If Pigeons Turned to Gold

If Pigeons Turned to Gold
International promotional poster
CzechKdyby se holubi proměnili ve zlato
Directed byPepa Lubojacki
Screenplay byPepa Lubojacki
Produced by
  • Klára Mamojková
  • Wanda Kaprálová
Starring
  • David Richter
  • Pepa Lubojacki
  • David Lubojacki
  • Marco Arnone
Cinematography
  • Pepa Lubojacki
  • Tomáš Šťastný
Edited byPepa Lubojacki
Music byAdam Matej
Production
companies
  • CLAW films
  • guča films
Distributed bySplit Screen
Release dates
  • 13 February 2026 (2026-02-13) (Berlinale)
  • 24 September 2026 (2026-09-24) (Czech Republic)
Running time
110 minutes
Countries
  • Czech Republic
  • Slovakia
Languages
  • Czech
  • English

If Pigeons Turned to Gold (Czech: Kdyby se holubi proměnili ve zlato) is a 2026 documentary film written and directed by Pepa Lubojacki, in their[1] debut film. A co-production between Czech Republic and Slovakia, it follows, over five years, the lives of Lubojacki's four relatives, including their brother David, who struggles with alcoholism and homelessness.[2]

The film had its world premiere at Forum section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2026, where it won Berlinale Documentary Film Award.[3] It will be theatrically released in Czech Republic by Split Screen on 24 September.

It was selected as the Czech entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.[4][5]

Summary

The film follows director Pepa Lubojacki as they spend years filming their brother and cousins, who, like many people in their family, struggle with alcoholism and homelessness. They bind together cell phone clips, old family photos altered with artificial intelligence, electronic music, and even comments from a talking pigeon, all woven together with their own thoughts as they try to understand why addiction keeps repeating across generations and how their family might find a better future.

Participants

  • David Richter
  • Pepa Lubojacki
  • David Lubojacki
  • Marco Arnone

Production

The film shot on an iPhone is produced by Klara Mamojkova and Wanda Kapralova for Claw Films, in co-production with Guča Films, Czech Television and the Czech Republic’s Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.[6]

In October 2023, the project was named the most promising European project at Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival in New Visions Forum 2023 and won post-production services in the value of €15,000 from Universal Production Partners, Prague and €5,000 from Soundsquare, Prague.[7] In February 2024, the film was selected in CPH:WIP 2024 project.[8] In April 2024, the production team participated in Prague-based East Doc Platform 2024, looking for partners, who can help finalise the financing, festivals, sales agents and international distributors.[9]

Release

If Pigeons Turned to Gold had its world premiere on 13 February 2026, as part of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, in Forum.[10][11] Subsequently it was screened at the International Istanbul Film Festival on 10 April 2026,[12] and at the Neisse Film Festival on 27 May 2026.[13] The film was screened on 8 June 2026 as part of the DocuDays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in Docu Best section[14] and in the 73rd Sydney Film Festival International Documentaries on 10 June 2026 for its Australian Premiere.[15][16] The film was also part of Special Screenings section of the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it was screened from 8 July to 10 July 2026.[17][18]

Croatia-based company Split Screen acquired the international rights of the film in February 2026.[6]

The film was selected for Czech submission for the 99th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.[19]

The film will be released in Czech theatres on 24 September 2026.[20]

Reception

Reviewing the film at Berlin International Film Festival for Cineuropa, Vladan Petkovic described it as "a peculiar artwork" with a highly experimental cinematic approach. He noted its combination of raw observational footage with artificial intelligence imagery, including animated family photographs, which creates an "odd and unsettling feeling" while reflecting the film's exploration of addiction and family trauma. Petkovic found the film's central questions "soul-shattering" and considered its themes universal, observing that viewers are drawn into the family's suffering despite the occasionally alienating AI animation. Criticising the length of the film he opined that the contrast between smartphone footage, AI imagery, and social media-inspired visuals "probably won't be everyone's cup of tea" and felt the film's 110-minute runtime could have been shortened for a more focused narrative. Concluding that the film's greatest weakness was also its greatest strength, he argued that its "unevenness" made the pacing engaging but left the structure seeming "outside the director's control" despite its spontaneous and heartfelt approach.[21]

