The Pragueshorts Film Festival, marking its 20th edition this year under the auspices of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, has revealed the program for its national competition. The lineup features 15 short Czech films spanning animation, live-action, documentary, and experimental formats. Audiences can expect several Czech premieres, candidates for the Czech Lion awards, and films previously screened at international festivals including Berlin, Rotterdam, and Annecy.
This year’s festival underscores a diversity of styles and storytelling approaches, with works ranging from meditative documentaries to surreal animated shorts. The selection highlights the continuing vibrancy of Czech short-form cinema and the emergence of strong voices in domestic filmmaking.
The festival will run from Feb. 25 to March 1 across Prague cinemas Kino Světozor, Bio Oko, Kino Ponrepo, and Kino Pilotů, and will continue online from March 1 to 22 on KVIFF.tv. The complete program, encompassing nearly 100 films, will be published in early February. In addition to its three competition sections—National, International, and LABO for experimental works—Pragueshorts will feature live shows, family programming, and thematic screenings.
Czech premieres and award contenders
Among the highlights of the National Competition are three Czech premieres. Andrea Szelesová’s poetic animated short Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe! (pictured at top), inspired by Minoan frescos and ancient mythology, follows its debut at the Berlinale.
From Rotterdam come Marie Lukáčová’s rap-infused fairy tale Orla and Viera Čákányová’s ironic postcard-style Greetings from Rhodos, which depicts an island recovering from devastating wildfires. Vojtěch Novotný will present the world premiere of his thriller Empty Places, starring Petra Špalková and Ondřej Malý.
The program also features several Czech Lion candidates. Terézia Halamová’s Dog and Wolf, nominated for Best Short Film and the Magnesia Award for Best Student Film, explores the life of a small-town stripper with stylistic precision.
Philippe Kastner’s animated Wolfie, another Magnesia Award nominee, tells the story of a perfectionist illustrator who inadvertently creates a mischievous wolf. The First Patrol, directed by Vojtěch Konečný, follows two police officers whose lives are disrupted by a mass shooting, vying for Best Short Film recognition.
Diverse storytelling and international acclaim
The festival’s selection spans multiple genres and approaches. Šimon Lovecký’s A Dream of Summer captures intimate moments that punctuate human solitude, while documentaries include Sarah Lomenová’s meditative Amnion, exploring the shared experiences of three generations of women, and Nora Štrbová’s playful What If We Run Out of Stones?, which finds life in unexpected places. Experimental filmmaker Tomáš Rampula returns with Snowblind, drawing inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe’s dark literary tone.
Animation is prominently represented. Eliška Jirásková’s Better Man, which premiered at Annecy, offers a humorous glimpse into bodybuilding culture, while Bára Anna Stejskalová’s musical 9 Million Colors explores the unlikely romance between a shrimp and a blind fish.
David Šourek and Jáchym Štulíř’s The Beetroot reimagines the Slavic folktale The Enormous Turnip in a pop-cultural horror context, and Anastázie Rainischová’s Sleep Dreams provides a surreal, mischievous journey through a world of balloon figures.
The Pragueshorts national competition will be judged by an international three-member jury, awarding a Best Czech Film prize with a EUR 2,000 (CZK 50,000) reward from the Medicine fashion label. A Special Jury Mention may also be granted, and the winning director will receive in-kind post-production support from Beep and PFX for a future project.
Pragueshorts continues to offer a platform for emerging Czech talent and innovative short-form storytelling. With its combination of premieres, award contenders, and international festival selections, the 20th edition promises a concentrated snapshot of contemporary Czech cinema and the evolving voices shaping it.
