This year, we are organizing the 8th edition of the Pražský filmový kufr (Prague Film Suitcase) festival for young filmmakers. It is a several-month project for children and young filmmakers under 20 years of age. They can think about any topic and develop it according to their interest and focus as a feature, documentary or animated film. For those who want to explore the possibilities of film completely freely, the experimental film category is also available this year. In addition, everyone will have the opportunity to pursue the free theme of (In)dependence. They can also submit their unrealised screenplay or film poster to the competition. This year will be for the second time workshops for teaching staff, which we are organising in collaboration with AsFAV and CINED, providing practical guidance on how to use documentary or animation in the classroom.
The organisers aim to create a functional platform for young filmmakers to meet and receive feedback from their generational peers as well as masters of the art of filmmaking. Therefore, they consider the weekend workshops and consultations with jury members during FestDay to be an integral and essential part of the project, during which there will be an opportunity to get practical instructions and tips on how to best handle the various parameters of the creative process, how to avoid possible mistakes in the creation of the script and visual concept of the film, when working with sound, editing, actors, tricks, etc. In a broader sense, young filmmakers naturally broaden their awareness of the field of media and audiovisual education. We do not forget about the teaching staff either, and we regularly organise seminars for them on the specific possibilities of using audiovisual production when working with children.

Already in previous editions, with more than 1,000 entries from over 4,000 competitors, it has been confirmed that this show offers children and young people an attractive way to reflect on the world around them without censorship, control or school rules, using means of expression that are now commonly available and, for most, very attractive. They will be given the space to showcase what they often love to do and devote much of their free time to. This is the only way to check that they are listened to and understood. It allows their parents and teaching staff to support them in their creativity, to help them evaluate and cultivate an activity that is sometimes perceived negatively by those around them as useless, low-quality or superficial.
Already in previous editions, with more than 1,200 entries from over 4,500 competitors, it has been confirmed that this show offers children and young people an attractive way to reflect on the world around them without censorship, control or school rules, using means of expression that are now commonly available and, for most, very attractive. They will be given the space to showcase what they often love to do and devote much of their free time to. This is the only way to check that they are listened to and understood. It allows their parents and teaching staff to support them in their creativity, to help them evaluate and cultivate an activity that is sometimes perceived negatively by those around them as useless, low-quality or superficial.
Competition categories
Feature Film - up to 20 minutes
Documentary and Reportage - up to 15 minutes
Animation - up to 8 minutes
Experimental film - up to 5 minutes
Unrealised screenplay - up to 10 A4 pages of text
Film poster - A4, A3, A2

This year there is a free theme (In)Dependence.

Jury and prizes

Films for the final competition are selected and evaluated by the festival jury, which is an advisory body of the festival board.
The jury is composed of prominent representatives of culture, filmmaking, theory, criticism, filmmakers, producers and festival partners.
The jury will evaluate all competition sections.
A member of the jury who has contributed to the creation of any of the films accepted into the competition may not judge that film. All jury members are bound by confidentiality.
Members of the Festival Board and the production team may attend the jury meetings but may not participate in the voting.
It is expected that the main prize will be awarded to the winner in each age and genre category, that the jury will award prizes for the individual creative components of the films (theme/script, cinematography, editing, sound, acting, artwork), that the best unrealised script and film poster will be awarded, that the Audience Award will be awarded, and that a special prize will be awarded for the thematic section (for the grasp of the theme).
The prizes will be awarded during the FestDay ceremony.
Awarded filmmakers are expected to attend the award ceremony during the FestDay.
In-kind prizes will be awarded only to the authors present or to their authorised representatives. Unclaimed prizes will be forfeited to the next edition.
The organizer reserves the right not to award any of the prizes.

Audience Award - audience vote

Audience voting will take place online on the festival website, where the accepted films will be published. The film with the highest number of votes will be awarded the Audience Award.

Audience voting will begin on 1 October 2024 and will close on 25 October 2024 at 23:59.

The Audience Award will be presented at the awards ceremony during FestDay.

The competition is open as of 1 May 2024, closing date is 22 September 2024 and is governed by the competition statutes and rules.

The competition is open to children and young people up to and including 20 years of age.

