AFO 61th Edition - 2026

For the new exhibition in the Historical Building of the National Museum, we created a long-term installation Steps of Progress, which uses VR to present fictional yet intellectually profound conversations between real figures from Czech history about the meaning of electric light, the organization of work, and both the benefits and potential pitfalls of technological development. The project also included the architectural design of the entire room, conceived to naturally integrate into the museum concept while intuitively inviting visitors to explore.

In a mesmerizing journey through Colombia's mangroves, rivers, and misty mountains, celestial cartographers unveil the luminous constellations of endangered animals, reminding us of the delicate bond between life on earth and the stars above.

Experimental game console MAMLAS-1 (Maneuverable Module for Land Assessment) puts the player in the role of a space rover exploring distant planets. With a limited battery, their task is to collect as many mineral samples as possible, while keeping the system stable. The exhibited console is tailor-made for the game, with which it is fully integrated in both graphical and game design. It uses unconventional but intuitive controls more akin to music synthesizers or analogue industrial control panels than a regular game console. This is the first prototype of the console.

Planet Earth is the only known place in the universe where life has flourished. But how did it all begin? Little Eve, a curious bear, sets out to discover the answer. Kids love this film, and adults enjoy it too. It tells three thrilling stories: the rise of life, the leap from water to land, and how clever mammals outlasted the mighty dinosaurs.

500 meters underground, in long tunnels, radioactive material is stored. On the surface, a blue forest seems to possess a soul. What secrets does this environment hold? Between past and future, memories and fantasies, the viewer gradually pieces together the history of this burial site. Blue Archives is a reflection on the imprint humanity leaves behind, in the thickness of time.

Ashes to Ashes (Av jord är du kommen) is a mixed reality walking experience set in cemeteries that explores time, distance, presence, mortality, and humanity's relationship with the Earth. Guided by Theia—the ancient planet believed to have collided with Earth and contributed to the formation of the Moon—participants use their mobile phones to experience digital layers that connect the microcosm of human bodies and technology with the vastness of geological time. Combining cutting-edge mixed reality technology, sound, performance, and storytelling, the work reflects on cycles of matter, interconnectedness, and what humans leave behind.

An intimate look at the connection between place and identity, a meditation on time and the inter-generational experience of change.

Sincerely, Victor Pike explores memory, identity, and the relationship between human experience and artificial intelligence. Due to his poor memory, filmmaker Gregor Petrikovič began recording conversations with loved ones, friends, and acquaintances in 2016, creating an archive of personal stories and recollections. Using AI-generated visuals, the film transforms these anonymous voices into a collective memory surrounding the semi-fictional character Victor Pike. The dreamlike images blur the boundaries between reality and imagination, raising questions about authenticity, technology, and how memories are created, preserved, and reconstructed.

Mrs. Jaroslava shares her story of growing up with polio - a disease that stole part of her youth, but gave her friendships that lasted a lifetime. Polio is a viral infectious disease that can cause paralysis. The disease is almost eradicated today, but there are still people among us who suffer lifelong consequences after a polio epidemic. The movie shows just a few of those stories in a hopeful and slightly humorous way.

1859: Charles Darwin's theory of evolution angers the God-fearing Victorians. Their great-great-great-grandparents were supposed to have been monkeys? Well, thank you very much! In order to prove the accuracy of his theories without causing further uproar, Darwin decides to turn his attention to completely different creatures: orchids. But even his sharp mind cannot fathom these flowers, which keep their secrets to themselves. 140 years after Darwin's death, biologist and orchid lover Thomas Cassar embarks on a journey across continents to uncover these secrets.

Over the past year, three young scientists have found unusual colored frogs in the wild in Latvia that are not typical for our region. A green frog with unusual orange and black coloring—seen for the first time—as well as a strange red frog. Scientists are trying to determine the cause – whether these are "natural errors" in a few specimens, or whether the entire frog population is affected – with environmental pollution being cited as one of the reasons. In a parallel story the scientists are conducting research on the restored tree frog population, observing the results of a project implemented in the 1990s – at that time, the extinct tree frog species was successfully restored and is once again found on the Kurzeme coast.

"When I was a child, I didn't know I was living during a mass extinction." Inspired by cine-tracts from the 1960s and animated with water, Ex-tract is a reflection on our memory and the ongoing extinction.

Fuite-les-eaux-en-terre is a town like any other. With inhabitants like any other. Here, too, there are apartment buildings and houses with gardens. Here, too, leaves have to be blown away in autumn. Here too, weeds grow spontaneously. Sometimes a little too much for some residents… How do you get rid of them?

The story of moldavite, a natural gem from the Czech Republic formed by a cosmic collision millions of years ago. This animated film reveals the striking beauty of the green tektite and the qualities that make it so admired. For centuries, this Czech stone has fascinated collectors and those who believe in its mystical, magical powers.

Can our eyes deceive us? Bioshorts – Seen, Unseen is a playful animated documentary that explores how human vision works and why it sometimes fails us. Through engaging animation and scientific explanations, the film introduces viewers to common and lesser-known visual disorders while demonstrating that biology can be both educational and entertaining.

Návštěvník Jindřich Polák is a documentary portrait of Czech filmmaker Jindřich Polák, the visionary director behind iconic works such as Pan Tau, Návštěvníci (The Visitors), and the science-fiction classic Ikarie XB 1. The film explores Polák's unique ability to create imaginative worlds beyond the limitations of both communist-era Czechoslovakia and Western commercial cinema. Through interviews with collaborators and family members, along with rare archival materials, the documentary examines his artistic legacy, his international co-productions across the Iron Curtain, and his role as an overlooked pioneer of European fantasy and science fiction cinema.

Troublemaking Women is a seven-part documentary series exploring the lives of women who challenged social conventions and transformed the fields of education, politics, sports, art, and public life. Through historical figures and contemporary voices, the series examines the struggles, achievements, and lasting influence of women who questioned traditional gender roles and expanded possibilities for future generations. Each episode connects past and present perspectives, revealing how acts of resistance and courage continue to shape society today.

