Anifilm 2025: support for Czech animation | PPF Foundation

Anifilm 2025: support for Czech animation

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For the fourth time, we support the animated film festival that is both an annual showcase for Czech talent and a source of inspiration from around the world.

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<h2>Why we support the project</h2>
<ul>
<li>admired all over the world, Czech animation is one of the best examples of flourishing Czech talent</li>
<li>Anifilm has long represented and promoted Czech talent on the global stage</li>
<li>it is a unique platform for sharing animation expertise and experience in Central and East Europe and is thus an indispensable platform for establishing international collaborations</li>
<li>the festival captures the attention of and spurs creativity in children through its rapidly expanding children&rsquo;s section</li>
<li>the Czech Horizon Grant, awarded three times now with support from the PPF Foundation, provides funding for the production of professional Czech animated shorts</li>
<li>for the second time, we have expanded our support to include the Liberec Game Pitch Arena project, which is part of Anifilm and gives innovative game development studios the chance to obtain funding&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h2>About the project</h2>
Anifilm&rsquo;s exciting history stretches back more than twenty years. The animated film festival follows and showcases current trends, methods, technologies and animation techniques. It supports in-progress or brand-new animation projects, their creators, producers and distributors. It provides a space for positive confrontation and networking between film professionals from all over the world. It is intended for filmmakers, students, teachers, film theorists and all animation fans, including children. At the same time, it represents and promotes the Czech Republic and Czech talent in a global context.
Most of the festival&rsquo;s history is linked to the South Bohemian town of Třeboň. Anifilm relocated to Liberec in 2020, which enabled it to continue to grow and establish new collaborations. Last year, the festival was attended by over 36,000 visitors and around 1,000 guests, and its scope and broad programme have been maintained in part thanks to support from the PPF Foundation.
We have decided to cooperate with Anifilm again this year, thus once more helping the festival to prepare a high-quality international programme with the participation of Czech and international film professionals, featuring lectures, workshops and an international film competition.
Thanks to the foundation&rsquo;s support, selected guests, filmmakers and children can participate in the events free of charge. Other festival visitors pay minimal fees and admission prices. The provided funding therefore goes both to supporting professionals and to educating audiences, including children, who can improve their artistic and animation skills by taking part in animation workshops, for example.
This year, the festival will take place from 6&ndash;11 May. For the second time, the winner or winners of the public competition for the Czech Horizon Grant, supported by the PPF Foundation, will be announced at the festival. The aim of the competition is to enable outstanding Czech animation filmmakers to pursue a career in animation after they finish their studies. The eight films that came through the pre-selection process will be presented by their creators to the jury at the festival. The total value of the grant is CZK 1,000,000, but the jury can divide the amount among several projects. This grant complements the PPF Foundation Award for the Best Czech Short and Feature Film, one of the categories of the festival&rsquo;s Czech Horizon section.
For the second time, the festival will also feature the Liberec Game Pitch Arena, a pitching event for game projects that is a unique opportunity for developers, both those from the Czech Republic and Slovakia and their counterparts from abroad. The pitchers&rsquo; goal is to sufficiently impress someone from the panel of publishers and investors with their idea and business plan that they enter into negotiations about releasing and supporting their game. What&rsquo;s more, studios have the chance to receive financial support from us to facilitate the development of their projects.

The PPF Foundation is proud to support the International Festival of Animated Films for the fourth time. Anifilm is not just a showcase for Czech talent, it&rsquo;s an event where Czech creators get to meet their counterparts from other countries and which annually confirms that the Czech Republic has a firm foothold in the world of animated films.

Anifilm

Anifilm 2025

As part of Book World Prague, the CEE Book Market program section is being held for the third time, having been launched last year with our support.


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<h2>Why we support the project</h2>
<ul>
<li>Book World Prague is the biggest annual literature and book industry event in the Czech Republic</li>
<li>Central and East European Book Market aspires to make the festival a meeting point for professionals in the international trade in book rights for Central and Eastern Europe, and the two previous editions show that this aspiration is being fulfilled</li>
<li>Book World and CEE Book Market will represent the Czech Republic at the world&rsquo;s largest book fair, Buchmesse, in Frankfurt in 2026</li>
</ul>

