The AFO58 competition films are here! Ocean voyages, volcanic eruptions, the depths of the human mind or the mysteries of animal droppings.

The International Competition presents documentaries from all around the globe, the Czechoslovak Competition focuses on the domestic popularisation of science, and the Short Film Competition features bold formal experiments. This year, 3,265 films applied for the AFO58 Official Selection. 

Varied topics will allow you to delve into the mysteries of nature, space or environmental issues or explore social topics, the human mind, the perception of time, as well as visual arts. “We provide a venue to prestigious television productions, Oscar nominees and films pushing the boundaries of documentary storytelling,” Ondřej Kazík, Head of Programming, comments on this year’s competition selection. 

We will uncover more details on specific films and highlights as the festival closes in, so don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook! However, we can already reveal a list of 52 films we will be screening between 25 and 30 April. 

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

“The topics of the competition films reflect the diverse nature of our society and the complex and multifaceted challenges we face. At the same time, they create opportunities for new discoveries and interdisciplinary cooperation.” (Eva Suková, Programmer) 

• The Arc of Oblivion (dir. Ian Cheney, USA, 2022)
• De Humani Corporis Fabrica (dir. Verena Paravel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor, France, 2022)
• Theater of Thought (dir.  Werner Herzog, USA, 2022)
• Fire of Love (dir. Sara Dosa, USA, 2022)
• Herbaria (dir. Leandro Listorti, Argentina, 2022)
• Searching for Planet 9 (dir. Florence Tran, France, 2022)
• How the Wild Things Sleep (dir. Daniela Pulverer, Germany, 2022)
• Jurassic Cash (dir. Xavier Lefebvre, Gilles Deiss, France, 2022)
• Constant (dir. Beny Wagner, Sasha Litvintseva, United Kingdom, 2021)
• Dead Birds Flying High (dir. Sönje Storm, Germany, 2022)
• The Last Human (dir. Ivalo Frank, Denmark, 2022)
• Path of the Panther (dir. Eric Bendick, USA, 2022)
• Keeper of Time (dir. Michael Culyba, USA, 2022)
• Secrets in the Scat (dir. Ruth Berry, Austria, 2021)
• Manufacturing Happiness (dir. Jean-Christophe Ribot, France, 2022)
• Smile and Wave (dir. Eva Charlotte Nilsen, Norway, 2022)
• Your Hundred Year Life (dir. Bill Jones, United Kingdom, 2022)
• All That Breathes (dir. Shaunak Sen, India, 2022)
• Made to Measure (dir. Moritz Riesewieck, Hans Block, Cosima Terrasse, Germany, 2021)
• Deep Rising (dir. Matthieu Rytz, USA, 2023)
• Lost Women Art (dir. Susanne Radelhof, Germany, 2021) 

How the Wild Things Sleep (dir. Daniela Pulverer, Germany, 2022)

Searching for Planet 9 (dir. Florence Tran, France, 2022)

CZECHOSLOVAK COMPETITION             

“The competition selection takes into account the conclusions of systematic observation and examination of the world as well as the way in which the films can challenge the established and prevalent myths and stereotypes and how such stereotypes can negatively impress on the applied scientific approaches.” (Ondřej Kazík, Head of Programming). 

• Návštěvníci (The Visitors, dir. Veronika Lišková, Czech Republic, 2022)
• Neviditelné krajiny (Invisible Landscapes, dir. Ivo Bystřičan, Czech Republic, 2022)
• Kronika orgasmu (The Chronicle of Orgasm, dir. Kateřina Kořínková, Czech Republic, 2022)
• Hledání Bolestného Krista (Finding the Man of Sorrows, dir. Amálie Kovářová, Czech Republic, 2021)
• Budiž voda! (Let There Be Water!, dir. Karel Žalud, Czech Republic, 2021)
• Prales zítřka (Rainforest of Tomorrow, Michal Gálik, Czech Republic, 2022)
• Do divočiny (Into the Wilderness, dir. David Brázda, Czech Republic, 2021)
• Jeseníky – království horské divočiny (Jeseníky – the Kingdom of the Mountain Wilderness, dir. Marián Polák, Czech Republic, 2022)
• Po nás potopa (After Us, the Flood, dir. Dorota Vlnová, Slovakia, 2022)
• Eduard Štorch, lovec mamutů (Eduard Štorch, mammoth hunter, dir. Josef Císařovský, Czech Republic, 2022)
• Lidi (Humans, dir. Kateř Tureček, Czech Republic, 2022)
• Baron Artur Kraus (Baron Arthur Kraus, dir. Matouš Kotěra, Czech Republic, 2022)
• Fantastická terapie (Fantastic Therapy, dir. Anna Rotreklová, Czech Republic, 2022)
• Investigátori (Investigators, dir. Peter Pokorný, Slovakia, 2022)

Návštěvníci (The Visitors, r. Veronika Lišková, ČR, 2022)

Lidi (Humans, r. Kateř Tureček, ČR, 2022)

SHORT FILM COMPETITION

“The authorial autonomy of the short films is manifested in the playful use of the camera, novel editing techniques and surprising narrative constructions. It’s a joy to behold the ease and unwillingness to compromise with which the directors of the selected films have tackled the often challenging topics.” (Zdeněk Rychtera, Programmer) 

• Aphotic Zone (dir. Emilija Skarnulyte, Lithuania, 2022)
• CARA-B (dir. Anna Mundet Molas, Spain, 2022)
• A History Of The World According To Getty Images (dir. Richard Misek, Norway, 2022)
• Collisions (dir. Roopa Gogineni, Trevor Snapp, Western Sahara, 2022)
• Haulout (dir. Evgenia Arbugaeva, Maxim Arbugaev, United Kingdom, 2022)
• Seaweed (dir. Julia Parks, United Kingdom, 2022)
• Wrought (dir. Joel Penner, Anna Sigrithur, Canada, 2022)
• Microbiome (dir. Stavros Petropoulos, Greece, 2021)
• Permafrost Refreeze: The Reindeer Factor (dir. Kaisu Koski, Finland, 2022)
• NAYA (dir. Sebastian Mulder, Netherlands, 2021)
• Grassland (dir. Katie Marion Biggar, Republic of South Africa., 2022)
• The Empty Sphere (dir. Stéphanie Roland, Micronesia, 2022)
• Log from Site A (dir. Marina Dewinara Luccioni, USA)
• Sonnenstube (dir. Davide Palella, Italy, 2022)
• Does Space Dream in Bits (dir. Alexandra Yakovleva, 2022)
• Zuckerberg, You Owe/Own Me (dir. Pauline Blanchet, United Kingdom, 2022)

Wrought, dir. Joel Penner, Anna Sigrithur, Canada, 2022

Haulout (dir. Evgenia Arbugaeva, Maxim Arbugaev, UK, 2022)