The Cost of Convenience explores the growing presence of artificial intelligence in the most intimate areas of human life. From robotic companions and AI-powered care systems for the elderly to digital relationships and technology-mediated intimacy, the documentary examines how algorithms influence human connection, emotions, and everyday decisions. Experts discuss the addictive nature of digital platforms, the limits of machine understanding, and the social consequences of allowing artificial intelligence to enter personal spaces traditionally reserved for human relationships.

A crew of enthusiasts sets out in a monoxyl, a vessel carved from a tree trunk, on a journey across the Aegean Sea. Their goal is to verify how the first farmers could have traveled from Asia Minor to Europe 9,000 years ago. The documentary reveals new facts about ancient European history.

Smoke examines the Czech justice system's treatment of cannabis growers and questions whether severe prison sentences for cannabis cultivation are proportionate and justified. Through the personal stories of people convicted for growing cannabis, the documentary explores the relationship between law enforcement, courts, drug policy, medical cannabis use, and social perceptions of cannabis. The film also includes perspectives from legal experts, addiction specialists, scientists, judges, and politicians.

European wildlife is under threat like never before. The Carpathians are becoming their last refuge. Of all the mountain ranges in Europe, the Carpathians are home to the most virgin forests, the largest populations of bears, wolves and lynxes, and a variety of other amazing creatures. An episode of the series called Summer shows how they survive in this last bastion of nature during this period. Through their individual stories, we can better understand the connection between animal life and the entire ecosystem of the Carpathians.

Aerial archaeology looks at the past from above and allows us to discover cultural heritage hidden underground that no longer exists in material form. However, there are imprints in the landscape, where a different color of the soil or vegetation reveals where old objects stood, where historical events took place. The top department of the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, led by Prof. Martin Gojda, has been creating an archive of aerial images of the surface of our country for over thirty years. This is a world-unique project that offers us new insights into our history.

The Covid-19 pandemic, gradual alienation from fellow human beings and the growing fear of his own death makes the author to go on a research trip to see if there is an opportunity to prolong his life scientifically. That is the starting point of the existential yet hysterical journey to uncover the business of eternal life in the world of today. In his journey, author who desperately holds to his life, approaches various people, projects and experiments that promise to escape death and live infinitely or at least for much longer than nature has planned. His journey reveals giant refrigerators in a village near Moscow where 67 frozen corpses of Kriorus company are held to be de-frozen sometimes in the next few hundred years or Nectome lab in the US that pumps out human brains.

Moose have played a vital and, to this day, somewhat mysterious role in our world since time immemorial. Their massive figures reflect considerable strength, a calm beauty, and the forgotten bond between humanity and the wild.

Baboons, crows, dolphins, elephants... when faced with the death of their own, various species of animals react in fascinating ways. For years, scientists have been describing poignant - and puzzling - scenes. Today, more and more studies investigate where these behaviors come from and what they mean. How do animals react when they discover the body of one of their fellow creatures? Is there a typology of behaviour depending on the biological and social complexity of the species? Are they only instinctive reactions ? Or do they point to an awareness of death, or even to what we call grief ? When a groundbreaking new science attempts to unravel the mysteries of death in the animal kingdom.

In 1952, Anita Conti was the first woman oceanographer to be accepted on a trawler to take part in an Atlantic cod-fishing campaign. Alone with her camera, she spent six months documenting the work of sixty sailors. As the nets overflowed with fish, she sounded a visionary warning about the possible depletion of this resource.

A global community captures intimate moments of nature using shared cameras, weaving their personal observations into a stunning visual tapestry that celebrates Earth's raw beauty.

Since the dawn of time, Nature has sculpted the oceans with her delicate hand, weaving the tapestry of life in the shimmering depths and sunlit shallows. With infinite care, she conjured snails and mollusks to inhabit diverse marine realms around the African continent, each a reflection of her boundless creativity and wisdom. These delicate spirals, with their tender curves, ensnare our imagination, inspiring art, shaping cultures, adorning garments, and even serving as currency in ancient economies. "Shells: Shaped by Nature" is an artistic tribute to the enigmatic splendor of shells, celebrating these intricate marvels that grace Africa's marine realms.

Is the ice in East Antarctica melting? With this question in mind, a highly specialized group of researchers and the experienced crew on board the legendary research icebreaker Polarstern set off on a challenging expedition in November 2023. Using heavy equipment, the crew and scientists will investigate the course of ocean currents and the ice sheet of East Antarctica in one of the world's stormiest sea areas. They set up land camps, explore the land masses by helicopter and take rock and ice samples wherever possible. It is science under extreme conditions far from any civilization, which demands a great deal of stamina, strength, patience and trust from the almost one hundred souls on board.

Follow explorers into places rarely glimpsed by human eyes: caves, flooded drains and underground laboratories, revealing hidden worlds beneath our feet. Narrated by Sandra Hüller and featuring stunning visuals, this sensorial journey offers a humbling perspective on our place within — not merely atop — this planet.

Afterlives delves into the historical traces of extremist propaganda and the efforts of those resisting its violent impact. The film explores how to confront the violence encoded in this media, reaching beyond its toxic effects to engage with power structures spanning from the colonial past to the digital age. Moving between virtual and physical environments, it introduces us to an artist, an activist and a researcher. Each of these individuals use the legacy of violent extremism to create new images and narratives that offer new possibilities for the future.

Andre, a brilliant idiot, is dying because he didn't get a colonoscopy. His sobering diagnosis, complete irreverence, and insatiable curiosity, send him on an unexpected journey learning how to die happily and ridiculously without losing his sense of humor.

In three namesakes of 19th century queer German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt — Humboldt County, Nevada, Humboldt Parkway in Buffalo NY, and Humboldt Redwoods, California — the struggle for environmental protection interweaves with technological alienation and climate collapse, in this experimental essay on American nature.
HUMBOLDT USA paints a far-ranging portrait of Americans using technologies to try to understand and respond to their rapidly changing environments. These interwoven, often-contradictory narratives raise the question: in the face of ecological collapse and increasing virtualization of life, how do the tools of the modern world change our relationship to nature?

