Films

A Report for Minerva 2

The lives of a mismatched group of guests and employees become entangled in a run-down hotel. Some have come in search of peace and a brief escape from their daily routine, while others long for change – or even love. A lonely clarinetist crosses paths with a young man looking for a romantic adventure, an unhappily married couple, an idiosyncratic hotel staff member, and also an alien sent from the planet Minerva 2 in order to report on the state of Earth. A mosaic of fourteen interwoven stories emerges through fleeting situations, awkward moments, interior monologues, and quiet observations.

Short sci-fi films by iShorts

What if your best friend arrived in a cardboard box? What if artificial intelligence could create a better version of you? And what could go wrong when technology starts to understand our desires a little too well? iShorts returns to Future Gate with a selection of short sci-fi films that serve up the future in small but highly concentrated doses. Expect robots, artificial intelligence, strange technologies, dark humour, and worlds only a few steps removed from our own. Because sometimes you don’t need two hours for great sci-fi. All it takes is one brilliant idea.

Selected films

My Only Friend Is a Robot Named Beans

Director: Anika Kan Grevstad | Producers: Chris Bauer, Anika Kan Grevstad, Corrina Leatherwood, Skye Mahaffie | Cast: Danielle Young, A.B. Allen, Jasmin Carina | 2026 | 13 min

Ruby finds her lonesome routines disrupted when she makes an unlikely new friend: a mail-order robot.

The Lord of All Future Space & Time

Director: Chris Paul Russell | Producers: Dana Guerin, Joy Sirott Hurwitz, Cindi Rice, Karl Stelter | Cast: Roy Williams Jr., Mark Benninghoffen, Ray Buffer | 2025 | 26 min | USA

The Lord of All Future Space and Time is a classic western tale of revenge interrupted by sci-fi hijinks. Purposefully and joyfully heavy on narration – in the style of early Coen Brothers or somewhere between Goodfellas and Amelie – it’s a tall tale in a short film, a fast-paced comedy asking the big questions about time, grief, love and the meaning of life itself.

Bisected

Director: Danny Pineros | Producer: Mateo Vergara | Cast: Natalie Polisson, J.C. Smith, Robin Zamora | 2024 | 8 min | USA

A couple witnesses a paranormal event that separates them into two distinct dimensions.

Planet

Director: Jason Carman | Producers: Maxie Harrington, Jason Carman, Jim O’Shaughnessy | Cast: Stephen R. Miller, Alexander Platt, Ian S. Peterson | 2025 | 38 min | USA

Planet tells the story of a man who dreams of building an artificial planet from the ground up, asking the question, “Is the sacrifice required to create something truly great worth it in the end?”

The Most Perfect Perfect Person

Director: Paul Trillo | Producers: Justin Lacob, Bryn Mooser, Poppy, Edward Saatchi | Cast: Ryan Barrier, Jack Mayer, Poppy | 2024 | 18 min

Under the pressures of fame and parasocial demands, pop star Poppy relinquishes control to Aura, an AI clone trained on her past content. As Aura begins dictating her every word and action, Poppy battles to reclaim her autonomy.

Panspermia: The Radical Theory of Life’s Origins

It may sound crazy, but life on Earth could have originated from hardy microbes travelling through space, arriving here from Mars or even more distant parts of our Solar System. In theory, extremophile bacteria could be resilient enough to survive such a deadly journey – perhaps thanks to their ability to repair their own damaged DNA. This documentary explores the fascinating hypothesis of panspermia, taking it to the bold proposition that the building blocks of life may travel across entire stellar systems within our Galaxy. Earth may not be the cradle of life, but merely one stop on its cosmic journey. And if we accept that life can traverse such vast distances, how far-reaching might its true lineage be? Could we, in fact, be extraterrestrial to ourselves?

Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare

On 11 March 2011, Japan experienced one of the most devastating earthquakes in its history. The ensuing tsunami, however, unleashed a catastrophe whose true scale was yet to become apparent. This gripping reconstruction of one of the most serious nuclear disasters in modern history reveals not only the chaos and critical decisions made during the first hours of the disaster, but also the extraordinary courage of those who remained inside the power plant as it teetered on the brink of complete collapse. Their story brings human bravery face to face with systemic failure, inadequate preparedness, and questions of responsibility on the part of the plant’s operator. What was really happening behind the walls of the power plant as the systems on which the safety of thousands depended began to fail?

Digital Tsunami

Digital technologies are supposed to make our lives easier, connect the world, and open up possibilities we could once barely imagine. But what happens when the tools we have created increasingly begin to shape the way we think, make decisions, and perceive reality? This documentary ventures into today’s digital world, where artificial intelligence, state and corporate surveillance, and social-media addiction are intertwined and driven by powerful algorithms. Experts warn of the growing concentration of technological power in the hands of a few major corporations, which have turned our personal data into a valuable commodity. The film also recalls the ideas of media theorist Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980), who predicted decades ago that media would not merely transmit information, but fundamentally transform human beings themselves.

Bot Love

Millions of people are downloading AI companions so they never have to be alone again. Today, artificial intelligence is making its way not only onto our screens, but into sex, intimacy, trust, and even grief. This documentary follows people who seek in artificial relationships what their real-life relationships have failed to provide. For some, AI offers a safe space in which they can learn to trust again; for others, it provides a sense of stability that human relationships cannot. Is it possible to feel genuine love for someone who does not actually exist? And can an artificial relationship become a bridge towards other people – or, conversely, a perfectly comfortable escape from them?

Disconnected

Bob (Albert Čuba), a lonely scientist, is on the run from a gang behind development of an app capable of controlling the human mind. When he runs into taxi driver Sára (Andrea Mohylová) during his escape, he unexpectedly finds an ally in her.

The short film Stav Odpojen is a low-budget punk tribute to the B-movies of the ’80s and ’90s, shot in Olomouc,Czech Republic where it’s all about one thing—survival.
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Arco

It is 2075. Ten-year-old Iris sees a mysterious boy in a rainbow-coloured suit fall from the sky. His name is Arco, and he comes from the future. A fragile and beautiful friendship develops between Iris and Arco, connecting two very different worlds. Together with the robot Mikki, they embark on a journey to get the boy back home. At the same time, they may be the only ones capable of saving the planet.

Ugo Bienvenu’s film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the top prize for Best Feature Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Arrival

Twelve alien spacecraft have landed on Earth. Where have they come from? What do they want? And why now? Linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is tasked with finding the answers. Together with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), she attempts to establish contact with the mysterious visitors and decipher their language. But the encounter with beings from another planet will forever change not only the scientist’s fate, but the future of all humanity. Denis Villeneuve’s intimate sci-fi drama is built around a seemingly simple story about the power of communication and the necessity of understanding. More importantly, however, it invites audiences to ask themselves the same questions that confront Louise.

Blade Runner 2049

It is 2049, and tensions between humans and replicants – robots indistinguishable from people – continue to rise. The fragile society could be brought to the brink of collapse by a secret accidentally uncovered by special police officer K. In search of answers, he follows the trail of former Blade Runner Deckard, who disappeared without a trace thirty years earlier. Denis Villeneuve builds upon Ridley Scott’s cinematic classic to create a breathtaking sci-fi spectacle, starring Ryan Gosling alongside Ana de Armas, Jared Leto and the legendary Harrison Ford.

Blade Runner

In 1982, Ridley Scott presented the world with a vision of the future set in 2019, where the Tyrell Corporation manufactures replicants – robots indistinguishable from human beings. Some of them, however, have rebelled against their programming. Special police officer Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is tasked with tracking down and eliminating them. But as he pursues his targets, he is confronted with a fundamental question: what does it mean to be human? This cult sci-fi classic, with its unforgettable 1980s atmosphere, continues to fascinate with its dark vision of a future in which the boundary between human and machine has become blurred.