<h2>About the project</h2>
Book World Prague has been the biggest book industry event in the Czech Republic for 30 years, drawing in over 50,000 people to the Prague Exhibition Centre over four days. It regularly features around 400 exhibitors and 800 writers, illustrators, translators, experts and other actors in the book industry, who participate in around five hundred events accompanying the trade fair. Guests from 40 countries take part in the trade fair and festival.
The PPF Foundation&rsquo;s cooperation with Book World centres on three-year support for the Central and East European Book Market project which the organisers launched two years ago. The festival aspires to showcase the Central and East European region in the international trade in book rights. This will be facilitated by the CEE Book Market platform, which serves as a meeting-place and networking platform for professionals in the field, mainly publishers and literary agents, from all over the world.
<blockquote>
The Central and East European Book Market is a key project for Book World. It helps us galvanise the foreign rights and book licensing trade. This is particularly important at a time when the Czech Republic will be the guest of honour at the world&rsquo;s largest book fair in Frankfurt in 2026. Thanks to the PPF Foundation&rsquo;s support, our platform now bears comparison with anything the European scene has to offer.
&ndash; Radovan Auer, Director of the International Book Fair and Literary Festival Book World Prague
</blockquote>
Interest in this festival project has grown significantly since the pilot year, which confirms its importance for the international book rights trade in our region. Last year around 60 foreign participants took part. The number of publishers visiting CEE Book Market is also rising.
Partly thanks to our support, the industry section of Book World has experienced rapid growth from almost nothing to reach a world-class professional level. It is thus becoming a strong platform that will be able to represent us with dignity at the world&rsquo;s largest book fair, Frankfurter Buchmesse, where the Czech Republic will be the guest of honour in 2026.
The programme of this year&rsquo;s CEE Book Market will take place on 15 and 16 May 2025 in the Bohemia Pavilion at the Prague Exhibition Centre. So far, participants from a total of 24 countries have registered. The core of the event remains the business meetings, which, in the two years of CEEBM&rsquo;s existence, have already borne fruit in the form of Czech books being translated into other languages. In addition, the two-day programme will feature panel discussions on the role of literary agents in small markets and the impact of awards on the marketing of books by emerging authors. There will also be discussions on the current Czech literary scene and &ndash; with regard to this year&rsquo;s guest of honor &ndash; the Portuguese literary scene.

The International Book Fair and Literary Festival Book World Prague is the biggest celebration of literature in the Czech Republic. Central and East European Book Market, which was established two years ago with our support, is a part of the event for the third time. CEE Book Market serves as a meeting-place and an experience sharing platform for book industry professionals in Central and East European countries. In 2026 the Czech Republic will be the guest of honour at Frankfurter Buchmesse, the world&rsquo;s largest book fair, and CEE Book Market is one of the institutions that will represent the country there.

Book World Prague

Book World 2025

Cirk La Putyka: International activities in 2024

We support the international activities of Czechia’s premier new circus company – shows and trips abroad and engagement of international guest artists.

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Belgian director Thomas Steyaert and Cirk La Putyka during a rehearsal of Hey, Earth!

Rehearsing Hey, Earth! with Belgian director Thomas Steyaert.

<h2>Why we support the project</h2>
<ul>
<li>Cirk La Putyka has long been one of the most progressive and internationally renowned theatre companies in the Czech Republic</li>
<li>it regularly collaborates with the world&rsquo;s best contemporary circus artists and takes part in festivals and other events abroad &ndash; bringing back valuable experience and inspiration to the Czech Republic</li>
</ul>

Hey, Earth! (Teaser)

<h2>About the project</h2>
Over the past fifteen years, Cirk La Putyka has successfully popularised contemporary circus, previously a marginal genre in the Czech Republic. It has taken its productions to twenty-three countries and trained a new generation of contemporary circus artists. It has achieved a remarkable international reach and initiated numerous international collaborations, which are important both for its work and because these joint projects help enhance the status of circus art and circus artistes in the Czech environment.
Cirk La Putyka is now an established brand on the international theatre and festivals scene. It has an international cast and creative team, it creates projects with the biggest names in contemporary circus, and it has successfully presented its work on five continents. Artists from fifty countries have auditioned for its upcoming projects.
The international dimension of its work is the main reason why we decided to support the theatre company again this year. This support expands Cirk La Putyka&rsquo;s opportunities to rehearse abroad with global stars (and bring back valuable experience to the Czech Republic), to represent Czech culture abroad and to give Czech talent a chance to excel in the global spotlight, to be inspired by the best that the international scene has to offer, and in turn to inspire other Czech artists. And also to cross borders &ndash; not only between countries, but also between generations, cultures or genres.

The show entitled Okamžik was directed by Finnish director Maksim Komaro.

Workshop in London with dancer and choreographer Akram Khan.

Cirk La Putyka took its Runners show to Nuremburg in February 2024.

Preparations for Runners in Châlons-en-Champagne, France.

Representatives of Cirk La Putyka at this year’s new circus event MICC (Le Marché de Cirque Contemporain) in the Canadian city of Montreal.