Espelie's poetic, nonfiction feature engages with scientific research—continuing her blend of experimental storytelling and science that began with earlier shorts and her 2014 feature The Lanthanide Series

Just Our Heart is not only a comforting shoulder—it's a ritual blade. This feature documentary by Maartje Nevejan dives into the deep waters of grief—not only personal, but ecological, colonial, and spiritual. Sparked by the loss of her partner and the grief of her children in the face of ecological collapse, Nevejan resists centering her own story. Instead, she opens a space for something larger: a cinematic ritual that gathers three remarkable women—grief doulas, ritualists, spiritual disruptors—who guide others not toward closure, but transformation.

In collaboration with visionary ecologist Dr. Monica Gagliano and Zen priest and grief pioneer Roshi Joan Halifax, Just Our Heart expands the mourning room. It invites voices that are usually silenced: the dead, the exploited, the Earth herself. This is a film that doesn't offer answers—it invites participation in something older than language: ritual as a way of relating to loss, and as a method of resistance.

Just Our Heart refuses the neat aesthetics of healing as an endpoint. It challenges us to ask: What if our hearts are not broken, but breaking open? And what happens when, in that rupture, we do not turn away—but stay? The film zooms out as we witness the grief from children to adults, to mother earth herself. In these troubling times, without mentioning the specifics, "Just Our Heart" is call to stay with the wound, crack open a little more, and open our hearts to all of it.

They live on land or under the sea. They are covered with feathers, scales, leaves or hair. In spite of their distinct characteristics, they share the same secret power… fluorescence! Some creatures are gifted with such "magical" power that is in fact more widespread that one might think. Indeed, all around us, animals, plants and minerals shimmer! If this phenomenon is invisible to our eyes, it plays a key role in the survival, predation or reproduction of these living beings. This series invites us to dive into the respective universe of different fluorescent species - from the spider to the jellyfish, through the Clerodendrum - and to examine their particular behaviors.

In 1949, philosopher and novelist Simone de Beauvoir wrote the groundbreaking The Second Sex, launching a disruptive discourse on women's oppression and second-class citizenship. This film dissects the origins and relevance of this bible of feminism, charting de Beauvoir's fact-finding journey across the US to research her book. The timely and fascinating film honors de Beauvoir's brilliance and limitations, connecting her revolutionary ideas to the pressing issues women face today.

A personal and investigative documentary about a phase of life that half the world's population goes through, yet we know surprisingly little about.

Churchill, Manitoba, is famous as an international destination for photographing polar bears. We've seen the majestic images and classic wildlife series captured here - but what do these bears see of us? Through a shift in perspective 'Nuisance Bear' reveals an obstacle course of tourist paparazzi and wildlife officers whom bears must navigate during their annual migration.

What if you lived in a coastal city never knowing that the ocean hid a deadly poison? That's exactly what LA residents did for decades, until a scientist alerted LA Times journalist Rosanna Xia to a problem ignored by officials for years. They discover that as many as half a million barrels of DDT waste had been dumped into the ocean, and are finally able to connect the dots between sick sea lions, a poisoned ecosystem, and the legacy of health issues in all who've been exposed.

A psychedelic odyssey into the fabric of the universe, guided by a filmmaker's immersive practical experiments that transcend into a deeply hypnotic audio-visual experience (re)connecting us to the natural world.

An unlikely friendship between two indigenous women, set against a dramatic decline in the snow leopard population. When local conservationist Tshiring Lhamu Lama learns about a snow leopard killing a family's entire goat herd, she returns home to convince the family not to kill the animal in retaliation. The family's young daughter, Tenzin Bhuti Gurung, accepts an offer to apprentice with Tshiring to escape an arranged marriage, and the pair travel together across the spectacular Himalayan landscape in search of the mysterious snow leopard. Can they find their own voice amidst centuries-old patriarchy, and save snow leopards despite a conservation industry failing to deliver change?

Facing the death of his country's glaciers and the loss of his beloved grandparents, Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason turns his archives into a time capsule to hold what is slipping away — family, memory, time, and water. How do you say goodbye to what you never thought you could lose? That's the question Magnason grapples with in Sara Dosa's ambitious new project following her 2022 Sundance Film Festival breakout Fire of Love. Tasked to write the eulogy for Okjökull, the first glacier to be declared dead due to climate change, Magnason reflects on how glaciers create an archive of deep time within their ice over millions of years. Likening this idea of the depth of time to intergenerational memory, he sets out to pass along the stories of his grandparents for future generations, before they too vanish. Drawing from an evocative mix of photographs, home movies, myths, songs, and folk tales, Time and Water is at once an elegy for what we've lost and an attempt at cinematic time travel to retain it.

The search for La Flor de Irupé, a lost film by Guillermo Zúñiga, a Spanish pioneer of scientific filmmaking who was exiled in Argentina after the Spanish Civil War, triggers a journey into family histories and national archives. As we witness the slow growth of the yrupé plant, images and silences emerge, revealing layers of historical concealment and censorship.

What to preserve and/or abandon in order to build the future? Examining the progress that straitjackets modern societies, in 1+1+1 Ondřej Vavrečka creates an unrestrained cinematic experience fuelled by absurd acting performances, moments of musical comedy, keen intellectual reflections and documentary triviality.

In the lush Czech countryside, botanist Pavel restores wounded meadows while Klára, a determined wildlife protector, hunts for illegal traps with her dogs. When a poisoned eagle is found, a chilling investigation unfolds, revealing a serial wildlife killer.
Blending the beauty of nature with the tension of a crime thriller, Resilience is a gripping call to action—exposing the fragility of the wild and the high stakes of human impact.

In conversation with his young son, a filmmaker wonders about time — our attempts to control it, and how it controls us. Intimate and political, poetic and scientific, the film explores the tension between objective and subjective time: from physicists tending atomic clocks, to people's daily encounters with the temporal, to the instrumentalization of time for power and commerce.