Freaks Part II

Mary and her daughter Chloe are on the run. They must conceal their true identities if they are to have even the slightest chance of living the normal life Chloe longs for. But is such a life even possible? Directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky return with their brutal take on the superhero genre, in which the simple desire to be free to be oneself can have dangerous consequences. Their first film, shot in Canada, was widely acclaimed by critics around the world, and now, after an eight-year hiatus, the creative team returns to uncover more of the secrets hidden within the world of the Freaks.

You Are the Film

Makoto Ueda has long been a fixture at genre festivals around the world. As the screenwriter of films such as River and Beyond Infinite Two Minutes, he has shown an extraordinary gift for constructing stories that may seem utterly mad at first glance, yet can also move audiences deeply. He demonstrates the same talent in his directorial debut, You Are The Film, which transforms the cinema into a portal through which the lives of two strangers begin to intertwine in remarkable ways. This inventive genre play never loses momentum and makes remarkably imaginative use of its modest running time.

Light Pillar

In 2033, a once-popular film studio is little more than a fragment of its former glory. No new film has been made there for years, and its only inhabitants are a former film-star cat, the owner and his accountant, and a small maintenance crew that includes the lonely security guard Zha. He embarks on a virtual romantic journey through fantastical worlds. Meanwhile, filmmakers finally return to the studio – but the film’s imagined climax is to be a shot in which the entire studio is completely destroyed. The film premiered in the prestigious Perspectives section of the Berlinale, where it received numerous positive reviews and a strong response from audiences.

Yesterday Island

Sometimes all it takes is a single phone call to land you in an utterly unenviable situation. Such is the fate of Amos and Gemma, the protagonists of the dark sci-fi comedy Yesterday Island. They must work together to escape a time loop they have brought upon themselves. Far from being a standard example of a genre that churns out titles by the dozen, Yesterday Island offers no likeable heroes, but rather complicated characters who must first reassess their priorities and learn to rely on someone other than themselves.

Crocodile

Although the films made by the Nigerian collective The Critics may lack lavish production design, spectacular effects or Hollywood stars, they are nevertheless carving out an uncompromising path through the world of independent cinema. Working in extremely difficult conditions, these “critics” create one DIY project after another, driven solely by their boundless love of filmmaking. They transform their challenging reality into science-fiction worlds brimming with creativity, unconstrained by the limitations of major studios. Their work proves that genuine cinematic gems can emerge even in circumstances not traditionally associated with science-fiction filmmaking.

Colony

Colony is far from just another run-of-the-mill zombie film. Visionary director Yeon Sang-ho returns with the finely honed style familiar from his cult hit Train to Busan. Once again, Colony makes use of claustrophobic spaces and the impossibility of escape, but this time its distinctive protagonists are confined to a skyscraper housing not only a department store and offices, but also a highly secret laboratory. When an unknown and extremely fast-mutating virus escapes from the facility, an unconventional group of survivors must flee before it is too late.

Junk World

Junk Head can easily be counted among the most original films of recent years. It stands out for its unique stop-motion animation, oppressive post-apocalyptic atmosphere, and brilliantly rendered bizarre characters struggling to survive at any cost. Following its international success and its reception at Future Gate, the director continues in Junk World, which takes us more than a thousand years before the events of the first film. Its protagonist, a diminutive robot named Robin, embarks on a long and arduous journey filled with dangers and encounters with the obscure inhabitants of this inhospitable wasteland. The story is brought to life through distinctive animation of remarkable technical precision.

STUDENT FILM COMPETITION

The Student sci-fi film competition has become an integral part of the Future Gate programme. It gives young filmmakers a platform to showcase their work and introduce it to a wider audience. This year, once again, the competition will present a selection of the best films created by emerging directors from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Films in Competition

Core Memory

director Illia Mashkin, 2026, 11 min., UTB Zlín

The line between memory and simulation blurs in this psychological sci-fi drama about guilt that refuses to be silenced. Accompanied by cold artificial intelligence, Felix journeys into his own subconscious to close the chapter on his deceased mother. Instead of redemption, however, something much darker awaits him. The film explores whether it is possible to rewrite the past or whether our traumas will ultimately consume us – even with the help of cutting‑edge technology.

