The BRNO16 international film festival will return to the city from Wednesday 2 October until Sunday 6 October. Held at Kino Art and Kino CIT, the festival will present a full program of short films and discussions with industry professionals, as well as an accompanying gaming program for attendees.
The central event of the festival will be the screening of the 34 short films from around the globe that form the annual International Competition. These submissions will be judged by an international jury, a student jury, and the festival-goers themselves.
On Saturday 5 October, the winner of the competition will be announced in the Large Room of Kino Art, followed by a closing party, and the bloc of winning films will be shown again on the last day of the festival. There will also be a separate competition exclusively for Czech and Slovak entries, entitled Czechoslovak 16.
Many of the discussions will be focused on the theme of the body, drawing attention to “corporeality in many different contexts, whether it is body positivity or body commodification”, according to festival director Milan Šimánek. This will include a conversation with intimacy coordinator Virginija Vereikyte about her work, and an event on the subject of ethical pornography with the artist and academic Kateřina Olivová.
As is customary, the festival program will involve multiple events related to video gaming, including a screening of Yötön Yö from the award-winning Alan Wake II by Finnish studio Remedy, followed by a discussion with the creators. There will also be a chance for attendees to test video game prototypes, and take part in a games quiz the day before the festival begins.Founded in 1960, the international film festival is now one of the oldest short film festivals in the world. More information and a full list of events can be found on the BRNO16 website and Facebook page.