How do we reach those who are beyond language? In this tender film, members of the Genetic Choir Ensemble use careful reciprocal listening and improvisation techniques to connect with nursing home residents who have lost their ability to communicate conventionally. In a series of delicate scenes, the singers share their ideas and put their methods into practice, filling these once sad and silent spaces with a gentle comforting hubbub of hums, murmurs and intermingling voices. Through this intimate approach, the smallest of gestures – a flicker of a smile, a moment of eye contact – carry profound meaning.

When undiagnosed fibroids wreak havoc on her body, filmmaker Megan documents a darkly humorous and emotional journey through the medical system, navigating excessive bleeding, self-discovery, and reproductive health challenges.

Red Riding Hood is no longer a fairy tale – it's a weapon in the hands of the far-right. Set in Germany after the 2024 elections, where the far-right AfD gained record votes, this film exposes how a fairy tale became a tool of fear.

As millions die each year from superbug infections, a Chilean scientist makes it her mission to find new antibiotics in the salt lakes of the Atacama Desert. Through microscopic imagery and staggering vistas of the landscape, we take in the urgency of the scientist's work and the scale of the battle as lithium mining poses a serious threat to the region's delicate ecosystem.

In April 2023, biologists published a study proving that plants emit sounds when subjected to various types of stress. These ultrasonic sounds remind me of the silence of our time, burying suffering. Bursts of flowers flicker along a filmstrip, just before or right after the flames. —Samy Benammar

In the fastest-warming place on Earth, two friends and their canine sidekick uncover how the world's smallest and fattest reindeer are thriving because of rising temperatures. But are they seeing a positive side-effect of climate change in the Arctic, or witnessing the end of innocence for Svalbard reindeer?

Mythical like a dragon, but also real, we grew attached to ideas of what a dinosaur could have been. A gentle touch in a clay layer uncovers fossilised bones, the physical remains of what is left of the creatures that spark our imaginations are met with tenderness. 'You don't love me, you love the idea of me', says the t-rex. A team of VUB researchers set out to find definite proof of what caused the end of the dinosaur era. One fine line in the rockbed holds knowledge to the minute, of that fateful day, 66 million years ago. This is not an impossible love story, it's a true crime, set in deep time.

Lennart and Karin are dedicated observers at their manual weather station in Sweden. They reflect on their life's work as the station faces automation.

Clickworkers in Venezuela, Kenya and the Philippines talk about their working day: they edit and label countless images of traffic on US streets to be used as training material for self-driving cars.

With the help of thousands of women, the Isala citizen-science project of the microbiology lab at the University of Antwerp is going on a journey of discovery into the vagina: what microorganisms can be found there, what are they doing there and what can we learn from them? The social relevance of this pioneering work cannot be underestimated.

Centred on sphagnum moss, Translocations highlights the mutual aid and reciprocal exchange that exists between species in the restoration of a lowland peatbog. Featuring the voice of botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer, and a tactile soundtrack score, the film documents the human and more-than-human life, energies and actions that are transforming an intensively farmed and damaged terrestrial environment back into a flourishing wetland habitat. The film is structured around volunteers moving ('translocating') gathered balls of sphagnum moss from replete to deplete areas of the bog, enabling a keystone species in peat formation and carbon sequestration to thrive and rejuvenate a vital part of the biosphere.

In this simulation, you are a medical student tasked with obtaining anamnesis from an AI-simulated entity by posing investigative questions. Your empathy towards the suffering chatbot will be assessed.

Out of Nowhere gently explores how preserving alluvial forests, marshes and wetlands can help us face the challenges of an ever angrier, unpredictable climate.

An exploration of the everyday mysteries of quantum mechanics, in which the state of particles is only certain when observed, and split déjà vus imply parallel realities.

Ways of Knowing explores Navajo Nation's health and tradition through its enduring encounter with uranium mining. Created in collaboration with Diné community, activists, storytellers, and citizen scientists, the film is a love letter to the land that shifts the nuclear dialogue from fear to one of curiosity, resilience and healing; as well as explores how nuclear nonproliferation, arms control, and disarmament policies are connected to today's most pressing local and global issues.

Human interaction can sometimes be quite complicated. Passionate debates on the Internet, outbursts of anger in the streets, tense conversations with our loved ones. Arguments can be exhausting and often very unpleasant. In a world where everyone has to have an opinion on everything, ordinary conversation can sometimes become a minefield. Can we disagree with each other respectfully? And can we find something positive in an argument? This episode is part of the science series 42: The Answer to Almost Everything . The title is inspired by the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the number 42, which is supposed to be the answer to all questions.

Paris, 1875. The meeting between Alfred Nobel, a wealthy Swedish inventor of dynamite, and Bertha von Suttner, an emancipated Austrian pacifist, sparks an unexpected story preserved in twenty years of correspondence and culminating in the Nobel Peace Prize. This documentary traces their intertwined lives through letters, archives, historian testimonies, and dramatized scenes, set against the Industrial Revolution and the looming threat of war, revealing two contrasting figures and the history they shape together.

Czech freediver and national record holder Jindřiška Zajacová, the daughter of a synchronized swimmer and a diver, seeks to tune in to the water and let herself be drawn toward the center of the Earth, and perhaps her own self. This contemplative portrait explores the pull of the calming blue depths, testing the limits of the human body while searching for a way to move through life above the surface. The film is made by Viktorie Aldabagh, a graduate of historical sociology at Charles University, now studying documentary filmmaking at FAMU and working at Voxpot.

A utopian documentary portrays sporting events as spaces of healthy competition, international brotherhood, and racial harmony. Yet not everything appears harmonious, and Miroslav Hrubý's propaganda film reveals underlying ideological tensions of the Cold War.

A grotesque tale of people struggling for space shows how quickly the fight for room can descend into chaos. Without respect for others' boundaries, communal living can rapidly turn into disaster, revealing the fragility of coexistence.

Millions of people suffer from ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) and other post-infection syndromes, including post-COVID syndrome. Yet medicine remains skeptical, often treating these disorders as psychosomatic and overlooking their neurological basis. Chronically Ignored explores why this crisis has been neglected for decades and how the pandemic has worsened the problem.

