Bojs live and other podcasts recorded live in the unique setting of the Lucerna Café lounge

This year, podcasts are being recorded live at the festival for the first time. What listeners usually experience only through headphones or on their screens has, for several evenings, moved directly into the presence of the audience. The lounge of Lucerna Café thus becomes a meeting place where podcast creators, guests connected to the festival films, and the audience can come together and be part of the conversation.

“Podcasts bring a different type of encounter to the festival than the usual post-screening discussions. They don’t necessarily have to relate directly to a film, so they’re also for people who don’t want or can’t attend a screening,” explains Adéla Klingohrová, Head of Media Communication and PR for One World, describing why the festival decided to introduce live podcasts this year. “Thanks to the topics discussed here, people can absorb the atmosphere of the festival and the ideas that People in Need has been promoting for a long time,” she adds, noting that live podcasts are essentially a symbiosis. “We provide podcasters with the space and technical equipment, and in return they bring us visibility.”

The Festival as a Place for Deeper Conversations

Seven evenings of live recordings are scheduled in total. Each evening belongs to a different podcast and a different type of discussion – from culture and politics to personal stories.

Ilona Kleníková, host of the podcast Hlas Heroine, says that the festival atmosphere gives conversations an additional dimension. “Hosting our podcast at One World means being present at an event where people have both their minds and hearts open. The audience that comes here shares values similar to ours at Heroine – the protection of fundamental human values, but also of nature,” she says.

The guest of her festival episode was dog handler Klára Hlubocká, a specialist in detecting poisoned animals and also the protagonist of the documentary Resilience. The conversation naturally followed the film programme but went much further – into personal stories, motivations, and the everyday reality of a type of work that usually remains unseen.

Podcasters either choose their own guests or receive recommendations from the festival. In every case, however, the guests are personalities who have a close connection to the festival or its themes.

Masculinity, Emotions, and Choosing T-Shirts by Their Scent

One of the evenings, on Saturday, March 14, will feature Bojs Live. The podcast by Radio Wave host Kryštof Šimek focuses on masculinity, emotions, and the challenges men face in today’s society topics that are especially relevant today.

The festival guest will be documentary filmmaker Vojtěch Petřina, director of the film Vojta’s Life: A New Episode. In the film, he follows his own attempt to find a partner in a rather unconventional way. As a man approaching forty and living in a small studio apartment in Prague, he decides to abandon dating apps and try something far more basic choosing women according to the scent of their T-shirts.

Stories like these personal, slightly daring, yet socially intriguing fit the podcast format in the intimate setting of the Lucerna lounge perhaps even better than they would in a traditional festival debate.

Podcasts Still to Come

In addition to Bojs Live, other podcasts that will be recorded live at the festival include Zrnění, Studio N, Vizitka, and the political podcast Vlevo dole.

The festival episodes will be available to listen to or watch on the platforms of the individual podcasts, as well as on the One World online platform. Those who want to experience the recording in person can come directly to the Lucerna Café lounge. Admission is free, but it is necessary to reserve a seat in advance via GoOut.