalist South Korean drama by Hong Sang-soo that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. The choice is intentional: much like the film’s theatrical narrative, the Marienbad Film Festival is staged in the historic Městské divadlo and functions as a multi-day performance in its own right.
Beyond the competition, attendees will have access to special screenings including the cult Czech sci-fi comedy Babičky dobíjejte přesně (Recharge Grandmothers Precisely!) with screenwriter Jiří Just in attendance; a restored print of Charles Laughton’s American noir classic The Night of the Hunter, marking its 70th anniversary; and Last Year at Marienbad by Alain Resnais, a French New Wave classic that famously references the Czech spa town, and will symbolically close the event.
German artist and filmmaker Deborah S. Phillips will present her 16mm experimental films in a rare Czech appearance, while Libertad Gills will personally introduce a selection of her audiovisual essays. Both artists will also serve as jurors for the festival’s competition sections.
Other special screenings at this year’s Marienbad Film Festival include Flek by German director Willy Hans and Calm in the Canopy (Noční klid) by Michal Hogenauer, presented alongside composer Jakub Kudláč. These films complement the festival’s industry program aimed at composers, screenwriters, and debut producers.
Music, performance, and sonic experimentation
Complementing the film lineup is the Emotion side program, which showcases music and performance rooted in the same spirit of experimentation. Czech alternative figures such as Monika Načeva and Anděl Award winner Kvietah will perform alongside composers Kudláč, Jonatán Pastirňák, and Ondřej Mikula.
A standout at this year’s program is Marienbad Expanded 8mm & 16mm, an analog performance combining live projection with experimental film by the Dílna ekologie tvorby collective and guests from FAMU CAS.
Among the more unconventional offerings at this year’s Marienbad Film Festival is a yodeling workshop led by musician Matthias Wolf. Framed as a creative sound experiment, the session explores breath control, vocal freedom, and group resonance as a form of meditative release.
All screenings, panels, and concerts are accessible through festival accreditation, available online or on-site. Industry discussions and panels are free of charge. Full program details can be found at the official Marienbad Film Festival website.
Lead photo: Last Year at Marienbad (1961)