To mark the 90th anniversary of the Mountain Rescue Service, director Martin Vrbický created a time-lapse documentary tracing the major milestones of its colourful history. Eyewitnesses recall unforgettable events. From avalanches and snowstorms to ski resorts, hiking trails, and bobsleigh tracks, the service operates across all Czech mountain ranges year-round. The documentary shows how members risk their lives during rescue operations and what this work entails.

Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects approximately one in ten women, yet its symptoms are often downplayed and the disease remains underdiagnosed. Painful and heavy menstruation or chronic lower abdominal pain are often considered "normal", and the path to diagnosis takes an average of 7 to 10 years. The documentary follows several women who are learning to live with constant pain, while also opening up the topic of groundbreaking scientific research, from the development of a saliva diagnostic test to a non-invasive ultrasound method that could fundamentally improve treatment options.

Three generations of cows – Joy, Crumb and Sweetie – live happily in the forest. Under the care of a trio of veterinarians, a world of belonging and protection emerges. The film explores the cycle of life, the power of community and the deep bond between people, animals and nature.

Friend or foe? Within seconds, the brain forms an opinion about someone new. First impressions strongly influence social interactions, with subconscious evaluations of facial expressions and voice shaped by culture and stereotypes. Momentary judgments can be helpful but also misleading. The documentary examines the science of first impressions, their historical roots, the risks of bias, and how artificial intelligence and robotics can help us navigate them.

Luca, Ask, and Josefine struggle as outsiders at their old schools, but Østerskov Efterskole is different. This Danish boarding school turns lessons into improvised plays and emphasizes creativity, collaboration, storytelling, and personal growth alongside traditional academics. Over two years, the film follows students as they, in costumes and wielding swords, confront insecurity and anxiety, discovering themselves and a sense of community through imagination.

Does energy for life decrease with age? This assumption is refuted by Hana Pinkavová's short film about women who did not let sore joints deter them from an active lifestyle. A sensitive, empathetic and at the same time funny probe offers a different perspective on the autumn years of a person.

Zdař Bůh enters the underground, where the history of Czech mining was written for generations. However, this era is slowly ending. Mining determined our strength, fed industry, shaped politics and society, but left victims and scars both in the landscape and on human bodies. The documentary series by Czech Television creates a mosaic of cunning, courage and cruelty. From miners' pride and technological progress to the moment when the mine became an instrument of power. Every feat is a test of human capabilities, cohesion and, above all, a great love for work.

The United States of America was once considered a country of the future, promising the world unimaginable innovation. But its past and present are not so rosy. The Austrian director creates a complex mosaic of seemingly unrelated themes of American culture, colonialism, and hacking during the Covid pandemic. In a playful and unconventional form that works with performative stylization, he looks at the United States through the history of the Navajo Native American tribe, whose right to a future was taken away. However, his efforts are disrupted by the personification of the current system, Uncle Sam. Can he be opposed by mutual community help?

In nature, a couple is a male and a female. Well, not always. A couple is also a female and a female. Or a male and a male. You may not know it, but homosexuality isn't just a human story.

Since 2010, the number of children and adolescents seeking care for gender incongruence rises globally. Filmmaker Kateř Tureček approaches this phenomenon through the story of 17-year-old Yuri and her mother Lucie, who navigate understanding together. Clear and accessible, the film explains key terminology while offering an empathetic and affirming portrayal of trans identity.

Director Julien Faraut is not a traditional sports documentary filmmaker. He uses archival 16mm footage from the 1984 French Open as a starting point for an original reflection on tennis, the human body and film itself. John McEnroe, then the best tennis player in the world, is captured in detail here – we see his outbursts of anger, precise movements and moments of perfection. Faraut shows that tennis and film are in dialogue with each other: they work similarly with time, drama and spectacle. A funny and visually impressive film about a man at the limit of his senses.

Repetition is present at every step, things lack meaning and one feels insignificant. Apathy, melancholy, exhaustion – the same concept, but a different name, boredom as a scale on which each of us has found ourselves at some point. In inevitable situations of everyday life, such as folding laundry, traveling by bus or work that has lost its meaning, it becomes a silent companion. The film follows the experience of boredom, its causes and the ways in which people cope with it in order not to fall into frustration and maintain mental balance.

Two people in different corners of the world – Nikita in Siberia and Martha in Alaska – watch as their land literally crumbles beneath their feet. Melting permafrost – soil frozen for thousands of years – threatens homes and entire communities, revealing ancient layers as well as new challenges. Yorgos Avgeropoulos' award-winning documentary captures the harsh beauty of the Arctic, the changing landscape, and human resilience and fragility in the face of the planet's rapidly changing climate.

Mimi and Lisa present two different ways of seeing the world. This playful story explores how sighted and blind children understand one another, discover new perspectives, and share experiences that expand how they perceive their surroundings.

More than a third of people in the Czech Republic live without a partner. The mini-series explores how we form relationships online and in person, from apps like Tinder to the resurgence of speed dating. Archival materials and expert insights examine whether our search for connection is hampered by high expectations. Does technology ease dating, or heighten disappointment? How does Gen X navigate it all?

The gut is a true miracle, performing far more than simply processing food. It shapes the immune system and influences mental health, and its disruption can lead to chronic inflammation or even depression. This documentary follows people for whom the gut plays a central role and who speak openly about a topic often considered taboo.

What is life? For biochemist Gyula Dékány, the answer is clear: a chemical information system. This obsession has driven him across two decades and several continents toward a breakthrough within reach — the synthesis of a compound with the potential to treat Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Gyula is a dedicated scientist and biotech entrepreneur, and his journey to help thousands of patients — marked by grant battles, investor pressures, and global crises — confronts us with the challenges facing research today.

The Russian attacks on Ukraine are not just about human casualties. The ravages of war are tearing through forests, rivers, and steppes, wiping out wildlife and rare species in national parks and nature reserves across the country. An environmental journalist travels through the devastated land, documenting the ecocide unfolding in the heart of Europe. Along the way, she meets scientists who have refused to abandon their work despite the daily threat of explosions. Together, they record the sounds of a disappearing landscape and compare them with pre-war recordings. The voice of nature itself becomes evidence of war crimes.

