Welcome to the 29th edition of the Made in Prague Festival, a vivacious celebration of Czech culture presented by the Czech Centre London between 31 October – 30 November 2025.
Across almost three decades, the festival has grown into one of the most distinctive showcases of Czech culture abroad, bringing together artists, audiences, and institutions in a vibrant dialogue between the Czech and British nations. This year’s edition reaffirms our mission: to celebrate Czech creativity and innovation in its many artistic forms while fostering cross-cultural encounters and new perspectives.
Programme
Renata Clark, Přemysl Pela
Production
Petra Štorchová
PR & Social Media
Veronika Blues, Marek Bero
Admin Support & Finances
Zdeňka Srodzinski
The 2025 programme reflects the richness and diversity of contemporary Czech cultural life, as well as its deep historical roots. We are thrilled to open the festival with an exhibition by a Czech–British group of visual artists in the Bouda and Vitrínka gallery spaces, followed by a festive evening featuring a pop-up concert by singer Aiko. This launch sets the tone for a month of discovery, exchange and inspiration. Among the festival’s many highlights are special film galas with UK premieres at the Regent Street Cinema and BFI IMAX, including the internationally acclaimed films Waves and Caravan. Screenings of top review titles such as Girl America, Actress, and Wishing on a Star further enrich the cinematic journey, complemented by a special film presentation at the ICA about the celebrated photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková.
Interns
Eduard Onderka
Anna Václavíková
Kristýna Wanková
Anna Roubíčková
Graphic Design
Jáchym Bouzek
This year, we are particularly pleased that the Festival will be collaborating with the Royal Ballet and Opera to present an exhibition at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. This will be centred on Leoš Janáček’s opera, The Makropulos Case, its beginnings and history up to the present day; and will be staged alongside the Royal Opera’s first ever production of this great Czech masterpiece, under the baton of the newly appointed Music Director of the Royal Opera, Jakub Hrůša. In music, theatre, and photography, the festival continues to offer a platform for outstanding talent: from the virtuosity of young and talented pianists in the Future Tones concert at the Royal Academy of Music, to the poetic physicality of Radim Vizváry’s solo performance at The Coronet Theatre, and a symposium on photography and visual practices at the V&A. Family and younger audiences can look forward to Living Large, a film screening and workshop for children, while literature and theatre lovers can look forward to an evening dedicated to the iconic Semafor Theatre. To explore and gain a profound insight into the current state of international affairs, you might join the high-profile conference The Price of War organised by the CERGE-EI Foundation.
We will close this year’s edition with a Gala concert by the members of the English Chamber Orchestra, joined by Czech virtuoso Pavel Šporcl, in the spiritual space of the Holy Sepulchre church in the City, a fitting finale to a month of cultural encounters. But the Made in Prague Festival is about more than its impressive programme. It is a reminder of the essential role of culture in our lives and in international relations. Václav Havel, playwright, dissident, and president, reminded us that culture is not an accessory but the very foundation of a free society. Culture fosters dialogue, empathy, and understanding –without which respect for common values and human rights cannot be achieved. I am proud that the Made in Prague festival embodies such a conviction, by bringing people together through shared cultural experiences and strengthening the bonds between Czech and British people. To conclude, I would like wholeheartedly to thank all our partners and artists, the Czech Centre’s team and volunteers, and our audiences for making this 29th edition possible.
Enjoy and celebrate the Czech culture and creativity in London.
With warmest best wishes,
Přemysl Pela
Director
of the Czech Centre
Made in Prague Festival
Opening Gala
Friday 31 October 2025, 7.30 pm, Czech Centre at the Czech Embassy - by invitation only
The 29th edition of the festival opens in style with a dazzling performance by Aiko – the UK-based, internationally acclaimed Czech singer who became the first Czech artist to light up Times Square. With three albums and over 10 million Spotify streams, Aiko’s magnetic voice and energy will launch an unforgettable evening that sets the tone for a festival of boundary-pushing films, music, and ideas.
