Just 17 years old then, the festival director Marek Hovorka (now 36) founded the documentary showcase in 1997. At the time, everything was possible in a country that was “East of the West”.

This move anticipated a documentary earthquake that soon shook the entire (film) world. It gave rise to new documentary film festivals in Copenhagen, Lisbon, Warsaw and Vancouver and left no stone unturned at traditional festivals, for example in Marseille and Leipzig. Documentary images again infused cinema with the vitality and freedom of authorial expression and proved that fiction film was spinning its wheels in the sand.

These festivals mentioned above together with Jihlava IDFF and other events joined forces to create Doc Alliance, a partnership between seven European documentary festivals, which formed a new pan-European distribution platform offering hundreds of new documentary films every year.

“At the beginning, we were sorry to see that documentary films were practically unavailable in the country – both in cinemas and on television. But the very first edition of our festival showed that we were not alone. The audience’s response was really surprising”, says Marek Hovorka, reflecting on the early days of the festival. That year, 1997, the student-led team of organisers secured the third place at the Kristián ’97 Awards for the most remarkable production event. “At the time, the Internet was still an unknown medium. Films were submitted and sent in on VHS tapes, and letters and fax messages were exchanged instead of e-mails. But ever since the beginning of the festival, our aim has been to combine film screenings with Q&As”, adds Hovorka.

Oliveira’s Mecca Thinks Through Film

Ever since its first edition, the signature features of the Jihlava IDFF have been its unique atmosphere, engaged audiences and intensive post-screening exchanges of opinion. Not without reason did the legendary director Manoel de Oliveira nickname the Jihlava IDFF the “documentary film mecca”.

Since 2001, the festival’s symbol has been a simple funnel representing a playful way to a clearer perception of the world around us: It allows us to see better, hear better, be better heard and have everything we need to know poured into our head. Thus, the funnel has become another traditional festival icon alongside the palm leaf, leopard, bear and shell.

And starting the same year, 2001, festival visitors have officially been thinking through film. “The motto ‘thinking through film’ contradicts the tendency of manipulating the audience’s emotions through films. We are interested in films that pose new questions, and everyone is free to find their own answers. Such works open up a space between the film and the viewers. In the words of Chantal Akerman: They don’t steal your time – they give you extra time”, explains Hovorka.

One such film, France-based director Anna Roussillon’s I Am the People, had its world premiere at the Jihlava IDFF 2014, where it won the Best World Documentary Film and Best Documentary Début prizes. Following a successful run of international festivals, it was also selected for the Cannes IFF. “It is usually the other way around: from Cannes, films set out on their journey around the world. We’re thrilled to have discovered a film that eventually made it to Cannes. Each film has its place, and it’s not always ideal to have it premiere at one of the several major festivals”, adds Hovorka. “The documentary scene is specific in that documentaries have no outlet analogous to the Cannes IFF, which in the end is a good thing, since they retain their unexpected and ever-surprising diversity.”

In the festival spot of the 18th edition of the Jihlava IDFF, we could hear director Jan Němec saying: “There are no big or small films. These 20 seconds express my concerns about the possible end of cinematography. This is me ringing the alarm bell, and the shadow of my hand is my signature.” One year later, US director Godfrey Reggio, (who, like Jan Němec, is a recipient of the festival’s Contribution to World Cinema Award) was pondering the meaning of the word “freedom”. Together, they started a tradition: “We have long wished that the laureates of the Contribution to World Cinema Award would shoot a short movie. They have thus been able to show their respects to our festival, which pays tribute to auteur- driven documentary cinema,” says Hovorka.

In the Heart of Europe

The Jihlava IDFF’s position “in the heart of Europe” enables it to bring together filmmakers from Eastern and Western Europe, for example during the meeting of the upcoming generation of European documentary film producers, Emerging Producers, or the East Silver market organised by the Institute of Documentary Film to showcase East European films. The festival’s internationally acclaimed events include the Inspiration Forum, which offers further insight into topical cultural and political issues. At the previous edition, state-of-the-art technology facilitated the virtual presence of the dissident of the digital era, Julian Assange. Others who accepted invitations to appear included British journalist and writer Tariq Ali, as well as Czech artist Kateřina Šedá. Past editions of the festival have hosted other notable figures, including performance artist Petr Pavlensky, dramatist and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate Gao Xingjian or members of the Ukrainian feminist protest group Femen.

The Jihlava IDFF plays a key role in promoting and directing international attention to Czech and Eastern European films and filmmakers. A few examples of films by the up-and-coming generation that made their mark at the festival include Matchmaking Mayor by Erika Hníková, Daniel’s World by Veronika Lišková, Fortress by Klára Tasovská and Lukáš Kokeš, I Love My Boring Life by Jan Gogola Jr, The Great Night by Petr Hátle, Alda by Viera Čákanyová among countless others.

The anniversary 20th  edition of Jihlava IDFF will take place October 25 – 30, 2016.

For more information, visit www.dokument-festival.com