Ji.hlava Film Fund

Overview

The Ji.hlava Film Fund encompasses two distinct funding programs administered through the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (MFDF Ji.hlava), one of the most significant documentary festivals in Central Europe. Both programs support documentary and hybrid filmmaking from Central and Eastern Europe, but they operate through different mechanisms, have different eligibility scopes, and serve different stages of production.

Program 1: Ji.hlava Film Fund (In-Kind Post-Production Grants)

The Ji.hlava Film Fund provides in-kind grants for visual and sound post-production. Rather than cash, selected films receive post-production services from partner facilities: visual post-production from UPP, sound mixing from Soundsquare, and research and screening support from the Center for Documentary Film (CDF). The combined value of these in-kind services is approximately 20,000 EUR per selected film.

Program 2: Ji.hlava / JB Films Support (Cash Co-Production Grants)

The Ji.hlava / JB Films Support scheme is a cash co-production fund developed in partnership with Czech entrepreneur Jan Barta. Now in its third year, the 2026 call distributes 110,000 EUR across 3 to 4 selected projects, with individual awards of up to 40,000 EUR per film. This is a significant expansion from the 2025 call, which distributed 54,000 EUR across 2 to 3 projects with individual awards between 15,000 and 30,000 EUR.

The 2026 call for applications is open until August 31, 2026. The 30th edition of the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival runs from October 23 to November 1, 2026.

Program 1: Ji.hlava Film Fund (In-Kind Grants)

What It Provides

The in-kind Film Fund awards post-production services to a selected documentary or hybrid film. The package includes:

• UPP (visual post-production): An in-kind grant valued at approximately 15,000 EUR, including 1 day of online conform, 4 days of color grading, a DCP cinema master, and a TV master
• Soundsquare (sound post-production): An in-kind grant valued at approximately 5,000 EUR for sound mixing and a final sound master
• Center for Documentary Film (CDF): A test screening for the selected film, plus research and educational resources for the director's next project

Eligibility

• Documentary and hybrid films over 15 minutes in length
• Projects must be at the production or post-production stage
• The completed film must premiere at the Ji.hlava IDFF
• Eligible countries: EU member states plus Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom

How It Works

The in-kind grant is not a cash award. The selected filmmaker receives post-production services directly from UPP and Soundsquare. This means the film must be at a stage where it is ready to enter finishing - picture lock must be near, and the sound mix must be the next step. The CDF component adds a test screening and research support, which can help the filmmaker refine the final cut before its festival premiere.

Program 2: Ji.hlava / JB Films Support (Cash Co-Production)

What It Provides

The JB Films Support scheme provides cash co-production contributions. The 2026 call offers:

• Total pool: 110,000 EUR
• Number of projects: 3 to 4 selected films
• Maximum per project: Up to 40,000 EUR
• Stage: Production or post-production
• Expected premiere: Within two years of submitting the application

Eligible Countries (2026 Expansion)

The 2026 call has expanded beyond Czech Republic and Slovakia to include all of Central and Eastern Europe. Eligible countries:

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus (only for projects not supported by Belarusian state institutions), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia (only for projects not supported by Russian state institutions), Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Eligibility Requirements

• The main country of production must be one of the eligible countries listed above
• The submitted film must be an international co-production (at least one co-producing country)
• The main production company must be registered in an eligible country
• The applicant must have at least 50% of the total budget secured at the time of application
• The film must be a feature documentary or hybrid film
• One applicant can submit only one film project
• The applicant agrees that the Czech premiere of the film will take place at the Ji.hlava IDFF
• An international jury selects the supported projects

The Revolving Fund Model

The Ji.hlava / JB Films initiative operates on a revolving model: a share of future profits generated by supported films is reinvested into subsequent editions of the fund. This creates a sustainable financing mechanism for regional documentary filmmaking rather than a one-time grant pool. Filmmakers who receive support should understand that their film's future revenue may flow back into the fund to support the next cohort.

2025 Recipients

The 2025 call distributed 54,000 EUR across three projects:

• Playtopia (Czech Republic/Romania, dir. Bára Jíchová Tyson) - 18,000 EUR. A hybrid documentary where children imagine The Good Life and The Bad Life through a magical object called the Playtopia Machine.
• World of Walls (Slovakia/Czech Republic/Belgium/France/South Africa, dir. Lucia Kašová) - 18,000 EUR. A coming-of-age documentary following two girls on opposite sides of a wall in South Africa.
• Valley of the Night (Czech Republic/USA, dir. Lynne Siefert) - 18,000 EUR. A hybrid documentary.

Previous recipients from the 2024 inaugural call include Peter Kerekes' Wishing on a Star (premiered at Venice Film Festival) and Alisia Kovalenko's My Dear Théo (premiered at CPH:DOX).

The Ji.hlava Festival Context

Ji.hlava is one of the largest documentary film festivals in Central Europe, programming formally adventurous nonfiction cinema from around the world. The festival's curatorial identity favors hybrid, experimental, and formally inventive documentary work - films that push at the boundaries of the nonfiction form rather than applying conventional documentary techniques. Both funding programs reflect this identity: they are designed for filmmakers whose work sits at the expanding edges of documentary cinema, not for traditional observational or reportage documentaries.

The festival's 30th edition in 2026 runs from October 23 to November 1. The industry program includes project development initiatives, networking opportunities, and the Inspiration Forum, which in 2026 focuses on maps, humor, corruption, and how to change broken systems.

Application Process

For the In-Kind Film Fund

Applications are submitted through the Ji.hlava website. The selection is made by the festival's programming team. The completed film must premiere at Ji.hlava, which means the filmmaker must commit to a festival premiere as a condition of receiving the in-kind services.

For the JB Films Support Scheme

Applications are submitted online through the Ji.hlava website. The 2026 deadline is August 31, 2026. An international jury selects the supported projects, with decisions expected by late June or before the festival edition. The application requires project details, budget, co-production structure, evidence of 50% secured financing, and a premiere timeline.

Who Should Apply

In-Kind Film Fund

Documentary and hybrid filmmakers from EU member states and eligible neighboring countries with a film over 15 minutes at the production or post-production stage, ready to enter visual and sound finishing. The filmmaker must be willing to premiere the completed film at Ji.hlava. This program is best for films that are close to completion and need professional post-production services they might not otherwise afford.

JB Films Support Scheme

Documentary and hybrid filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe with a feature-length project in production or post-production that is structured as an international co-production. The fund is particularly suited to formally ambitious work that reflects Ji.hlava's curatorial identity. Applicants must have 50% of their budget secured and must be willing to commit the Czech premiere to Ji.hlava. The revolving fund model means filmmakers should be prepared for a portion of future revenues to support subsequent fund cycles.

See Also

For Central and Eastern European filmmakers building an international co-production strategy, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack. For an overview of the DOKweb platform as a co-production and fund discovery resource for the region, see the DOKweb entry. For planning your post-production timeline to align with the Ji.hlava festival schedule, use the Production Schedule Calculator.