Pavel Koutecký Award 2024

Pavel Koutecký Award 2024

In the Dark
Directed by Aneta J., Czech Republic 2023, 10 min.

A powerful personal story begins with the words: “I’ve actually had a strange relationship with sex my whole life...” This is the opening of the winning film in the short documentary category.

The filmmaker shares her difficult life experience, saying she can no longer pretend her traumas don’t exist. In her own way, she uses film as a means to piece her life back together — hoping that by telling her story publicly, she might help someone else as well.

Pochcánek
Directed by Jan Hušek, Czech Republic 2023, 61 min.

In an open documentary diary, the director captures his physical and spiritual transformation on the journey from boyhood to manhood. He returns to the roots of his childhood traumas while turning the camera both on himself and on various “mentors” as well as his father. Over five years of filming, he explored different prototypes of masculinity. This journey brought him closer to his goal of becoming a more sensitive and empathetic person, but is it possible to achieve “true manhood”?

Winner in the feature-length documentary category.