‘Breathing’ with ‘Breaths – Air Bladders’
31 October – 15 January 2026, Bouda Gallery
Filomena Borecká’s captivating artwork Breaths – Air Bladders invites visitors to experience the shared act of breathing and reflect on our interconnection with the living world. Sparked by the global awareness of breath during the COVID-19 pandemic, and blending art, science and sensorial experience, the exhibition curated by Judith Rainhorn and Charles-Antoine Wanecq explores the cultural, social, and scientific histories of respiration from the 18th century to today. Drawing on the out comes of two interdisciplinary workshops, it brings together perspectives from historians, scientists, artists, and healthcare professionals. Central to the exhibition is Borecká’s breathing sculpture, which transforms a fundamental act of life into a sensorial, collective, and thought-provoking experience.
31 October, 6 - 7.30 pm
Silent Objects: Breathing Devices
31 October 2025 – 15 January 2026, Vitrínka Gallery
Curated by British curator Daré Dada, this group exhibition brings together works by Appau Junior Boakye-Yiadom, Filomena Borecká, Esther Gaton, Evar Huseyni and Henrique J. Paris to reimagine breath beyond biology. Here, breathing becomes rhythm and pulse, presence and absence — the invisible measure of life extending into objects, spaces and systems. It asks: what is the breath of a city, a machine, an archive? Filomena Borecká’s practice, attuned to the subtle energies of air and time, anchors the exhibition’s meditation on breath as both force and metaphor. The works gathered here challenge the presumed stillness of things, offering instead an ecology of quiet urgencies, of devices that hold air, circulate energy, or embody invisible rhythms.
First Touch, Filomena Borecká, Paris, 2025
Air Bladders, Filomena Borecká, photo Bruno Dubois
The Makropulos Case
Opening Night, Tuesday 4 November, 7.30 pm - by invitation only Royal Opera House
Acclaimed director Katie Mitchell stages a new production of Janáček’s haunting and enigmatic opera The Makropulos Case, which puts the human soul on the stand. Emilia Marty, a famous and mysterious opera singer, has lived for over 300 years thanks to an elixir of immortality. But when she becomes entangled in a battle to obtain a crucial document that will help her renew the life-extending formula, she begins to grapple with the emptiness and isolation her centuries-long existence has brought her. Ausrine Stundyte makes a welcome return to the ROH to sing the mysterious Emilia Marty, whose immortality is both a gift and a curse. Conducted by Jakub Hrůša, Music Director of The Royal Opera.
To celebrate the first-ever staging of Leoš Janáček’s The Makropulos Case under the baton of Jakub Hrůša at the Royal Opera House, this exhibition explores the opera’s fascinating history. Inspired by Karel Čapek’s play and premiered in Brno in 1926, Janáček’s penultimate work blends crime drama with science fiction: the tale of an enigmatic diva who has lived for over three centuries thanks to an elixir of youth. Beneath its intrigue lies a profound meditation on immortality and the meaning of life. Archival photographs and Janáček’s autographs are displayed alongside Josef Čapek’s set designs and evocative images from later productions.
Leoš Janáček and His Operas
1 November 2025 – 16 January 2026, Public space outside the Czech Embassy
Complementing The Makropulos Case exhibition at the Royal Opera House, this exhibition celebrates the extraordinary operatic world of Leoš Janáček – the most internationally performed Czech opera composer. From the raw drama of Jenůfa to the lyrical magic of The Cunning Little Vixen and the searing intensity of From the House of the Dead, Janáček’s nine operas broke new ground in music and theatre. Rare archival materials and striking contemporary images trace his journey from Brno to the world stage, while inviting audiences to discover his enduring legacy at the Janáček Brno Festival.
Watch as part of a free trial BFI Player Subscription. To access your special offer, simply visit player.bfi.org.uk/subscribe. Enter the code MadeinPrague25 to claim an additional free month and discover the greatest global cinema on demand.
Now in its 29th year, the Made in Prague Festival joins the BFI Player’s “3 You Must See” strand with three classics of Czech cinema that remain strikingly relevant today.