Accolades

Pepa Lubojacki, winner of Berlinale Best Documentary Award
Pepa Lubojacki, winner of the "Social Awareness Award - Best Documentary Film" at the Crossing Europe Film Festival 2026 in Linz (Austria)
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient Result Ref.
Berlin International Film Festival 22 February 2026 Berlinale Documentary Film Award If Pigeons Turned to Gold Won [22][23]
Caligari Film Prize Won
Crossing Europe Award 2 May 2026 Crossing Europe Social Awareness Award for European Documentaries Pepa Lubojacki Won [24]
Kraków Film Festival 7 June 2026 Silver Horn for the director of the film on social issues Won [25]
The Award of the Student Jury If Pigeons Turned to Gold Won
DocuDays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival 11 June 2026 Main Prize Rights Now! Nominated [26]
Special Mention Rights Now! Won [27]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Pepa Lubojacki - dafilms.cz". dafilms.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  2. ↑ Lubojacki, Pepa (3 February 2026). "If Pigeons Turned to Gold". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  3. ↑ Abbatescianni, Davide (21 February 2026). "İlker Çatak's Yellow Letters bags the Golden Bear at the 76th Berlinale". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "The Czech Republic will send the documentary feature If Pigeons Turned to Gold into the fight for an Oscar". ČFTA. 19 August 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Georg Szalai (19 August 2026). "Oscars: Czech Republic Picks Doc 'If Pigeons Turned to Gold' as Best Int'l Feature Submission". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 Dalton, Ben (13 February 2026). "Split Screen acquires Berlinale Forum title 'If Pigeons Turned To Gold' for international sales". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Balaga, Marta (28 October 2023). "Ji.hlava Award Winner Pepa Lubojacki Calls for Compassion in 'If Pigeons Turned to Gold': 'You Can Love People Also as Addicts'". Variety. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  8. ↑ Vassilis Economou (8 February 2024). "CPH:FORUM reveals its 2024 selection". Cineuropa. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Ola Salwa (9 April 2024). "REPORT: Czech Docs: Coming Soon @ East Doc Platform 2024". Cineuropa. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Scott Roxborough (20 January 2026). "Sandra Hüller, Channing Tatum, Amy Adams, and Rupert Grint to Light Up Auteur-Heavy Berlin Competition (Full List)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Economou, Vassilis (15 January 2026). "Berlinale's Forum announces its selection". Cineuropa. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "If Pigeons Turned to Gold". International Istanbul Film Festival. 10 April 2026. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "If Pigeons Turned to Gold". Neiße Filmfestival. 27 May 2026. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "If Pigeons Turned to Gold". DocuDays UA. 8 June 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  15. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (6 May 2026). "Asghar Farhadi, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Kore-eda Hirokazu and Cristian Mungiu in Competition as Sydney Film Festival Reveals Full Program With 19 Cannes Films". Variety. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "If Pigeons Turned to Gold". Sydney Film Festival. 10 June 2026. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "If Pigeons Turned to Gold Horizons". Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. 20 June 2026. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  18. ↑ Anne Thompson (2 June 2026). "2026 Karlovy Vary Film Fest Reveals Competition and Jury Lineups". IndieWire. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "Hlasování o výběru kandidáta za ČR na Oscara" [Voting on the selection of the Czech Republic's candidate for the Oscar]. ČFTA (in cz). 31 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  20. ↑ "If Pigeons Turned to Gold". Czech Film Center. 22 July 2026. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  21. ↑ Petkovic, Vladan (17 February 2026). "Review: If Pigeons Turned to Gold". Cineuropa. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Lodge, Guy (21 February 2026). "Berlin Film Festival: İlker Çatak's 'Yellow Letters' Wins Golden Bear for Best Film (Full List of Winners)". Variety. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Abbatescianni, Davide (21 February 2026). "Drama Prosecution and documentary Traces scoop the Berlinale's Panorama Audience Awards". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "Filme aus dem Baltikum beim Crossing Europe Linz prämiert" [Films from the Baltic states awarded prizes at Crossing Europe Linz]. Der Standard (in German). 2 May 2026. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Winners of the 66th Krakow Film Festival". Kraków Film Festival. 7 June 2026. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  26. ↑ "The Films Nominated for 'RIGHTS NOW!' Award-2026". DocuDays UA. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "Congratulations to the Winners of Docudays UA 2026!". DocuDays UA. 11 June 2026. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
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