Industry historie: BOO

The culmination of our year-round industry programme, which took place in several countries, was the programme at the BOO International Short Film Festival. During the year, we carried out a number of activities, such as a focus group focused on promotional materials for the animated film Dog Ear by Hungarian director Péter Váczi, and a workshop for filmmakers on understanding audiences and promoting film projects. Both activities were led by Lucia Dubravay Trautenberg, director of the distribution company Bear With Me Distribution, and took place in Budapest during the Friss Hús International Short Film Festival.

We continued with International Audiovisual Education Day, which took place simultaneously in Prague, Brno, Košice, Warsaw, and Budapest on August 27, 2025. Its aim is to present the possibilities of film and audiovisual education not only to teachers but also to professionals from the film industry. The program consisted of workshops, screenings, and discussions with guests such as Peter Kerekes, Sebastian Mulder, Klemen Dvornik, and Joanna Zabłocka-Skorek. In Poznań, in collaboration with AD Arte, we established another focus group and workshop for filmmakers led by Daniel Vadocký, sales agent at Pluto Film.

Thanks to international cooperation with the Kino Susidiv festival in Uzhhorod, we also prepared a programme for local teachers and educators focused on the possibilities of film education. And at the Interfilm International Short Film Festival in Berlin, we partnered with the Czech participation in the Interforum industry programme.

Our year-round industry programme focused on topics related to audience development and film and audiovisual education. We successfully concluded it at the BOO IFF. The program offered networking opportunities (Speed Networking and Industry Networking), interactive participation in the International Industry Forum programme with many wonderful guests, a programme dedicated to intimacy in film, a presentation of the viewing habits of Czech audiences, a case study of the award-winning Czech miniseries Monyová, as well as the Work Hard, Fail Hard format, in which our speakers openly shared their failures in an entertaining and informal way.

INDUSTRY PROGRAMME OF THE BOO IFF 2025

International Industry Forum

The unique format of the interactive industry forum brought together professionals from across Europe. Ewa Bojanowska (audience designer), Daniel Lundquist (BUFF), and Pantelis Panteloglou (European Children’s Film Association) presented inspiring keynotes focused on audience design, contemporary Scandinavian youth cinema, and data on European children’s films.

This was followed by an interactive programme in which participants were able to connect with our guests in smaller groups. The following speakers presented their experiences and projects:

Melika Gothe | Berlinale
Hidde de Vries | Cinekid and Kaptein Kort
Thierry Baujard | Spielfabrique
Sylke de Heus | Eye Filmmuseum
Tessa van Grafhorst | Taartrovers
Jeanette Schjerva | Film i Skåne

The program was moderated by Barbora Kucsa Prágerová (Metro 70 cinema, Association of Cinema Operators).

Workshop: How to Write About Short Films

The workshop focused on developing skills in film criticism and reflection, specifically with regard to short films. Participants were introduced to various formats of writing about film (e.g., reviews, essays, festival catalog texts) and also to how short films can be analyzed. The workshop was led by film critic and cultural journalist Pavel Sladký.

Workshop: Audience Design | Understanding Your Audience

In this practical workshop, participants tried out audience design on their own projects, testing several key methods: mapping potential audiences, defining the film's main appeal and its brief positioning, and choosing initial points of contact. The aim was to learn this way of thinking, try it out on their own material, and leave with a clear idea of how to use the tools further – from development and pitching to the film's release. The workshop was led by experienced audience designer Ewa Bojanowska.

Work Hard, Fail Hard

How does something go wrong? What if it goes really wrong? And what if (hopefully) we can learn something from it? Everyone has 10 minutes to talk about their failure: director and producer Matěj Chlupáček (producer of the film Život k sežrání, director of Úsvit), Jan Špaček – a well-known Czech YouTuber who has set himself the goal of changing Czech political culture; experimental film director Petr Šprincl, whose work ranges from grave robbers to Moravian zombies and American extremists; and actor, writer, and opera expert Ladislav Čumba talked about their failures in the world of audiovisual media. The programme was moderated by Tereza Bonaventurová, a stand-up comedian who likes to laugh at herself and others.

Insight into Audience Perception: Focus Group for Seniors

Focus group focused on audiences aged 60+. The aim of this moderated discussion was to provide direct audience feedback to filmmakers and producers on the promotional materials for their short films. The discussion focused on the film Wayfarer with director Veronika Jelšíková and producer Pavla Klimešová, and the film Honey Bunny with producer Marcin Costillo-Kamiński. The discussion was moderated by Lucia Dubravay Trautenberg, Executive Director of Bear With Me Distribution.

