By Drew Baker
From Cannes contenders to cultural retrospectives, the 2025 program — themed Echoes — honours the past and present of Czech and Slovak cinema, with screenings and Australian premiers across Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.
The clinking of Becherovka cups and schooners of Foreigner Brewing Co. beers carried through Domov Gallery, echoing out onto the streets of North Melbourne on Thursday night, as the Škoda Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia unveiled its 2025 program at an intimate VIP launch.
An exclusive Timiano Green Škoda Elroq greeted guests at the Czech Gallery, showcasing ‘Modern Solid’ design and celebrating the brand’s Czech heritage in style.
Škoda Elroq in Timiano Green outside Domov Gallery. (Image courtesy of Ľubica Shannon)
Honouring its Czech culture, Škoda proudly serves as the festival’s naming rights sponsor.
As guests shared grilážky, cured meats and cheeses over Kerri Greens wines, Lilliana Hajncl opened the evening with an Acknowledgement of Country, before introducing CaSFFA’s Finance Director Denisa Cross.
“If you know me, you know two things: I’m passionate about CaSFFA. And I’m an accountant.”
“When I dined out with some of the ladies from the team recently — at a meal completely unrelated to CaSFFA — my accountant brain subconsciously counted how many times we said the word ‘CaSFFA’.”
“It was 47 times. I think it’s become the most popular word in my house.”
Denisa welcomed guests, thanked sponsors, and highlighted the tireless effort of the team.
“We’re a team of 14 volunteers, devoting hundreds of hours each year to bring you the best of Czech and Slovak film.”
Czech Honorary Consul Lenka Allen and Slovak Honorary Consul Eugenia Mocnay thanked the CaSFFA team for bringing Czech and Slovak film to Australia, and wished the festival continued success in its 13th year.
Pictured: Czech Honorary Consul Lenka Allen, CaSFFA Finance Director Denisa Cross, and Slovak Honorary Consul Eugenia Mocnay. (Image courtesy of Qiwanyuan Chen)
Principal sponsor Sense Creative Agency’s Director of Planning, David Whiteside, praised CaSFFA for their continued efforts and 12 year partnership.
Sense Creative Agency team members David Whiteside, Sophie Bergogne, and Igal Hodirker at the Škoda Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia VIP Program Launch. (Image courtesy of Qiwanyuan Chen).
“Half of Sense’s team is made up of people born outside Australia, so we’ll always stand with and celebrate events that bring culture — or pieces of ‘home’ — to this country.”
The program and its theme, Echoes, were introduced via video by CaSFFA’s Artistic Director, Alexander Back.
“Welcome to the launch of the 13th edition of the Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia, proudly supported by Škoda.”
CaSFFA Artistic Director Alexander Back introducing the theme and program via video. (Image courtesy of Ľubica Shannon)
“It’s a pleasure to be returning not only to Melbourne and Adelaide this year, but also to Brisbane – for the first time since 2017.”
“For our thirteenth year, we bring a handpicked selection of Czech and Slovak cinema,” he said, calling the international success of many titles “a testament to the strength of the filmmakers and the stories emerging from both countries.”
“All of the contemporary films in this year’s program are Australian premieres. Each one is deserving and unique, with its own merit and appeal.”
“As always, CaSFFA is a celebration of both past and present,” with this year’s theme Echoes highlighting “how the cinema of today converses with the films of the past.”
The program features Caravan, a Czech-Slovak-Italian co-production that marks the first Czech film in more than three decades to compete at Cannes, and the first Slovak entry after eight years, alongside the 1947 classic The Czech Year, the “first Czechoslovak animated feature film, here presented in a beautiful restoration courtesy of the Film Archive in Prague.”
“Echoes is also about storytelling itself — how history, memory, culture and art continue to evolve, preserve and resonate from generation to generation.”
“We hope this year’s program resonates with all of you, and that the films you discover here stay with you well beyond the festival.”
CaSFFA’s 2025 program features 13 feature films from Czech and Slovak cinema, along with a collection of five shorts from Slovakia and the Czech Republic’s leading film schools: FAMU, FAMO and VŠMU.
CaSFFA’s 2025 program, presented in partnership with the Melbourne Cinémathèque, also includes a retrospective of Czech master František Vláčil at ACMI, featuring five features and two shorts, including a 4K restoration of Markéta Lazarová, widely regarded as the greatest Czechoslovak film ever made.
View the full program and secure your tickets here.