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4.6.2026 | Events
The eleventh edition of the Marienbad Film Festival will take place from 11 to 15 June, again at the Mariánské Lázně Municipal Theatre and the Chopin House. This year's theme is Film for All? and will focus, among other things, on the intersection of experimental and amateur film. The festival returns to the local tradition of amateur filmmaking and also recalls the history of the UNICA congress, which was held in Mariánské Lázně in 1948 and 1966.
"At a time when we can all be filmmakers through the democratization of the film medium, we are focusing on how not to get stuck in the elitism and incomprehensibility of experimental film and instead provide an interpretive key through discussion with the filmmakers. We focus on the tradition of amateur filmmaking out of the belief that joy as a driving force at the heart of amateur filmmaking can help us understand the motivations of experimental filmmakers. For this reason, this year we will be showing side by side, for example, a 16 mm film performance by a pair of labodoble (Morales/Bagdasarov) called Submemorias de un rollo, a group of short amateur films shot in Mariánské Lázně, a screening of short underground films from the friendly Mikrofest, or a selection of analogue films by students of the Centre for Audiovisual Studies at FAMU," says programme director Tomáš Vobořil.
Again this year, two competitions are an integral part of the programme, under the umbrella of Forum Marienbad: the Main Competition of Experimental Films and the Audiovisual Essays. The jury is once again made up of film professionals, with the artistic duo cinéma copains coming from Germany and the filmmaker and critic Kevin B. Lee. For the less adventurous, there are interesting films from world and Czech classic cinema. On Friday, at 7 pm, the Municipal Theatre will screen the French drama Stavisky starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, and on Saturday, the unjustly forgotten Polish fantasy Golem will be shown. Sunday evening will be lightened by Jaroslav Papoušek's unforgettable comedy Ecce Homo Homolka.
"Like every year, this year's non-competitive programme will commemorate not only the greats of experimental film, such as Alexander Kluge, but also filmmakers who have moved from their experimental beginnings towards the "mainstream". This year we will compare Jim Jarmusch's latest film Father Mother Brother Sister and his early work Outlaw. Thanks to the cooperation with the Film Club, the expert discussions will be accompanied by screenings of new Czech films that may have escaped the audience in the cinemas since Monday 8 June," adds festival director Anna Kopecká.
The programme also includes a Home Movie Day, which will take place on Friday 12 June at 6 pm at the Chopin House. Residents of Mariánské Lázně and the surrounding area can bring their family films on 8 mm, 9.5 mm or 16 mm formats. The materials will be taken into the care of curators from the National Film Archive, who will then digitize them free of charge.
The festival will also offer concerts in addition to screenings this year. After nine years, on Friday 12 June, Kill the Dandies! will return to the Marienbad stage, moving between music, image and stylized reality, which is closer to a film than a classical concert. They will be accompanied by the band INTRO from Cheb. Visitors can also look forward to Revival DJs night produced by Aida Kid, audiovisual production Marienbad sessions #4 (dné & S. Adam) or an unconventional yodelling workshop.
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