This year, the Pavel Koutecký Award will have an international jury for the first time!
The jury of this year's award consists of personalities from various fields of contemporary audiovisual arts – film directing, curating, art, and film dramaturgy – who have long been active at the intersection of documentary, experimental, and contemporary art. They are united by their sensitivity to the author's voice, openness to formal exploration, and experience with the international context of documentary film and new media. This year's jury also holds a unique distinction – it is the first year of the Pavel Koutecký Award in which an international jury will decide upon the winning films.
Peter Kerekes
Peter Kerekes is a film director, producer and teacher at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and the Doc Nomads Joint Masters in Budapest. He directed the documentary 66 Seasons, which was screened at over a hundred festivals, and his film Cooking History, about military cooks and their impact on history, won many awards such as the Best Documentary Award at Viennale. The documentary comedy Velvet Terrorists was honored at the Berlin International Film Festival, in 2014, and at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, in 2013. His fiction debut 107 Mothers took place at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, where it received the award for the best script on its premiere. His latest film Wishing on a Star was premiered at Venice film festival and Toronta and was screened at numerous film festivals.
Kateřina Olivová
Kateřina Olivová is an artist, performer, educator, feminist, and mother. In her work, she has long explored the body as both a tool and a subject, focusing on corporeality, nudity, emotions, and questions of identity, gender, social norms, and parenthood. She often works with her large, soft naked body, glitter, smoke, or animal masks. In addition to live actions, she also creates video performances, photographs, texts, and books, including Milk and Honey (2021) and Transformations of Masculinities (2025), and presents her work at exhibitions and festivals in the Czech Republic and internationally. She currently works at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where she co-leads the New Media II studio together with Darina Alster.
Szymon Stemplewski
Szymon Stemplewski is artist, animator, creator and curator of many film, cultural and artistic projects. Founder of the International Short Waves Film Festival, a constellation of film events scattered in the urban space of Poznan. These initiatives provide a platform for new and unconventional cultural experiences, often combining film, art and music. His efforts in the cultural sector are characterised by a focus on innovation and collaboration, supporting young artists and promoting the creative community in Poland and beyond.
Wotienke Vermeer
Wotienke Vermeer is the programmer of Het Documentaire Paviljoen, IDFA’s year-round home for documentary art in Amsterdam. Until 2023 she was the New Media Program Manager, overseeing the IDFA DocLab program, one of the leading platforms for interactive documentary art and storytelling. Prior to joining IDFA in 2015, she was the film programmer at London’s Frontline Club, an organization that champions independent journalism; hosted a biweekly evening of short documentaries in Amsterdam; and travelled through Central Europe with her band.