A film about the power of ambition and resilience. As a boy, Slovenian woodcarver Cena dreams of ski jumping, but asthma prevents him from pursuing the sport. Rather than giving up, he combines his passions and begins organizing his own championship using carved miniatures, reimagining competition on his own terms.

Using modest filmmaking equipment, director Rebekka Nystabakk follows her sister Rakel and her wife Ida as they leave the city to take over the family sheep farm, becoming the fourth generation of farmers. Woolly is an elegantly told, feel-good festival film with lively, self-reflective humor, and an intimate portrait of intergenerational change. A reality check for romanticized urban notions of self-sufficiency and rural life gradually transforms, in the rhythm of manual labor, into the building of a new, authentic, and deeply personal idyll.

Scraped skin, bruises, contusions, and fractures—part of the daily grind for domestiques. "Taking one for the team" is not just a phrase here, but a literal reality. For many spectators, familiar with sport or not, those who sacrifice themselves so others can win remain a mystery. Documentary by Lithuanian director Arunas Matelis exposes the unseen side of professional cycling and challenges the illusion that anyone can win.

Three female doctors, three hospitals, countless decisions that can change lives in seconds, and a deep dedication to their profession. This documentary series by Czech Television follows leading figures in Czech medicine heading departments in Ústí nad Labem, Olomouc, and Prague. The camera captures tension in corridors, responsibility for teams, powerful human stories, and quiet moments after shifts. When operating room lights go out, another shift begins at home.

Chronic pain remains largely absent from medical discourse, despite affecting millions of people worldwide. Why is it discussed so rarely—because it feels too intimate, too complex, or too often dismissed as "womanly"? Womb+ presents a collective testimony of living with endometriosis and chronic pain, challenging the idea that pain is simply something to endure. Through personal experience and reflection, it offers a powerful insight into the patriarchal conception of the body.

In a world where people communicate through wires attached to their heads, one boy remains disconnected from others. As he searches for his own path, he discovers that true connection is not created by technology, but by the effort to understand one another.

Eliška Junková, born in Olomouc, is among the first women in Czechoslovakia to earn a driving licence. After winning several European races, she competes in the famous Targa Florio in 1928, earning multiple awards. Following her husband's death at the Nürburgring, she ends her racing career, yet even in its brevity, joins Europe's elite. The portrait of Junková is made by the late director Rudolf Adler, a teacher of documentary filmmaking and author of the first textbooks on the subject, who headed FAMU's Department of Documentary Film from 1990 to 1994.

The little white crow does not fit in with the others and remains on the sidelines. But when their world changes, she becomes the one to discover a new path, showing that difference can lead to unexpected insight and courage.

Clive Oppenheimer, geologist and passionate volcano enthusiast, makes his own filmmaking debut with an unconventional take on volcanic activity that reaches far beyond the boundaries of classical geology. With endearing curiosity, wit and ingenuity, he brings together researchers from diverse disciplines, artists and stunning imagery into a cohesive portrait of how volcanoes have shaped — and continue to shape — our planet and civilisation. The film traces the mark of volcanoes across scientific, social and archaeological contexts, asking what the fiery depths of the Earth still have left to tell us.

A recording of a soccer match unfolds from an unconventional perspective. Instead of focusing on the players on the pitch, the cameras observe the spectators in the stands and the sports commentators, whose expertise varies widely. This observational study highlights the cultural and social dimensions of sport and the forms of passionate fandom it generates. The film reflects on national character and suggests that, without collective experience and the observer's gaze, sport remains incomplete.

The second season of a documentary series on sex education—what they never told you at school. Hosts Zuzana and Terézia from the popular Vyhonit ďábla podcast guide viewers through a wide range of topics on relationships and sex with candor. Across selected episodes, the series examines dating, masculinity, physicality, the frequency of sex, social media, breakups, and trans people, confronting stereotypes with scientific facts and emphasizing phrases such as "everyone is different" and "no means no."

The little tiger without stripes feels out of place among the others. The film shows that some differences are only temporary and that, with a little patience, acceptance and belonging can grow.

A girl retreats into virtual reality, growing distant from her grandfather. When the real world draws her back and sparks her curiosity, she discovers that shared interests can reconnect them and bridge the gap between generations.

The Undamaged (2018) follows an expedition of kayakers, filmmakers, and activists on a 36-day journey from Slovenia to Albania, drawing attention to the threats facing Europe's last wild rivers. The Balkans, home to relatively unregulated waterways, face increasing dam construction. The film combines adventure with civic engagement, highlighting communities defending their rivers and landscapes.

We invite you on a journey into the past: the year is 1998, overalls and Walkmans define the era, and in Nagano, Japan, a hockey match is about to unfold between the Russian superpower and the Czech Republic, its former satellite state. The Nagano Tapes by Ondřej Hudeček explores how sports shape collective and national identity, especially in moments of crisis and uncertainty. The story of an underdog team's hope and resilience resonates 28 years later, offering inspiration in today's fast-paced world.

Fears surrounding artificial intelligence emerge long before the digital age. In a partially lost Italian sci-fi film, a scientist creates a mechanical man, only for a criminal gang to attempt to exploit him for their own sinister plans. The film asks what a "Terminator" of the 1920s might look like.

The story of a Vietnamese girl navigating her new surroundings sensitively captures both her uncertainty and her longing for acceptance. The film shows that understanding often begins with small acts of kindness.

If you ever wondered in school what use math has in everyday life, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Mathematician Hannah Fry presents in an entertaining way how to win with game theory and the right strategy. She reflects on when to set aside egoism and what strategy to adopt to compel cooperation, moving from calming quarreling children in a car to tackling complex societal issues.

Tragedy waits just beyond the guardrails. Every seven kilometres of Czech roads sees a collision with wildlife. Hedgehog populations have fallen to 10% since the 1950s, with tens of thousands dying under cars each year. The film follows the most endangered species for whom asphalt is both a barrier and a death sentence, highlighting wildlife crossings, amphibian underpasses, landscape restoration, and human responsibility toward animals seeking safety.

