The Pragueshorts Film Festival, which the Karlovy Vary IFF has been organising since 2005 as its second festival project, focuses exclusively on short works, primarily live-action films. Over the last two years or so the world’s film festivals have been severely affected by the pandemic, and their organisers were obliged to find new ways to make their films accessible to audiences. Like other festivals, the Pragueshorts FF was also held at a different time this year, with a modified format, and its 16th edition finally went ahead during the entire month of June, with films playing in cinemas in Prague and other Czech cities, and also via the new online platform KVIFF.TV. Viewers were able to see more than 120 short films, and the programme chosen for the Karlovy Vary IFF presents five works which were awarded by the juries or the audience.
This year’s Pragueshorts FF Audience Award went to British director Theo Rhys for the film Stuffed, a dark musical love story about a taxidermist searching for a human to stuff. The National Competition jury, comprising members Andrijana Sofranić Šućur, Jan-Ole Gerster and Olga Lamontanara, awarded a Special Mention to the film Delimitation by director Tereza Vejvodová, impressed as they were by its original conception and its distinctive directorial style. The award for Best Film in the National Competition was handed to director Cristina Groșan for her film Along Came a Prince. The picture won the hearts of the jury with its imaginative treatment of the theme of non-consensual sex and with its great performance from the cast. The programme also includes the Greek film The End of Suffering (A Proposal) by director Jacqueline Lentzou, which the International Competition jury – Louise Højgaard Johansen, Pavel Sladký and Ondřej Provazník – awarded a Special Mention. The judges were particularly swayed by the picture’s innovative approach and its profoundly audiovisual interpretation. The jury decided to present the award for Best Film in the International Competition to the Philippine film Filipiñana by director Rafael Manuel. The judges were enchanted by the work’s special brand of humour and its ability to offer an intelligent commentary on contemporary personal and social issues.
At a theatre workshop for young people, a teenager embarks on a sexual relationship with a slightly older girl. But isn’t this all a bit of a mistake? The people around them react in various ways, yet no-one is indifferent to what’s going on. Voted Best Film in the National Competition at the 2021 Pragueshorts Film Festival.
Our personality reacts to external stimuli by delimiting itself accordingly. A young woman is looking for an apartment in a busy metropolis and tries to overcome her sense of ubiquitous alienation in order to find closeness. Special Jury Mention in the National Competition at the 2021 Pragueshorts Film Festival.
Sofia is panicky again. The universe decides to contact her. An otherworldly dialogue. A planetary symphony for Mars, where people dream in a wakeful state and fight for love. Special Jury Mention in the International Competition at the 2021 Pragueshorts Film Festival.
The obsessive cosmos of the golf course is a reflection of society as a whole. Although new tee girl Isabel still has to learn the rules, she’s already looking for loopholes to subvert the system. Winner of the Grand Prix in the International Competition at the 2021 Pragueshorts Film Festival.
A dark musical love story about a taxidermist searching for a human to stuff, and the man she finds on the internet willing to give up everything in exchange for the promise of eternal love. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2021 Pragueshorts Film Festival.
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