Ecce Homo Homolka
Jaroslav Papoušek, Czechoslovakia 1969, 83‘, English subtitles
Cast: Josef Šebánek, Marie Motlová, František Husák, Helena Růžičková, Petr a Matěj Formanovi
The final gem of the Czechoslovak New Wave, Jaroslav Papoušek’s comedy, follows a single summer day with the Homolka family: grandparents, their son Ludva, daughter-in-law Heduš, and twin grandchildren. What begins as a simple countryside outing descends into chaos, exposing petty quarrels and the absurdities of everyday life in 1960s Czechoslovakia. Papoušek’s razor-sharp wit, keen social observation, and mastery of situational humour bring these unforgettable characters to life, while the mischievous Forman twins add lively spontaneity. Brimming with iconic dialogue, comedic brilliance, and subtle satire, the film remains a timeless portrait of family, materialism, and human folly.
The Riders of the Sky
Jindřich Polák, Czechoslovakia 1968, 95‘, English subtitles
Cast: Jiří Bednář, Jiří Hrzán, Svatopluk Matyáš, Elsie Randolph, Joan Seton
Drawing on Filip Jánský’s novel and the real-life experiences of Czech RAF gunners, this gripping black-and-white war drama follows a multinational bomber crew –Czech, Slovak, English, and Canadian – navigating the daily perils of air raids over Germany. When Czech gunner Student is gravely injured during an attack on Nuremberg, the crew confronts the human cost of war. Featuring authentic aerial footage and a haunting score, including Ghost Riders in the Sky, the film is both a thrilling and deeply personal portrayal of wartime aviation. Banned after the 1968 Soviet invasion, it remains a striking tribute to unsung RAF heroes.
The White Disease
Hugo Haas, Czechoslovakia 1937, 105´, English subtitles
Cast: Hugo Haas, Zdeněk Štěpánek, Karla Olicová, Václav Vydra Sr.
Based on Karel Čapek’s visionary play, White Disease (1937) tells of a mysterious plague sweeping the world, sparing no one – rich or poor. Only one man, Dr. Galén, holds the cure – but he will release it only if the leaders renounce war. His ultimatum collides with a ruthless dictator preparing for invasion, – a thinly veiled portrait of Hitler and Nazi Germany. Banned in Czechoslovakia after the 1938 Munich Agreement, the film remains uncannily relevant today: a tense, thought-provoking parable where deadly disease and the lust for power intertwine. A forgotten classic that resonates as urgently now as on the eve of World War II.
Alone Together @ In Short, Europe 2025
Saturday 7 November, 5 pm, Regent Street Cinema
The 6th edition of the European Film Festival In Short, Europe celebrates diversity, inclusion, and access through a powerful selection of films from across the continent. As part of the Breaking Boundaries programme, we present Alone Together, a moving short by Chihyu Lin in which an unexpected bond forms between an Asian millennial and an elderly Czech woman (Zuzana Bydžovská), overcoming both language barriers and loneliness. Blending fiction and documentary, the films in this strand explore visible and invisible borders – of nation, gender, sexuality, age, and migration – inviting audiences to question divisions and to open hearts.
Best Feature Film Director, Best Realized Screenplay FAMUfest 2024
Future Tones –Young Talent Concert
Saturday 7 November, 7.30 pm, David Josefowitz Recital Hall, Royal Academy of Music
Discover the future of classical music in this dazzling showcase of the Czech Republic’s brightest young pianists. Presented in collaboration with the Karel Komárek Family Foundation, this special evening celebrates the artistry, skill, and promise of a remarkable new generation. Taking the stage are five exceptional talents – Jan Schulmeister (19), Nora Lubbadová (16), Adam Znamirovský (15), Magdaléna Kovářová (13), and Valentýna Ibriqi (13) – each already captivating audiences with performances far beyond their years. Join us for an evening filled with energy, inspiration, and passion for music. Support the next generation of musicians and witness the moment when future stars are born.
