24/10/2024 - The festival director discusses the expansion of the gathering and its growing industry focus on fostering collaborations between European and Southeast Asian filmmakers

(© Radek Lavicka/Ji.hlava IDFF)

Marek Hovorka, the director of the largest Czech documentary gathering, the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (25 October-3 November – see the news), has been helming the festival since its inception. The festival director discusses the expansion of Ji.hlava to ten days, the importance of placing Central and Eastern European films within a global context, and the gathering’s growing industry focus on fostering collaborations between European and Southeast Asian filmmakers.

Cineuropa: The festival has grown to ten days this year. What motivated this decision, and how did this extension impact the curation process?
Marek Hovorka: The festival's expansion to ten days was driven by the need to improve comfort for attendees, many of whom previously had to stay outside Jihlava. This change not only enhances the audience experience, but also allows for more repeat screenings, with all competition films now shown twice and those within popular sections like Czech Joy screened three times. This reduces scheduling conflicts and sold-out screenings, ensuring more opportunities to view films. In terms of programming, I don't think the expansion has had a major impact, with one exception. Although we didn’t want to increase the number of films, we were able to bring back a special section for debut and second films, First Lights, which we had before the pandemic.

This year’s programme includes over 340 films, with 129 world premieres, and the primary focus is on Central and Eastern European documentaries. What trends or themes stand out?
I would disagree with the notion that our programme is primarily focused on Central and Eastern Europe. While we make a conscious effort not to overlook the region, and it’s important to us, our goal is to place films from Central and Eastern Europe within the broader context of global cinema. These films are becoming less and less visible at international festivals, a trend we will address in a panel discussion in our industry programme. While trends in documentary filmmaking are difficult to pin down, as the form is incredibly diverse in experiences and approaches, this is exactly what makes it so powerful. For example, we found it absolutely fascinating to watch Nikita Lavretsky’s ten-hour-long Ulysses. He is a highly prolific filmmaker, capturing life in Belarus today, whether it’s on the streets, or within his circle of friends and the artistic community he’s part of. His testimony is incredibly powerful. For those of us from Central and Eastern Europe who experienced a time when public discourse was very different from what was said in private, this film conveys that experience in a deeply resonant way.

What are some of the trends among the new generation of documentary filmmakers that you have in the First Lights section?
These films are often more experimental and freer in their form, though some are more straightforward than others. The filmmakers are clearly searching for new ways to express their ideas, choosing unique forms for each story. For example, Me + You is an observational film by a director who captures an intimate portrait of her sister, who converts to Islam during filming. This transformation sparks a deeply personal dialogue between the two siblings, exploring their childhood and the challenges in their adult relationship. In contrast, Audrey Lam’s Us and the Night is a playful, poetic experiment set in a library, reflecting on the meaning of stories and how ancient narratives speak to us today.

Why did you decide to feature a retrospective of Czech documentarians Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda?
Their debut, Czech Dream, which premiered 20 years ago, is still considered a landmark documentary, not just for Czech cinema, but also for European film as a whole. Klusák and Remunda have developed a unique voice, blending humour, absurdity and critical distance – qualities that are often rare in European documentary filmmaking. Their work popularised documentary for a broader audience. We’re paying tribute to them because their contribution is indelible. We are also hosting a retrospective of Anne-Marie Miéville, who is primarily known outside the francophone world as the collaborator and partner of Jean-Luc Godard. However, just as we’ve seen a reevaluation of women artists in other fields, such as visual arts, there’s finally a more autonomous focus on female filmmakers.

Another significant retrospective focuses on the films of the Slovak state between 1939 and 1945, a period often filled with more impressions than concrete knowledge. Thanks to Slovak film historian Petra Hanáková, who recently published an in-depth study of this era, we now have a comprehensive understanding of these films and how they were used as a tool for creating national identity in a non-democratic regime.

The Ji.hlava New Visions Forum, presenting European and US projects, will feature an extended focus on East and Southeast Asia. What led to you building a connection between European and Asian filmmakers?
Regarding the industry focus, after three years of showcasing both European and American projects, we’ve decided to expand our attention to Southeast Asia. This region has a poetic connection to European cinema, with many filmmakers, whether in documentary, experimental or narrative formats, already closely tied to festivals like Cannes, Locarno and Rotterdam. It felt like a natural progression to open up further to this part of the world, where we see great potential for co-productions and deeper collaborations between European and Southeast Asian filmmakers.