Check out the photos

New circus company Cirk La Putyka has won acclaim and recognition not only on the Czech cultural scene, but also internationally. Its success is founded on a big helping of talent, fifteen years&rsquo; hard work and a vision based on the conviction that to be truly successful, you have to cooperate with and simultaneously to rival the very best at home and around the world.

Cirk La Putyka

Cirk La Putyka: international activities in 2024

Girl America: Snowflakes in the USA | PPF Foundation

We supported the US tour of Viktor Tauš’s show Snowflakes, which will be part of the international promotion of the movie Girl America.

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<h2>Why we support the project</h2>
<ul>
<li>Snowflakes is one element of the Girl America story, an exceptional artistic and innovative endeavour that is the fruit of many years&rsquo; labours by director and producer Viktor Tau&scaron;</li>
<li>the organic involvement of children from children&rsquo;s homes is not only an amazing opportunity for these children, it allows them to bring their lived experiences to the work, enhancing its authenticity</li>
<li>both the theatre play Snowflakes and the movie Girl America are exceptional in terms of both concept and quality, and their international ambitions deserve support</li>
<li>besides the artistic dimension, the project has an important social dimension &ndash; it seeks to destigmatise children from children&rsquo;s homes and kick-start a positive transformation of institutional care in the Czech Republic</li>
</ul>

Amerikánka (2024) HD final trailer

<h2>About the project</h2>
Viktor Tau&scaron;&rsquo;s film&nbsp;Girl America, which hits Czech cinemas at the end of September, is based on a true story: a girl in a children&rsquo;s home has a photograph of her father living in America, and this photograph and her belief that she will one day cross the ocean to see him helps her overcome the hardship of life in a children&rsquo;s home and find her inner strength despite the uncertainty of her fate.
For many years now, director and producer Viktor Tau&scaron; has described himself first and foremost as the teller of the Girl America story. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a story that wants and needs to be told, and told in a way that fits with the reality of the lives that we, the storytellers, and you, the audience, live,&rdquo; he explains. This desire to tell the story has already given rise to a screenplay awarded the Krzysztof Kieślowski Prize at Cannes in 2014, a theatrical production of&nbsp;Girl America, which has been seen by 100,000 people,&nbsp;<a href="https://nadaceppf.cz/projekt/film-nazivo">Film Live</a>&nbsp;&ndash; a cinematic form of live culture during the Covid pandemic &ndash; and&nbsp;<a href="https://nadaceppf.cz/projekt/snowflakes-vypravny-zivy-trailer-k-filmu-viktora-tause-amerikanka">Snowflakes: a live action trailer for Girl America</a>, which premiered in September 2023 with our support and to rave reviews.
The culmination of this journey is the feature film&nbsp;Girl America, which will go into international distribution after its premiere in Czech cinemas. To promote the movie&rsquo;s international release,&nbsp;Snowflakes&nbsp;will be touring the US, and it is this project that we are currently supporting. The tour will take place at the end of November and the beginning of December, at the time when Girl America will be competing for local distribution and participation in film festivals. The PPF Foundation has long been committed to getting Czech talent out into the world and ensuring it gets the attention and recognition it deserves. This is the principal reason why we have decided to continue to support an artistic endeavour that is absolutely exceptional not only in the Czech context, but also on a global level.
<blockquote>
I met the eponymous Girl America in the 1990s, when I was living &ndash; in Bob Dylan&rsquo;s words &ndash; like a rolling stone. We told each other our stories and wove fictional stories out of them, and after a while we couldn&rsquo;t separate fact from fiction. Through these narratives we gained a special kind of integrity that gave us strength in our homeless world.
&mdash; Viktor Tau&scaron;
</blockquote>
Tau&scaron; cast around forty performers from children&rsquo;s homes and elsewhere in the children&rsquo;s roles in&nbsp;Girl America. After shooting the film, he wanted them to continue working with him and telling their true stories. The theatre musical&nbsp;Snowflakes: a live trailer for the film Girl America conveys to the audience their unique energy and lust for life and makes it clear what a worthwhile endeavour it is to integrate seemingly incompatible individuals into one whole. The show premiered at Jatka78 in 2023 and then set off on a tour of the Czech Republic. It has already been seen by more than ten thousand people, and the critical reception has been extremely positive.
Girl America&nbsp;and&nbsp;Snowflakes&nbsp;do not only have value as works of art, however: they have an important social dimension, bringing the issue of institutional care into the media spotlight. As a result of Girl America&nbsp;and&nbsp;Snowflakes, the Sirius Foundation, TV Nova, Czech Television, CNC and Active Group have joined forces, and since April this year these organisations have worked together to produce stories, discussion programmes, analysis, research etc. The backbone of this communication is the Sirius Foundation&rsquo;s current research focusing on the perspective of children&rsquo;s home staff and a follow-up project exploring the issue from the perspective of the children performing in&nbsp;Girl America. Its broader purpose is to destigmatise children from children&rsquo;s homes in the eyes of the public; to help expand the possibilities of individual care; to contribute to the transformation of children&rsquo;s homes, helping to change these institutions into smaller communal homes; to devise a methodology for children&rsquo;s home staff; and to promote legislative changes to establish an effective system of family support and child protection in the Czech Republic.