Waves + Q&A with director Jiří Mádl, actress
Tatiana Pauhofová and producer Monika Kristl
Sunday 9 November, 5.30 pm, BFI IMAX
Jiří Mádl, Czech Republic, Slovakia 2024, 126’, English subtitles Cast: Vojtěch Vodochodský, Tatiana Pauhofová, Stanislav Majer, Vojtěch Kotek, Martin Hoffmann
A broadcast that will change history. The gripping and never-before-published story of the journalists of Czechoslovak Radio.
Prague, 1968. Tomáš, a young technician caring for his rebellious younger brother, joins the international newsroom of Czechoslovak Radio, unaware the Secret Service is watching every move. As political tension escalates and Soviet tanks surround the radio building, Tomáš faces a choice: stand with the defiant journalists or save his brother. Inspired by the untold true story of the journalists who risked everything to deliver independent news and keep their broadcasts alive during the 1968 Soviet invasion, this gripping political thriller blends dynamic cinematography, compelling performances, and a masterful mix of archival footage and fiction to capture the intense drama and courage of those fighting for free speech in a city under siege.
Semafor: The Birth of Pop Culture in Prague’s 1960s
Thursday 13 November, 7 pm, Czech Centre at the Czech Embassy
Bursting into the 1960s with wit, charm, and a rebellious spirit, Prague’s Semafor Theatre became a beacon of creativity behind the Iron Curtain. The unforgettable duo of Jiří Suchý and Jiří Šlitr brought Czechoslovakia its first wave of modern pop, offbeat humour, and a form of rebellion that spoke a language different from that of official power and the media. Their songs became the soundtrack of a generation and a symbol of cultural resistance. In this special event, music historian and author of Suchý & Šlitr, Semafor 1959–1969, Pavel Klusák, and Jiří Šlitr’s daughter, Dominika Křesťanová, share stories, rare insights, and the cultural legacy of a duo who defined an era, and the rebellion that stole a language for its own game.
Caravan + Q&A with director Zuzana Kirchnerová and actress Aňa Geislerová
Saturday 15 November, 7 pm, Regent Street Cinema
Premiering in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, Caravan is a tender, lyrical road movie about breaking free and rediscovering life. Aňa Geislerová shines as Ester, a woman who, weary from years of self-sacrifice, steals a battered caravan while on holiday in Italy and sets off with her teenage son David, who has an intellectual disability, on a journey through the sun-drenched south. Along the way, they meet Zuza, a spirited drifter whose open heart transforms their fragile bond into something freer, lighter, and filled with unexpected hope. With warmth, honesty, and flashes of joy, Caravan captures the courage it takes to step beyond duty and embrace the possibility of change.
Living Large + Kids Art Workshop
Sunday 16 November, 2 pm, Czech Centre at the
Czech Embassy
Kristina Dufková, Czech Republic, Slovakia, France 2024, 80’, In Czech with English subtitles
Cast: Hugo Kovács, Tatiana Dyková, David Novotný, Klára Melíšková, Jiří Bartoška
Ben loves two things more than anything: cooking up amazing dishes and jamming with his band. But when he realises his love of food has made him the biggest kid in class, he decides it’s time for a change. With the help of his friends, his mum, and a few wild kitchen experiments, Ben sets out to get fit, impress Klára, and maybe win her heart. From sizzling pans to pounding drumbeats, every day is a new adventure. Living Large is a tasty, tuneful, and laughout-loud animated story about friendship, music, and finding the recipe for feeling great. Recommended age 6+
Contrechamp Jury Award
Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2024
Best European Children’s Film
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2024
Nominated for the European Academy Awards for Best Film and Best Animated Film
Czech Republic’s entry for the Academy Awards
Girl America + Q&A
with director Viktor
Tauš
Tuesday 18 November, 8 pm, The Garden Cinema
Viktor Tauš, Czech Republic, 2024, 108‘, English subtitles
Girl America is a visually striking, deeply moving portrait of a young girl’s fight for freedom and belonging. Growing up in totalitarian Czechoslovakia, orphaned Emma endures foster care, juvenile detention, and the turmoil of the Velvet Revolution. To survive the fear, loneliness, and dislocation, she invents another self to talk to–and clings to a dream of America, where her father awaits her. Blending raw realism with surreal imagery, director Viktor Tauš crafts a poetic, emotionally charged journey of resilience and hope. Girl America is not just a story of survival, but a celebration of the unyielding spirit that refuses to be broken. An exceptional film from Czech auteur cinema.
