For the first time in history, the Czech Film and Television Academy (ČFTA) has selected a documentary film to represent the country at the Oscars. I'm Not Everything I Want to Be, directed by Klára Tasovská, tells the story of artist Libuše Jarcovjáková and is heading into the race for the 98th Academy Awards. The film took part in the East Doc Forum 2021 pitching session at the East Doc Platform and is part of our alternative distribution project, KineDok.
Support within the Institute of Documentary Film
The film is currently part of our alternative distribution project KineDok, which brings creative documentary films to unconventional, non-cinema venues such as boats, cafés, galleries, and other spaces across five countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Several screenings are planned, with the upcoming ones being:
12. 8. Modul 28 Sibiu at 6.30 PM (Romania)
21. 8. Paloznaki Pajtamozi at 7 PM (Hungary)
21. 8. Pohybové centrum Maya at 7 PM (Czechia)
21. 8. Baden Baden Štvanice at 8.30 PM (Czechia)
21. 8. Probuďme Nusle - Vnitroblok Mečislavka at 8.20 PM (Czechia)
26. 8. Atrium Žižkov at 8.30 PM (Czechia)
27. 8. Horácká galerie at 8.30 PM (Czechia)
The full list of screenings in all KineDok countries can be found at kinedok.net.
KineDok screening at the Harukawa Maru boat in 2024, photo: Harukawa Maru.
Director Klára Tasovská and producer Lukáš Kokeš also presented the film at the prestigious East Doc Forum 2021, the largest pitching forum in the region, held annually by the Institute of Documentary Film as part of the East Doc Platform. Here, filmmakers present their projects to an audience made up primarily of decision-makers, with the event concluding with feedback sessions and one-on-one meetings with guests. Over the years, East Doc Forum has contributed to the completion of numerous successful documentary films, including When the War Comes, Over the Limit or Better to Come.
Klára Tasovská and Lukáš Kokeš presented the project at East Doc Forum 2021, which was held online due to the pandemic.
About the film
I’M NOT EVERYTHING I WANT TO BE (dir. Klára Tasovská, 2024, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, 91 mins.)
Through unique, raw photographs of the era and candid diary entries, the film I’m Not Everything I Want to Be draws viewers into the hidden world of Libuše Jarcovjáková – a fearless young artist searching for truth and freedom in communist Czechoslovakia. Despite state repression, she turns the lens on herself, the forgotten corners of Prague, and those living on the fringes of society: migrants, the queer community, and the underground scene.
After a tragic event, she escapes to Berlin, where she struggles to find work and meaningful relationships. A return to Tokyo brings commercial success, but not personal fulfillment. As the Iron Curtain begins to tremble, Libuše feels an irresistible pull back – to the city that shaped her, and to something she was never able to capture through her lens.
Visually striking and poetic, composed entirely of Libuše’s photographs, the film is not only a portrait of an artist, but also a meditation on memory, resistance, and the elusiveness of the self.
The shortlist of 15 international films for the Oscars will be announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on December 16 this year, with the final nominations revealed on January 22, 2026. The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 15, 2026.