Girl America

Snowflakes

Viktor Tauš

Check out some photos from Girl America and Snowflakes

Viktor Tau&scaron;, the author and director of Snowflakes, gave his play the subtitle &ldquo;a live action trailer for the film Girl America&rdquo;. The film Girl America, the culmination of more than ten years&rsquo; work by Tau&scaron;, has its Czech cinema release this week. But that is not the limit of its ambitions &ndash; international distribution at the end of the year is the next step. On the international scene, too, Snowflakes will pave the way for the film with our support.

Girl America: Snowflakes in the USA

L’Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France 2024

The PPF Foundation supported L’Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France, an amateur race that brings the atmosphere of the legendary cycling race to Czechia.

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L’Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France 2023, photo: Jaroslav Svoboda

<h2>Why we support the project</h2>
<ul>
<li>
the event is part of a global series of races and thus makes Czech cycling part of a global context while bringing inspiration and know-how to the Czech Republic
</li>
<li>
it gives Czech amateur cyclists a unique opportunity to try out the race in a professional style and with professional facilities
</li>
<li>
association with the Tour de France makes this a major event not only for the cyclists themselves, but also for all cycling fans and sports fans in general
</li>
</ul>

<h2>About the project</h2>
L&rsquo;Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France is a race for the yellow jersey over various distances. There are climbing and sprinting points available for the green and polka dot jersey. But it can also be a leisurely ride. Each rider can approach it in their own way, safe in the knowledge that, as long as they finish, they will receive a medal.
The hills stage scheduled for Saturday 15 June starts and finishes in Prague. Its three routes of different lengths are on closed roads in the Křivokl&aacute;t, Beroun and Česk&yacute; kras districts.
Since its inception, the race organisers have said that L&rsquo;Etape Czech Republic is an opportunity to become Sagan, Froome or Contador for a day. That is truer than ever this year. Alberto Contador, the Spanish cyclist who won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009 and notched up two overall victories in the Giro and three in the Vuelta, is this year&rsquo;s principal ambassador. Cycling fans will not only be able to become him in spirit, but to meet him in person on the course.
<blockquote>
I&rsquo;m looking forward to chatting with the other riders in the peloton and with fans along the course and at the finish. I hear there will be thousands of them, which is great.
&ndash; Alberto Contador
</blockquote>
Other star ambassadors Zdeněk &Scaron;tybar, J&aacute;n Svorada, Tom&aacute;&scaron; B&aacute;bek, Martina S&aacute;bl&iacute;kov&aacute; and Tereza Vlk Huř&iacute;kov&aacute; will add a touch of exclusivity to the event.
Like the Tour de France, L&rsquo;Etape Czech Republic is not just about racing. It offers a vast range of events on the side, so there will be something to please cycling fans, families with children and lovers of French culture and gastronomy. The festival park at Strahov in Prague will once again feature stalls, attractions, a museum and official Tour de France products.
The hills stage is the first stage in this year&rsquo;s L&rsquo;Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France. The 101-kilometre mountains stage with an elevation gain of over 2,100 metres will take place in Prachatice on 17 August.

Photo: Markéta Navrátilová / L’Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France

Photo: Jaroslav Svoboda / L’Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France

Photo: Josef Vaishar / L’Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France

Photo: Viktorie Fejfarová / L’Etape Czech Republic by Tour de France

Check out some photos from last year’s event

There is no better way to delight cycling fans than to give them the chance to experience first-hand the atmosphere of the famous Tour de France. With our support, L&rsquo;Etape Czech Republic will make this dream come true for Czech amateur cyclists for the fourth time this year.

L’Etape Czech Republic

The PPF Foundation is our way of helping others make the world a better place. We support those who form the future of our country.

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The PPF Foundation was set up in autumn 2019 with a view to supporting those who devote their talent and effort to developing Czech society, help create an environment that fosters greater openness and carry out projects with an international dimension.

About PPF Foundation

We believe in Czech talent and want to give it a boost, whether that means helping our best and brightest make their mark on the world or bringing top talent from abroad to inspire fresh ideas here at home. PPF Foundation supports exceptional people and projects that stand out from the crowd. Our goal is to help them keep growing and improving because, in the end, that's a win for all of us. We see it as the best way to invest in our future.

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