I'm Not Everything I Want to Be

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.