The competition is open to primary schools, secondary schools, primary schools, individuals or groups with independent films.

Only a person over 18 years of age may enter a film in the competition. In the case of minors, their film must be entered by a legal guardian or teacher with the consent of the author.

One author can submit a maximum of 6 films in his/her name in one year.

The age category of the film is determined by the age of the author at the time of entry.

Authors cannot enter films that have been entered in previous years.

The inclusion of a film in the actual competition will be preceded by a pre-selection process in which the Festival Board will select films that meet the eligibility criteria. In particular, the criteria for each category, the technical and overall standard of the films will be assessed.

The organiser reserves the right not to accept into the competition a film that does not meet the established criteria or, on the contrary, to grant an exception and accept the film.
The organizer reserves the right to exclude images that incite drug use, depict cruel and inhumane behaviour without any justification, make light of, excuse or approve of risky behaviour. Images shall not include images that incite hatred on the grounds of race, sex, religion, nationality or membership of a particular group, or that gratuitously depict persons dying or undergoing severe physical or mental suffering in a manner that diminishes human dignity, or that are likely to seriously impair the physical, mental or moral development of children and adolescents by containing pornography and gross self-inflicted violence.

The decision of the Festival Council and the Jury is irrevocable and does not have to be justified.

By submitting an application, the applicant gives his/her consent for the festival organiser to provide excerpts from the submitted films to any television station in the Czech Republic or to present them on the Internet as part of the promotion and to use the competition film for study purposes.
The FF PFK competition programme consists of the following main competition sections:

1. Feature Film
2. Documentary and Reportage
3. Animated film
4. Experimental film
5. Unrealized screenplay
6. Film poster

New for 2024 is the optional free theme: (IN)DEPENDENCE.

Age categories

A. Kindergarten and primary school students (4-10 years of age)
B. Pupils of the second level of primary schools and the corresponding classes of multi-year grammar schools (11-15 years of age)
C. Secondary school students (up to 20 years of age).

Within the collective of authors, the age of the oldest author determines the age category.

Login

Only entries with a duly completed on-line application form on the festival website www.prazskyfilmovykufr.cz containing all necessary data and required attachments will be included in the competition.

Each competition image must have a separate entry form completed.

Entry of competition images will be possible from 1 May 2024.

All entries must be unconditionally received by 22 September 2024, 23:59 hrs.

The following attachments are required for the online entry form:

- the competition film; the title of the film must be in the following form: FILM_TITLE
- an annotation of the film (online entry form). The annotation is very important for the presentation of the film on the festival website.

We welcome the following attachments:

- 3 photographs or screenshots of the film in electronic form in JPG or TIF format, resolution min. 300 DPI; file names must be in the following format: FILM_TITLE_PHOTO_1 or 2 or 3.jpg/tif
- 3 photographs from the shoot (of the film director/production team) in electronic form in JPG or TIF format, min. 300 DPI resolution; the file names must be as follows: FILM TITLE_SHOOTING_1 or 2 or 3.jpg/tif

These materials may be used to promote the film within the festival in the media and on the festival website. By submitting these materials, the author grants permission to use them in the presentation of the FF PFK.
Delivery options for competition images

Upload your competition film to the PFK festival website: the access name and password will be sent to you after filling in the application form on the festival website.
Submit your unrealised script and upload it to the festival website as a text attachment.
Submit the film poster and upload it as an image attachment

A picture film with a theme of the recommended total length can be submitted to the competition:

Feature film - up to 20 minutes
Documentary and reportage - up to 15 minutes
Animated film - up to 8 minutes
Experimental film - up to 5 minutes
Screenplay - up to 10 pages of text
Film poster - A4, A3, max. A2

In the animation section, more than 50 % of the duration of the film must be animation, with no limit on the animation technology.
Technical conditions

It is recommended to upload the images in the highest possible quality.
MPEG 4 - H264 codec is preferred.
The maximum file size is 1.5 GB.
The frame must include a 00:05'' duration BLACK on the video before the film begins and a 00:05'' duration BLACK on the video after the film ends.
Multiple films may be included on a single medium, as long as they are all entered into the competition.