Speed Networking

An opportunity to meet (more) women from various film professions. During short, dynamic meetings, participants were able to quickly get to know each other individually.

Intimacy in Film

How can intimacy be better handled in film, especially in short films, where there is often no budget for it? Intimacy coordinators Martina Čurdová and Amy Huck discussed this and much more in an interactive format, together with actress Alžběta Malá. The discussion was moderated by journalist and host of the Hlas Heroine podcast, Ilona Kleníková.

Case Study: Monyová

In her masterclass, Klára Follová, creative producer at TV Nova, presented detailed production preparations for the upcoming, award-winning miniseries Monyová, which is inspired by the life of popular writer Simona Monyová.

APA: Where Have the Viewers Disappeared To?

In her presentation, Petra Průšová presented the key findings of the Kantar 2024 study for the Association of Audiovisual Producers, which aims to comprehensively describe the current state of the audiovisual market in relation to the leisure activities of the Czech population. Moderated by Barbora Kucsa Prágerová.

Something Like a Party: Industry Networking

An evening networking event for film and audiovisual professionals with a focus on Czechia-Germany connections. The event creates space for international dialogue and experience sharing.

Teachers for Teachers: Film Education in Practice

Film and audiovisual education was an integral part of the industry program, which took place at the Kino Kavalírka. In the first part of the day, teachers from the Netherlands and Germany presented their successful film education projects, which they implement in their teaching. The Krutón association and representatives of film education organizations from the V4 countries presented their own film education methodologies developed as part of the European FilmED project. This international meeting of teachers and professionals provided a platform for sharing experiences, ideas, and inspiration on how to start and further develop film education in the classroom and how to take advantage of the full range of opportunities that film education brings to education.

GUESTS:

Christian Dirksen (Germany): film education teacher and other subjects at IGS Herder in Frankfurt am Main, collaborator at the German Film Institute and Film Museum (DFF) and participant in a practical film day as part of the renowned international film education program Le cinéma, cent ans de jeunesse (CCAJ).
Emese Erdős (Hungary): education manager at the National Film Institute, Film Archive – Klassz education and youth program.
Adéla Lachoutová (Czechia): Head of the Audiovisual Education Department at the KRUTÓN association and coordinator of the Audiovisual HUB Prague.
Daniela Nicklisch (Germany): Teacher of film education, German, and history at Hermann-Hesse-Gymnasium Berlin, where she founded her own film department.
Martyna Szustorowska (Poland): implementer of projects promoting film culture and research into the audiovisual knowledge and skills of children and young people, currently providing administrative support for projects implemented by the Education Department at the Andrzej Wajda Film Culture Center.
Barbora Andor Tóthová (Slovakia): cultural manager, researcher, and co-founder of Kino Úsmev, which focuses on inclusive film programs; member of the Creative Impact Research Center Europe and founder of the Caring Culture research and policy platform.
Jasper Vreken (the Netherlands): film education teacher at Montessori Lyceum Amsterdam and director of Stichting Documaken, an organization that supports students from across the Netherlands in creating documentary films as part of their final research projects.

Focus on the Future: European Dialogues on Film Education

Experts in film education from the V4 countries and educators from the Netherlands and Germany focused on the future development of film education in Europe during a panel discussion, sharing national approaches and strategies and seeking common ground, challenges, and opportunities for cooperation with the aim of formulating a vision for film education for the coming decade. The discussion was attended by Christian Dirksen (Germany), Daniela Nicklisch (Germany), Jasper Vreken (Netherlands), Emese Erdős (Hungary), and Barbora Andor Tóthová (Slovakia). Representing Czechia was Tereza Czesany Dvořáková, head of the FAMU Production Department, lecturer at the Film Studies Department of Charles University, and first chair of the Association for Film and Audiovisual Education.

Film Education and Students’ Mental Health

A moderated discussion with film education teachers Daniela Nicklisch and Christian Dirksen offered inspiring insights into how film can be used to explore topics such as mental well-being, empathy, and self-reflection, and how to promote a safe environment in the classroom.

CINEMINI: Teaching Film Education to the Youngest Audiences

The training of Cinemini lectors, led by an experienced foreign lecturer in film education for young audiences, focused on the possibilities of audiovisual education in preschool and early school education, the educational principles and methods of the unique Cinemini film education project, and their implementation in practice.

Workshop: Film in the Classroom – News Report with Street Interviews

The industry film education programme for teachers culminated in a practical workshop led by experienced film education teacher Jasper Vreken (Netherlands). The workshop focused on creating creative reports from the festival using street interviews. The workshop was also the final meeting of teachers within the Film Academy: Teach (with) Film cycle.