Festival Sections
Films for individual festival sections are selected from works released in the period between one edition of Finále Plzeň and the next.
Competition films are evaluated by independent international expert juries as well as student juries from the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen.
Around 140 screenings take place during the six days of the festival.
Competitive sections
Golden Kingfisher - Feature Live Action and Animated Films Competition
A competition of the most significant Czech and co-production films released since the previous edition of the festival, chosen by a professional selection panel. The winner is picked by an independent international jury. The makers of the winning film receive a financial reward of CZK 25,000 and an award produced by the Kolektiv Ateliers glass workshop in Nový Bor.
Golden Kingfisher – Documentary Films Competition
A prestigious selection of Czech and co-production documentaries. This section is not only a competition for best documentary but above all a diverse exploration of new themes and forms of cinematic expression. The makers of the winning film receive a financial reward of CZK 25,000 and an award produced by the Kolektiv Ateliers glass workshop.
Golden Kingfisher – TV and Internet Productions Competition
This section is dedicated to television films, miniseries and series. It showcases compelling and original television and internet projects that deserve to be shown beyond the small screen. The winners are selected by an international jury of TV and audiovisual professionals.
Golden Kingfisher – Student Short Film Competition
A selection of the most notable student films that viewers do not normally have the opportunity to see in classic distribution. Our aim is to draw special attention to them at the festival, given that it is student films that most represent the latest Czech film production internationally.
Non-competitive sections
In the Net
A selection of successful Czech feature, documentary and animated films that audiences really shouldn’t miss.
First Catch
An exclusive selection of Czech films and minority co-productions presented as premieres and pre-premieres.
Czech Traces
A section presenting works in which Czech filmmakers have participated in various ways. These include films made as part of co-productions, films shot in the Czech Republic, or films made by Czech professionals in individual film professions.
Women and Film
A newly created section dedicated to prominent female personalities in Czech cinema. In four programme blocks, notable female filmmakers working in different areas present pictures of their choice co-created by women that have inspired or influenced them in their own work. Run in cooperation with Girls in Film Prague.
Power and Manipulation
A section exploring the influence of the political environment on filmmaking in individual decades of Czech history. Each edition of the festival is dedicated to a different decade, beginning with the 1950s in 2021. Created in cooperation with the non-profit organisation Post Bellum.
Special Feature
A section that introduces specific themes, presents the latest trends and takes the audience to unconventional places, e.g., in connection with site-specific or silent cinema screenings.
German Cinema
A showcase of distinctive German feature films and shorts, often screened with the participation of filmmakers and film professionals from Germany. The selection of works takes place in close cooperation with the Cottbus Film Festival and the Max Ophüls Festival in Saarbrücken.
ZOOM
A section dedicated to film production from European regions, near and far.