GAMING PROGRAMME
Games have their place at Anifilm! This year you will have a chance to experience more than 28 video games in competition at Linserka, a brand-new venue in Liberec. In addition to an exhibition of video games, you can look forward to lectures and workshops led by world-renowned creators, among them Jordan Mechner, creator of the iconic Prince of Persia, and Jozef Pavelka, the creator of Felvidek, who will lead a game workshop. You can also meet Czech games professionals including the legendary Viktor Bocan from the Warhorse Studio and creators of the upcoming video game Inkblood. And we will also remember the winners of the previous 10 editions of our video games competition in a new archive of awarded games.
PROGRAM PRO NÁVŠTĚVNICTVO
Game Zone
You can enjoy the 25th edition of Anifilm at a brand-new venue – the newly renovated Linserka cultural and creative centre.
The Game Zone will spread over three floors of the building – you will find there a creative space for lectures, workshops, an exhibition of video games and a newly added video games archive.
Dragon’s Den – interactive programme for children
Gaming sessions will take place twice a day from Thursday, 7 May, till Sunday, 10 May. One adventure will last between 3 and 4 hours and is intended for groups of 5 people.
You can make a booking at Linserka starting on Tuesday, 5 May. The adventures are suitable for children aged 8 and older.
We play according to the rules of the Dragon Watch and DnD.
The programme is in Czech only.
Narrators Jakub Čermák and Miloslav Šmejc will guide you through the world of RPGs with expertise, experience and a pinch of improvisational magic. Whether this will be your first time or whether you are an expert player, you can look forward to a fast-paced, fun game where sometimes the plan falls apart… but the adventure always has a happy ending!
Camp Fire
For the tenth anniversary of the game competition, we have prepared a special programme in the Game Zone. It will be bathed in the light of our campfire and provide space for telling stories and legends.
Various guests and audience members will be given a chance to tell their stories accompanied by the sounds of a guitar and a crackling fire. Come listen to their stories and perhaps even tell your own!
Táborák will take place on Saturday, 9 May at 5pm at the heart of the Game Zone.
The programme is in Czech only
Programme for children
On Saturday and Sunday morning the Game Zone will offer a gaming programme for parents with kids aged 14 and younger. On both mornings you can watch a fairy tale in the tent, followed on Saturday by a lecture on a calming game for children with ADHD called Star Focus.
On Sunday, you can attend a lecture on how to develop children’s imagination using RPGs. The afternoon programme will take place in Lidové sady, where children can create their own video games at a popular gaming workshop. You can play various games for children (Star Focus, Kabuto Park, Mewts) or take part in a Dragon’s Den session – an RPG that combines reality with fantasy.
pLevel
pLevel returns for the third time to show you unpublished games, skeletons in the closet and school projects that were never supposed to be played publicly – in a public gaming session on a proper screen in an unhinged atmosphere!
You can look forward to a half-marathon of five-minute-long previews of the mist bizarre games projects. The games are always played by volunteers from the audience and the authors may give hints and commentaries or wring their hands. And holding a beer in those very hands! This entertaining event will have its own presenters and we believe that you will not forget pLevel any time soon! Come check out the new highlight of the Anifilm programme.
Programme for students and professionals
Gaming professionals will have a possibility to see more closely the work of world-renowned creator John Mechner, the incoming detective game Inkblood by the Brno-based studio Hey Bird! or Viktor Bocan from Warhorse. The programme is in Czech and English.
Come meet the creators during Gaming Sessions with Authors or come see the future gaming hits at the Game Pitch Arena. On a guided tour through the Game Zone during the Introduction to Competition Games you can see this year’s games in competition as well as awarded games from previous editions of Anifilm.
Game Pitch Arena
Cyber Sail and Anifilm organise a third edition of the pitching session for gaming projects – the Game Pitch Arena, which offers a unique opportunity for developers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and other countries. Individual studios can win financial support that will help with smooth development of indie projects. Anifilm’s main partner, the PPF Foundation, will award a grant of EUR 10,000.
International Competition of Videogames
Like every year, Anifilm holds an international competition of professional and student video games. Come and see a selection of the most interesting creations from the world of video games, celebrating experimental creators and artistically interesting projects.
The Anifilm 2026 jury will present an Award for the Best Game for Children and an Award for the Best Visual Art in Game. Come and play the games in competition at the Game Zone during the festival.
Special guest: Jordan Mechner
This year, game developer and graphic novelist Jordan Mechner, the author of legendary games such as Prince of Persia and The Last Express, who recently published his debut autobiographical graphic novel Replay, has kindly accepted our invitation. Pavel Dobrovský will interview the renowned artist on Friday.
Anifilm Game Jam
This year we have prepared the first Anifilm Game Jam, intended for students of video games. Schools can send teams who will have three days (from Wednesday to Friday) to create a game on an assigned theme. Every day, the Game Jam will be mentored by professionals from the gaming industry. On Friday, the games the students develop will be presented and evaluated by the audience.
If you are interested, please email us at gamezone@anifilm.cz.
Game workshop: Concept Art in the Times of AI
Designing, Creating and Building a Portfolio
WHO: Mergen Erdenebayar
WHEN: Thursday, 7 May, 2pm–5pm
WHERE: Green Hall, Liebieg Palace, Liberec
The workshop is open to all festival pass holders. Capacity is limited, please sign up before attending. You can find more information here.
Game workshop: From Idea to Implementation
From the initial idea to the final gaming asset
WHO: Jozef Pavelka
WHEN: Thursday, 7 May, 10am–1pm
WHERE: Green Hall, Liebieg Palace, Liberec
The workshop is open to all festival pass holders. Capacity is limited, please sign up before attending. You can find more information here.
Networking
Speed dating
Are you looking for love, friendship or just a companion for the upcoming screenings? Do you want to take a break from networking? The first speed dating of its kind invites you to a gender-neutral meeting where you can find new friendships and perhaps even more in a gamified way! Don’t be late, capacity is limited!
Meet the Filmmakers
The morning meetings over coffee are a regular feature at Anifilm; this year we also extend our invitation to games creators to come for a chat in an informal setting.
