Finále Plzeň Festival
Finále Plzeň is the Czech Republic’s largest showcase of national cinema. It aims to provide viewers and visitors with a high-quality selection of Czech pictures and to be a byword for a platform for film professionals, filmmakers, actors and other representatives of the film industry to meet, present their projects and network. The festival also plays the role of a specialised film competition, with works of cinema created between the September of the previous festival year and the September of the current year appraised across a number of sections. Among other things, Finále Plzeň connects the world of film professionals and various cultural spheres: projects, organisations, institutions and individuals. Running through all of the above-mentioned activities is the festival’s essential and paramount virtue: Finále Plzeň is the only domestic platform that focuses exclusively on Czech audiovisual production, presenting the best Czech films produced over the past year in one place, at one time and within a carefully chosen curatorial selection. The programme consists of more than 100 films, many of which are presented in premieres or previews. In addition to majority Czech films, the festival also presents titles made in Czech co-production. The ZOOM section introduces the audience to the cinema of a selected country or region each year, while the German Cinema section gives festival-goers the opportunity to get to know the latest trends in contemporary German film. The winning pictures in the competition sections are selected by juries composed of international audiovisual experts, who bring a fresh perspective on domestic production.
Festival history
The first edition of the festival took place in 1968, showcasing a selection of the best films made by Czechoslovak filmmakers in the intense atmosphere that accompanied a political thaw in the 1960s. The winner at that time was Ewald Schorm’s Courage for Every Day, which won Finále Plzeň’s Golden Kingfisher Award. The Kingfisher, also known as the Flying Gemstone, has since become a symbol of the festival as a portent of hope and faith in political change. For almost 40 years, the festival has made its mark on the Czech cultural landscape, where it has established a permanent position. What was originally a showcase offering an overview of Czech cinema has gradually become an internationally recognised platform promoting Czech audiovisual production and Czech filmmakers.
Industry programme
Apart from the opportunity to get acquainted with the latest in Czech cinema, Finále Plzeň is a crucial platform for Czech filmmakers to meet and to make connections with international guests from festivals, co-production markets, distributors and sales, offering the opportunity to discuss potential partnerships or future projects. In addition to panel discussions and presentations on topical issues in the Czech and European audiovisual industry, Finále Plzeň hosts the industry platform Czech Film Springboard, which is run by the Czech Audiovisual Fund/Czech Film Centre.
In the context of the ZOOM programme section, producers from a selected country/region present opportunities for mutual co-production, while networking with selected German producers takes place every year in cooperation with the partner festivals of the German Cinema section: the Cottbus Film Festival and the Max Ophüls Film Festival.
Other industry activities are organised in cooperation with our partners MIDPOINT Institute, Creative Europe MEDIA Office, APA – the Audiovisual Producers’ Association, the Czech Film Commission, the Regional Film Office and ARAS – the Association of Czech Directors, Screenwriters and Script Editors.
City of Pilsen
The festival takes place in the historic city of Pilsen, which is characterised by its remarkable architecture, rich cultural life and first-class gastronomy and offers visitors a wide range of interesting activities. For more information visit this website.