29th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival

24. 10.–2. 11. 2025
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Offscreen Program

This year's music off-programme in the Music Tent follows two simple rules. It features soloists, groups and projects that have recently achieved something remarkable during this year. Something that resonates personally with the themes of today. The second common thread is their boundary-pushing position: all these bands fit into the evening tent, but at the same time they transcend and challenge the idea of evening music relaxation.

For example, Dekadentní divadlo Beruška: an improvising unit for "instant musical" existed until the emergence of the successful Midi Lidi, and it resumed its activities this year after a 16-year hiatus. The musical erudition and performance experience of Petra Marek, Prokop Holoubek, and Jiří Nezhyba come together here with a willingness to push the usual boundaries and take risks in exploring potential mistakes. Metastavy, Amelie Siba and Mat213 have all released strong albums this year: all of them more or less redefine their poetics and present the courage to change. At the same time, they present possible types of today's statement: from the personal poetic reflections of Anna Hokešová, who in Metastavy follows the beatnik "poetry & jazz" and hip-hop sessions, to the (post)irony of Matěj Čech aka Mat213, reminding us that in challenging times many people many are willing to don the role behind the mask, devoid of sincerity. Significant fresh contributions come from (as of yet, less publicized) Shygirlz, naturally blending pop with elements of performance, or perhaps simply offering an old-fashioned entertaining show. We're glad to see that even among the DJs there are auteur personalities and faces with a pop aura: Arleta, TK27 (58G), Ester Grohová aka Polyester.

At the same time: We are at the Ji.hlava IDFF. That's why one of our bands is half a unique theater, another contains a risky element of fragility, and yet another invites the tent to shrink, to get closer on an intimate level. Openness is in play here, perhaps even generational. In today's microscene network, it's a good challenge to encounter the fun of different bubbles. Will it come together? Our programming stands out with peripeteia, not directness. But what else can you expect from Ji.hlava?"

The DKO Night Beats dramaturgy this year, like the film program, brings to light primarily (but not exclusively) female performers. Already on the first Tuesday night of the festival, Madeleine will open with her set, combining elements of techno, tribal and downtempo, turning the dance floor into a hypnotic ritual combined with organic sounds. While "freedom" and "explosiveness" are important concepts for Wetchy or Thomas Verden when choosing music, the NCOL dj describes her shows as an exploration of a diverse emotional landscape. Emotional nostalgia is then recalled by Kohl&Ben, who spin vinyl with all kinds of groovy music, from soul to rock`n`roll to world music. Trips into the unknown are the connecting concept for Friday's performance by Sara Vondrášková and LILITH. While the former mixes less familiar tunes, LILITH makes no secret of her affection for Kawaii and Y2K culture. Closing out the night scene with an extended Saturday night, the pair of Tasya and NEW MAGIC MEDIA will share the results of their week-long study of the emotional scale. In their words, it's going to be broken beats for broken hearts. Will there be any at Ji.hlava?

Emotions will undoubtedly be brought by theatrical performances – on Wednesday, we have prepared for the audience a performance by FESTE Theatre, which processed Robert Misik's study "False Friends of Ordinary People", aiming to understand the motivations of a part of the public voting for populist parties. In the play Fa(r)mu, the satirical author S.d.Ch. and the producers of the award-winning Art Talent Show elaborate the theme of "culture wars" on the basis of the FAMU film school hacking affair, which they will perform two nights in a row in a special set created exclusively for the festival.

Exhibitions and other accompanying programme

Screen printing workshop with KnedloZeloWear

Try screen printing and swag making! Available KZW templates and visuals by Juraj Horváth et al.

Place: Music Tent

VACHEK and his film centre in Tišnov or Via Lucis through the afterlife

A portrait of Professor Vachek, scraps from his family archive and a gallery of personalities that lead him Via Lucis back to his family home in Tišnov to establish his creative film centre.

Club meeting on Saturday, October 28 from 12.00 to 16.00.

Place: Horácké theatre

Iceland. In the footsteps of missionaries

Photography exhibition in the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola from Marian Husk's travels to Iceland.

Place: Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola

Nikon: The Delicate Himalayas

Exhibition of an expedition to the Himalayas by Petr Jan Juračka at Masaryk Square in Jihlava.

Place: Masaryk Square

Jan Krtička: Jihlava’s transformers

The interactive composition in the IGLOO sound gallery in OGV processes the vibrations, growls and hum of the Vysočina region’s transformers. The sound is reminiscent of so-called drone music, but it is also a subtle reference to the theme of sound pollution.

Place: OGV I

Festival partners

Ministerstvo kultury
Fond kinematografie
Město Jihlava
Kraj Vysočina
Creative Europe Media
GEMO
Česká televize
Český rozhlas
Aktuálně.cz
Respekt
Dafilms

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