Four patients share their struggle for a diagnosis and a normal life. Their lives are put on hold by illnesses that no one can explain. Two doctors in Tromsø, Hans Petter Fundingsrud and Elin Drivenes, specialize in finding connections that others have missed, and in doing so, they try to help young people with unexplained symptoms. They ask patients questions they have never heard before and slowly get closer to an explanation. With rare access to consultations, we could give young people their childhood back.

Strahov Stadium hosts regular mass gymnastics performances designed to demonstrate national unity and the subordination of the individual to the collective. Paradoxically, they draw on the tradition of the suppressed All-Sokol Slet gatherings. The regime uses the Spartakiads to embody and communicate its ideology, but as the context changes, their form and role evolve. Contemporary coverage records the extensive preparations, rehearsals, performances, and attendees' experiences.

For centuries, humans have sought to make the world predictable and orderly, yet the climate crisis reveals that life resists control. Moles undermine golf courses, bark beetles devour spruce plantations, weeds disrupt development projects, and whales attack motorboats. Drawing on ethnographic research and anthropological texts, the film explores a world where safety and the future are not solely human claims. Created in collaboration between KALD DAMU and the ResisTerra team at FHS UK.

Power Station follows a London street gradually transforming into a community solar power plant. The documentary offers a humorous and touching portrait of neighborly solidarity, creativity, and collective effort in response to the energy crisis. Rather than imagining hopeful futures, it actively creates them, showing how community energy brings power closer to its sources—and neighbors closer to one another.

We often imagine athletic performance as a triumph of speed, strength and agility of the body. In an age of standardized physical training, however, the brain has become a new field of research. Understanding and mastering neurological functions is now a priority for anyone who wants to become and remain number one. The film takes us to the very limits of human capabilities, as seen (and tested in practice) by some of the world's best athletes. These include basketball player Rudy Gobert, Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc, surfer Justine Dupont and footballer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

A cat wakes up in a flooded world and tries to overcome his fear of water.

Taking as its point of departure the global protest movement against animal testing that emerged in the early 2000s, the film examines the current state of the debate. Has meaningful progress been made? A wide range of pioneering scientists appear on screen, working to transform biomedical research through the development of animal-free testing innovations, including multi-organ chips, artificial intelligence, 3D bioprinting and computer-based models. Demonstrating that viable alternatives already exist, the film reveals how systemic change remains frustratingly out of reach. It offers a grounded exploration of how scientific knowledge is produced, asking whether science is on the brink of a new paradigm – or being held back by economic interests and institutional prestige. Capturing a field in transition, the film features contributions from Dutch professor Dr J. (Merel) Ritskes-Hoitinga of Utrecht University.

An invisible but omnipresent enemy, plastic is now inside us. Every day, all over the world, scientists are discovering how these particles insidiously colonize our bodies, from placenta to breast milk. A deep dive into the heart of ongoing research into the toxicity of plastics, which also raises questions about the future of our species. Is Homo sapiens about to become Homo plasticus?

How Deep is Your Love, follows intrepid biologists exploring the mysterious deep sea, where 70% of our planet lies hidden. As they uncover mesmerizing creatures and ecosystems thriving in darkness, a looming threat emerges: the prospect of deep-sea mining in this untouched wilderness. This film weaves wonder with urgency, challenging us to balance the drive for resources with the intrinsic value of an ecosystem. As we journey through this breathtaking realm, we are left to ponder how deep is our love.

In the post–Roe v. Wade United States, scientists are on the cusp of a watershed moment in birth control—the introduction of new, viable male contraceptives. As we watch brave individuals fight to make medical history, Big Pharma's reluctance to invest in these new products remains a maddening obstacle to the groundbreaking prospect of changing family planning and gender politics forever.

In 1811, Mary Anning, an inquisitive and tenacious 12-year-old girl, spends her days searching for fossils. Her father passed on this passion to her, but her life suddenly changes when he disappears, leaving behind a mysterious drawing and a struggling family. Determined to help her mother and brother, Mary tries to uncover the secret of the drawing. She will discover so much more than just fossils: friendships, adventures, and the very start of palaeontology.

Attenborough explores the planet's undersea habitats, revealing the greatest age of ocean discovery and emphasizing the ocean's vital importance while exposing its problems and highlighting opportunities for marine life recovery.

A filmmaker seeking treatment for her daughter's migraine attacks discovers a confounding neurological disease and learns why a devastating condition, afflicting nearly a billion people worldwide, remains so deeply misunderstood.

Boca Chica, Texas. Hemmed in by the Gulf of Mexico and the Rio Grande, the village is defined by the rhythmic sound of the waves. But this wild country is in the midst of irreversible change. For the swamps have been drained, the beaches closed and the homes bought out: the shadow looming over the beach is that of a 50-story rocket, being readied for launch into space.

A ten-metre-high diving board. People climb up: to leap or to climb down? The situation highlights a dilemma: endure the instinctive fear of taking the plunge or the humiliation of having to climb down. Ten Meter Tower is an entertaining study of human vulnerability.
A 10 meter diving tower. People who have never ben up there before have to chose whether to jump or climb down. The situation in itself highlights a dilema: to weigh the instinctive fear of taking the step out against the humiliation of having to climb down. Ten Meter Tower is an entertaining study of the human in a vulnerable position. (KurzFilm Verleih)

In a country where eligible men greatly outnumber women, three serial bachelors join an intensive seven-day dating camp led by one of China's most sought-after dating coaches, in what may be their last-ditch effort to find love.

A fire breaks out in the Amazon rainforest, and frightened animals flee their habitat to seek refuge on the other side of the river. Only a small hummingbird stubbornly persists in fighting the blaze when it spots a sloth and its baby trapped amidst the flames.

A documentary covering the Olympic Games at Chamonix in 1924.

The short film follows a writer who has trouble sitting still, focusing, and finishing things. It mixes real-life moments with simple science about dopamine, the brain chemical that helps us pay attention and find things interesting. By showing how this shapes focus and energy, the film helps explain why some people think and feel differently. It shows what it's like to have a busy, creative brain that's always jumping to new ideas. Instead of calling it a problem, the film celebrates seeing and living in a different way. "See The World in Flashes" is for anyone who's ever felt out of place and wants to see the science behind why.

