Docu.Reality

The czeXperiment project aims to “get closer to the essence of the Czech mentality” through fun polls, social experiments and interviews. The episodes presented at Ji.hlava are dedicated to the topics of education and prison. They are commented on by the individuals who are most directly affected by them. Second grade students are thus given the opportunity to evaluate the level of teaching, their life at school and their position in the world. Women serving their sentences in the largest correctional facility of its kind in the country reflect on their personal, family and social life, which, due to various circumstances, has found itself at a dramatic crossroads. “CzeXperiment is my project, which is intended to be a kind of probe into the soul of the Czech nation.”Source: Seznam Zprávy

Voyo, the most widely-watched Czech streaming service, has recently expanded its offering to include documentaries in addition to its scripted content. One such documentary, the three-part docuseries You Hardly Know Me (2024), was released exclusively on Voyo ahead of its TV premiere. The series follows the career of a singer Iveta Bartošová and the producer-driven system of Czechoslovak pop music. However, the very first documentary project to be shown under the Voyo Original premium brand was the six-part true crime series The Kramný Case (2024), which grew to become one of the most successful formats in Voyo’s lineup. What direction will Voyo documentaries take in the future? Speaking at the panel will be creative producer Erika Hníková and Miro Remo, director of the upcoming series under the working title Because of the Bear. The panel will include exclusive first previews. Because of the Bear Tensions are high in Slovakia. The alleged overpopulation of the protected brown bear is one of the most pressing social issues. Should the bears be culled, or protected? This polarising conflict pits two uncompromising factions against each other: hunters and conservationists. Are the two sides capable of reaching an agreement and working together?

The presentation with clips is dedicated to the current trends in Reality TV and offers a look at the most interesting and most used formats that can be found in the offer of both linear TV and streaming services in the autumn season 2024. Presenter: Milan Kruml

This four-part social experiment aimed to explore the British jury system. It used a reconstruction of an actual murder trial. Two juries watch the proceedings from separate rooms, but without knowing each other. The series aims to see if they reach the same decision, the same verdict. The four episodes are divided into Crime, Defence, Prosecution and Verdict. On the one hand, the members of the jury are people who hold firm positions and make decisions based on their own worldview or life experiences; others are easily swayed by various evidence and the opinions of others.

One of the most intriguing political documentaries of our time, perhaps better described as footage of an experiment, this documentary depicts an exercise by a group of politicians and soldiers to show whether the United States is prepared for a possible attempted political coup – a response to the events of 6 January 2021, when supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump attacked the seat of the USA's highest legislative body. This experiment is not a television construct; it is a real exercise run by the veterans' organisation Vet Voice. As such, the simulation is staffed by real politicians and run by real former military personnel.