The 29th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (28 October-2 November – see the news) once again reinforces its position as a meeting point for documentary professionals from Europe and beyond. The industry programme, running from 28-31 October, will host a line-up of pitching forums, workshops and networking sessions, fostering dialogue across continents and disciplines.

The programme opens with “New Cinema 2025: Get to Know Your Cinema Operator”, a seminar bridging exhibitors, filmmakers and distributors to explore how movie-theatre operators are shaping the post-pandemic exhibition landscape. Later that day, the Visegrad Accelerator session will examine how festivals can become more inclusive and accessible, while Czech Joy in the Spotlight will introduce the latest domestic documentaries in the festival line-up. The gathering’s flagship Ji.hlava New Visions Forum takes centre stage from 29-31 October, offering a comprehensive look at European (see the news), US, and East and Southeast Asian projects across all stages of production. Divided into multiple pitching sessions and closed round-tables, this year’s forum expands its geographic scope and underlines Ji.hlava’s growing international reach. Wednesday’s sessions will also feature a focus on co-producing with Croatia, exploring the country’s production incentives and co-production models, while the evening is dedicated to the EFP Emerging Producers 2026 showcase, introducing 18 rising European producers (see the news), preceded by the handing out of the APA World Excellence Award and the VR Award for the most promising immersive project.

Thursday’s schedule continues with two further pitching blocks spotlighting projects in development and production, alongside the Creative Europe – MEDIA session offering insights into upcoming funding opportunities. The full-day Conference on Ethics in Documentary Filmmaking will invite critical reflection on the moral dimensions of non-fiction storytelling, from representation to consent. On Friday, Country in Focus: Croatia will highlight six projects from the region, complemented by dedicated round-tables featuring intimate and socially engaged works that range from Nikola Kuprešanin’s introspective look at psychotherapy in Behind Open Doors and Sara Jurinčić’s poetic portrait of immigrant labour in Closing Time to Karlo Mlinar’s chronicle of HIV activism in Olimbi – Mother Courage, Ana Grgić’s meditation on memory and identity in Our Imagined Islands, Marko Šantić’s depiction of a woman resisting overtourism in The Center of the World and Lucija Brkić’s tender generational reflection The Three of Us.

The Future Memory Lab Presentation will then introduce a new line-up of experimental works combining documentary, archival material and performance. Later, Czech professionals will gather for a domestic dialogue, “Documentary Calls After the Transformation of the Fund”, examining the restructuring of the Czech Audiovisual Fund (see the news) and its impact on future support for non-fiction projects. Finally, throughout the week, Ji.hlava’s Matchmaking Accelerator will run daily, facilitating tailored one-on-one meetings between filmmakers, producers and decision makers.

The full industry programme is available to peruse here.