Where does Czech documentary filmmaking stand today? For the second year running, the Czech Republic has submitted a documentary to the Oscars, while the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival is presenting another selection of films in its Czech Joy competition. Yet despite the fact that documentary cinema, unlike fiction, often tackles pressing contemporary issues, its filmmakers have long had to contend with a fragile financial infrastructure, even as they enjoy a relative degree of creative freedom. How are these conditions shaping contemporary Czech documentary filmmaking and what do they mean for its future?
