FROM 28 APRIL TO 4 MAY, THE 29TH PRAGUE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL – FEBIOFEST – WILL SCREEN AN EXCLUSIVE SELECTION OF MORE THAN 90 FILMS PRESENTING THE BEST OF TODAYS CZECH AND INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY

As was the case last year, the hub of all festival events is once again Cinema City Slovanský dům. Some of the sections, masterclasses, and off-programme events will also be hosted at Kino Pilotů, Ponrepo, the Edison Filmhub, the H55 Leisure Time Centre, Café Vzlet, the Hybernská Campus, and Empire Hall. After the end of the main programme in the Czech metropolis, Febiofest will move to the regions. Advance ticket sales for Prague IFF – Febiofest 2022 start at noon on 21 April.

The 29th Prague IFF – Febiofest will open on 28 April with the screening of the comedy The Duke, the latest film directed by Roger Michell (whose other works include the popular romantic comedy Notting Hill). Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren excel in the lead roles of this energy-filled story filmed according to true events in the best traditions of British comedy. The festival ends on Wednesday, 4 May, with the French film From Africa with Love, a parodic take on spy thrillers directed by Nicolas Bedos, which brings back to life secret agent OSS 117 as portrayed by Jean Dujardin.

One of the recipient of this year’s Kristián Award is Karel Roden, one of today’s strongest film personalities and not just from the perspective of Czech cinematography. At Febiofest he will introduce the premiere of director Robert Sedláček’s film Nightline, in which he played the lead. The second recipient is Ukrainian director Oleh Sentsov, whose latest film, Rhino, will enjoy its Czech premiere at our festival. Amongst other things, in 2015, Febiofest supported the campaign for Sentsov’s release from the Russian prison to which he was sentenced after the annexation of Crimea.

The Main Competition features either the debuts or the second films of seven talented directors, six of whom are women and all of whom are currently enjoying acclaim at international festivals. An expert panel, comprising Swedish director and screenwriter Isabella Eklöf, the well-known director and editor Emer Reynolds, and the award-winning director Olmo Omerzu, will select the winner. This is the third year at which the Audience Jury, this time headed by honourable chairman Michal Suchánek, will choose the winner of the Comedy Competition. They have seven films from around the world to choose from, including Peru, Iceland, and Ukraine. The Amnesty International Febiofest Award, bestowed in collaboration with the Czech branch of Amnesty International, recognises films with human rights themes across all of the festival’s sections. This year, the ambassador of the Amnesty International Section is the well-known journalist, reporter, and moderator Nora Fridrichová.

The new, non-competition programme section – Ukraine: Centre of Europe – is subdivided into two parts. The first introduces the young generation of Ukraine filmmakers whose work is greatly influenced by the situation in their country, while the second takes a look at film classics.