The unmissable indie documentaries to watch online at this year’s Czech film festival Ji.hlava

Documentary film festival Ji.hlava is making some of Central and Eastern Europe’s best independent and unconventional documentaries available to watch online.

The festival, the Czech Republic’s most celebrated non-fiction film rendez-vous, is taking place between 27 October and 8 November in a hybrid format, combining in-person events with online screenings. As part of their online programme, a selection of films will be available to stream outside of Czech Republic for a small fee. The first set of titles is available from 27 October to 1 November, with the second set available between 1 and 8 November.

They include Take Them into the Light by Romanian director Ioana Grigore, an overwhelming documentary following the intertwining journeys of pilgrims and rescue team operators in the gelid Carpathian mountains, and Zaur Kourazov’s Time Is, a heartbreaking portrait of depopulation in a remote Chechen village.

​Other highlights include Tomáš Rafa’s Refugees Are Welcome Here, an emotionally tense immersion into the uncertain futures of asylum seekers, their lives in makeshift camps around Europe, and clashes with hostile states and citizens.

Now in its 24th iteration, Ji.hlava takes place in the Czech town of Jihlava, and showcases emerging non-fiction talent from around the world, with a specific focus on Czech and Eastern European filmmakers.

You can see the full list of available films here.