I’m looking for Mr. Laser

director Laura Boráros, 2026, 7 min., FAMU

What would you do if you came across a video that defies the laws of physics, yet seems convincing in some way? A short story about following in the footsteps of someone who may or may not exist, mapping the maze of imagination and illusions created by the mysterious Mr. Laser.

The kitchen

director Valér Futej, 2026, 14 min., FAMU

The static environment of the kitchen will be disrupted by the arrival of a young woman: a new cook, with her efforts to adapt to the strictly defined working conditions and fit into the settled routine. When she realises that the mechanism is starting to put high pressure on her and destroy her individuality, it will be too late to free herself from the system she has become a part of. Through its manipulation of colour, formalism, and visual concept, The Kitchen is a stylised allegory of conformity and the replaceability of the individual in today’s consumer society.

Quantum jump

director Šimon Meszáros, 2026, 11 min., FAMU

After falling in love with death, a man sets out on a surreal journey to escape the life – and the role – that should have defined him. As the world crumbles into fading echoes of meaning, he discovers renewal within the ruins of the universal self.

The Collectors

director Jiří Arbter, 2026, 10 min., Slezská univerzita Opava

They met at an antique shop. A love of collecting brought them together; envy tore them apart. Now they’re competing for the best collection in the entire basement. Who will emerge victorious from this battle of madness, frantic cleaning, and bloodshed? And who will pay for it with their life? The hunt is just beginning…

The shelter

director Viktorie Novotná, 2026, 10 min., FAMU

A young woman wakes up in a room she can’t leave. The windows are boarded up, and the door is chained shut. The last thing she remembers is a party. But she isn’t alone in the room. A stranger tells her that the end of the world has begun outside. The question is whether she believes him and stays, or tries to escape despite his warnings.

Truth, love, lizards

director Pavel Plesník, 2026, 15 min., Akademie Michael

Lizard enthusiast Erik falls for Emma, a pet shop worker. But when he finally asks her out, their date spirals into a bizarre confrontation with cosmic conspiracy theorists who insist Erik and Emma are not ordinary humans at all, but lizard creatures in disguise.

The Disappearance of Mitchell Johnson

director Kacper Senkowski, 2026, 10 min., UMPRUM

Mitchell Johnson, the biggest pop star of the computer world, disappears without a trace. Twenty years later, his biggest fan, Detective Bobo, is still trying to solve the mystery of Johnson’s disappearance. One day, he receives a phone call that may help him finally solve the case.

Metropolis

In the industrial, tri-level world of Metropolis, Duke Red is a powerful leader with plans to unveil a highly advanced robot named Tima. But Duke Red’s violent son Rock distrusts robots, and intends to find and destroy Tima. Lost in the confusing labyrinth beneath Metropolis, Tima is beginning a sweet friendship with the young nephew of a Japanese detective. But when Duke Red separates the two innocents, Tima’s life – and the fate of the universe – is dangerously at stake.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

It is the 23rd century. The Federation starship U.S.S. Enterprise is on routine training maneuvers, and Admiral James T Kirk (William Shatner) seems resigned to the fact that this inspection may well be the last space mission of his career. But Khan is back. Aided by his exiled band of genetic supermen, Khan (Ricardo Montalban)—brilliant renegade of 20th century Earth—has raided Space Station Regula One, stolen a top secret device called Project Genesis, wrested control of another Federation starship, and now schemes to set a most deadly trap for his old enemy Kirk with the threat of a universal Armageddon! Co-starring Kirstie Alley (Cheers) in her stunning motion picture debut.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Mario ventures into space, exploring cosmic worlds and tackling galactic challenges far from the familiar Mushroom Kingdom.