Side Effects May Include @ Voila!
19, 20 November, 7 pm, Etcetera Theatre
A world where one miracle pill makes life ‘sunny’ and pain-free - until side effects begin to emerge. Created and performed by Mountview graduates Ivi Moravcova and Jess Vince-Moin, Side Effects May Include is a dystopian dark comedy blending sharp dialogue with surrealism. A new work inspired by the 2024 UK Women and Equalities Committee report into women’s reproductive health conditions, and personal experiences seeking medical diagnoses. Provocative, playful, and pertinent: a prescription for cases of chronic medical dismissal. Do not operate heavy misogyny while watching. Part of Voila! Theatre Festival.
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2024
Best Film, Best Costume Design, Best Set Design Czech Film Critics’ Awards 2024
The Price of War: Economic Security and Freedom
Thursday 20 November, 9 am - 6 pm Church House, Westminster
The 2025 Price of War symposium will bring together global thinkers, policymakers, and innovators to explore how economies can stay strong and free in uncertain times. This year’s theme – “Economic Security and Freedom: Tripartite Resilience – National Security, Critical Infrastructure, and Finance” looks at how these three pillars shape stability and growth. General David Petraeus will deliver the keynote address, sharing his unique perspective on global resilience and strategy. Hosted by the CERGE-EI Foundation, the symposium aims to spark fresh ideas and collaboration on the economic challenges shaping our world today.
Oil Lamps + Introduction
by actress Iva Janžurová & Mehelli Modi
Saturday 22 November 4.45 pm, Regent Street Cinema
Juraj Herz, Czechoslovakia 1971, 104‘, English subtitles Cast: Iva Janžurová, Petr Čepek, Marie Rosůlková, Ota Sklenčka
From master filmmaker Juraj Herz (The Cremator, Morgiana), comes Oil Lamps, a sumptuous, unsettling tale of love, desire, and decay. At its centre blazes Iva Janžurová, delivering one of the greatest performances of her career as Štěpa, a spirited, wealthy young woman whose hunger for happiness leads her into a disastrous marriage with her cousin Pavel (Petr Čepek), a ruined officer consumed by bitterness and illness. Janžurová’s fearless portrayal anchors Herz’s intoxicating vision of fin-de-siècle decline, enhanced by stunning design and Luboš Fišer’s unforgettable score. A rare chance to experience this powerful classic with Iva Janžurová herself in attendance.
Nominated for Best Film at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival
Actress + Q&A with actress Iva Janžurová and director Theodora Remundová
Saturday 22 November, 7.30 pm, Regent Street Cinema
Theodora Remundová, Czech Republic, Slovakia 2024, 110‘, English subtitles
Iva Janžurová and Theodora Remundová – mother and daughter, subject and director – join forces to create an intimate, unconventional portrait of one of the Czech Republic’s greatest screen and stage icons. Blending playful re-enactments, behindthe-scenes moments, and rare archival footage, the film dives into Janžurová’s unforgettable roles, razor-sharp humour, and unshakable humanity. From sold-out performances at the National Theatre to village stages, from personal letters to candid family scenes, Actress reveals the passion, resilience, and joy that have made her a national treasure. A moving, mischievous, and refreshingly honest celebration of a life lived entirely in the spotlight – and on her own terms.