In Zenica, a giant steel factory belches toxic gasses into the air day and night, making the city one of the world's most polluted, and people are dying. Samir Lemes and citizen activists from Eko Forum fight an uneven fight for change against the reckless corporation, the local politicians who focus on jobs, investments, and re-elections, and the EU who co-funds the corporation without enforcing laws and international standards. Instead, they name Zenica 'A Green City Project', building bicycle lanes in a city where breathing is a health hazard. A film about financial cynicism, political pragmatisk and greenwashing, in which West European countries play a surprisingly big role.

Ten-year-old Vítek has a special talent: he can hear and feel things that others cannot. This animated documentary gives us a glimpse into his world. We learn that missing a sense can have benefits as well.

Planet Earth, year 2960 AD. A group of uranium hunters returns to the blue planet in search of the precious metal. The crackling of the Geiger counter leads one team member deep into a cave. There, the explorer encounters an ancient relic from the old world, awakening it from a slumber that had lasted for centuries, perhaps millennia.

A VR-native documentary that captures community, connection, and love within the metaverse during the pandemic.

An oasis of beautiful plants and flowers in the middle of an ocean of weeds is put to the test when a storm threatens to infest all the work done by the Gardener. Can he fight off the elemental forces testing him?

A documentary covering the 1956 Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

Can "bedside manner" be taught? Certainly it's in increasingly short supply these days, as overworked and underpaid doctors, nurses, and hospital staff are pressured to prioritize profits and efficiency over compassionate care. But while the quaint image of the country doctor may be a thing of the past, an innovative public hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland, has embarked on an ambitious training program involving the kinds of role-playing scenarios one usually finds in acting rehearsals on stage. Simply by observing these encounters, in the best tradition of documentarians like Frederick Wiseman, Allan King, and Nicolas Phillibert, Alexis Poukine has created drama of the highest order, finding the whole of human emotion in this refreshingly new kind of talking cure.

What if we could transfer the heart of the human brain to artificial intelligence? Empathy, imagination, feelings… and the ability to cooperate? Wider Than the Sky brings us closer to the world-renowned artists, dancers and scientists exploring the different paths that artificial intelligence is taking. Is a collective use of AI to shape a positive future for humanity even possible?

A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.

Arco, 12 years old, lives in a far future. During his first flight in his rainbow suit, he looses control and falls in the past. Iris, a little girl his age from 2075, saw him fall. She rescues him and tries by all means to send him back to his era.

Every morning, Boris the village baker makes a fresh batch of crusty bread and pastries for all his neighbours until… Achoo! He can't stop sneezing. He has become allergic to flour. How will he manage to keep baking for everyone in the village?

A blistering rallying cry issued loud, clear, and unapologetically queer, Lizzie Borden's explosive postpunk provocation is a DIY fantasia of female rebellion set in America ten years after a revolution that supposedly transformed the country into a social-democratic utopia. In reality, racism, sexism, and economic inequality are as virulent as ever, and a band of radicals—led by Black, lesbian, and working-class women—join forces to fight back. Told through a furiously fractured, kinetically edited flurry of television news broadcasts, pirate radio transmissions, agitprop, and protests shot guerrilla-style on the streets of New York City, Born in Flames is a shock wave of feminist futurism that's both an essential document of its time and radically ahead of it.

When Rene (86) buys flowers, he always thinks about what color his wife would have chosen if she were alive. This elderly Danish man, being interviewed about his life with a group of his contemporaries, spent more years of his life with his wife than he has alone.
In Echo of You, filmmaker Zara Zerny tenderly portrays nine elderly Danish people. They talk about their love lives, growing old, grief, and their perspectives on life and death. The eloquent, candid and sometimes poetic speakers are filmed at home, seated in a chair or in bed. Zerny intercuts these static shots with artistic, sometimes dreamy or abstract representations of their testimonies. Old home videos are also projected onto the interviewees, reflecting a different, bygone existence.
The interviews create a group portrait of a unique generation that will not be with us for much longer. With their passing, their stories will perish, along with the furnishings and objects they have valued for decades, ranging from wooden ceilings, voile curtains and pendulum clocks to double rows of framed photos of generations of their relatives and forebears.

Startups are using AI to create avatars that allow relatives to talk with their loved ones after they have died. An exploration of a profound human desire and the consequences of turning the dream of immortality into a product.
"I wanted to see if he was okay," explains Christi, one of the users of Project December. With this innovative software, users can communicate with a virtual version of the deceased through a chatbot that simulates the dead person's conversation patterns. Hers was an attempt to check on her first love. Others may simply miss someone, seek permission to move on, or want to rid themselves of guilt.
Little is known about the effects that this kind of generative AI might have on our brains, hearts, and wallets. The filmmakers, Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck (The Cleaners, 2018 Sundance Film Festival), do not claim to have the answers, but instead bring up various emotional and moral complexities we should be aware of. Eternal You poses important questions about algorithmic immortality, and the need to take a closer look at our future "digital remains."—AT

This six‑part wildlife documentary series explores Europe's richest and most remarkable habitats—from icy Svalbard and Azorean seas to dense forests, mountain peaks, rivers, and urban ecosystems. Featuring rare and newly observed species such as blue whales, European hamsters, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx, Persian leopard, genets, wolverines, polar bears, golden eagles, and more, the series reveals the continent's hidden biodiversity through stunning cinematography and new‑to‑science behaviors captured over 1,000 filming days in nearly 30 countries

What do you want in a relationship? And what exactly is a relationship? When people fall in love with robots, an avalanche of existential questions is set off.

In Gundremmingen, a small German town in Bavaria, there's a decommissioned nuclear power plant, while its Polish neighbor, Choczewo, is preparing to begin construction of the country's first nuclear power plant. How do the residents of these two towns experience the issue of nuclear power on the ground? A heartfelt and humorous investigation into how nuclear power divides us.