Radim Vizváry: Sólo
Monday 24 November, 7 pm, The Coronet Theatre
Concept, director and starring: Radim Vizváry, 90´
Sólo is an award-winning tour de force by Radim Vizváry, acclaimed Czech mime, director, choreographer, and Artistic Director of Laterna Magica Prague. Hailed internationally, most recently at Expo Osaka, this spellbinding performance takes audiences on a journey through the full spectrum of pantomime – from the elegance of classical mime to the raw intensity of butoh, from razor-sharp physical comedy to the bold invention of contemporary mime theatre. Visually striking, deeply human, and at times laugh-out-loud funny, Sólo is both a masterclass in wordless storytelling and pantomime reborn – timeless, daring, and unforgettable.
The performance includes partial nudity 12+
Wishing on a Star + Q&A with screenwriter
Erica Barbiani
Tuesday 25 November, 6.15 pm, The Garden Cinema
Peter Kerekeš, Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia, 2024, 99‘, English subtitles
Neapolitan astrologer Luciana has an unusual recipe for happiness: on your birthday, travel to the exact spot on Earth where the planets align, for a fresh start. This humorous docudrama follows her quiet yet extraordinary life and five clients embarking on “birthday trips” to destinations as varied as Taipei, Beirut, and a tiny nearby village. Each journey promises a symbolic rebirth, offering the chance to alter one’s destiny and uncover hidden desires. Blending warmth, wit, and wanderlust, the film reveals how a change of sky – and a leap of faith – might just change your life. An offbeat crowd-pleaser.
Venice IFF 2024 Orizzonti Competition
Toronto IFF 2024 Official Selection
Nominated for the Gold Hugo Award for Best Documentary
Fluid Futures: Recalibrating Land and History in Global Eastern Europe
Saturday 29 November, 10 am - 5.30 pm, V&A
How can photography, moving image, and digital practices open new ways of thinking about Eastern Europe today? This V&A symposium brings together artists, academics, and researchers to explore how image cultures recalibrate histories of state socialism within a global context. Czech photographer Libuše Jarcovjaková joins an international line-up across three panels on climate change, global exchange, and inherited memory. With talks, discussions, film, and a keynote lecture, Fluid Futures examines how visual practices reshape ideas of identity, ecology, and geopolitics – and how the past continues to breathe within contemporary image-making.
I’m Not Everything I Want to Be + Q&A with Libuše Jarcovjáková
Sunday 30 November, 12.30 pm, ICA
Klára Tasovská, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria 2024, 90´, English subtitles
After the Soviet invasion of Prague, a young female photographer, Libuše Jarcovjáková, strives to break free from the constraints of Czechoslovak normalisation and embarks on a wild journey towards freedom, capturing her experiences in thousands of subjective photographs. Czech filmmaker Klára Tasovská’s debut feature, presented in Berlinale’s Panorama section, is a formally inventive and deeply personal film. Made in close collaboration with Libuše Jarcovjáková and told entirely through photographs and diary entries, I’m Not Everything I Want to Be explores the photographer’s search for identity and her emotional journey, and results in a deeply affecting and inspiring work.
Berlinale 2024 Panorama
Czech Republic´s entry for the 2026 Academy Awards
Best Documentary Czech Lion Awards 2024
Best Documentary Czech Film Critics’ Awards 2024
Pavel Šporcl with the English Chamber Orchestra:
Strings of Brilliance
Sunday 30 November, 7 pm, Holy Sepulchre
The 29th Made in Prague Festival concludes in grand style with a gala celebrating Czech violin virtuoso Pavel Šporcl, whose expressive artistry and dazzling technique have enthralled audiences worldwide. Following his triumphant concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall last year, Šporcl returns to perform with the English Chamber Orchestra Ensemble in an evening of vibrant string music. The programme features Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat major, bursting with youthful brilliance, alongside Dvořák’s lyrical Romance and spirited Mazurek. Šporcl’s virtuosity will shine in a solo by Paganini, ensuring a thrilling and unforgettable finale to this year’s festival.
1 | BFI IMAX
1 Charlie Chaplin Walk South Bank SE1 www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-imax
