Films 2019
JAN PALACH | Jan Palach
The electrifying opening night feature Jan Palachby Robert Sedláček re-enacts a short period in Jan’s life, culminating in his protest against the Soviet occupation of Prague on the 16th of January, 1969. It is the story of an ordinary young student living in 1960s Czechoslovakia, full of the hopes and dreams of youth in spite of the mild persecution suffered by his family.
The film focuses on the last months of Jan’s life. It traces his path from an affectionate son, devoted friend and sensitive and thoughtful student, and tries to find the motives that led him to commit the radical act of becoming as he called it ‘Torch number 1’.
At the time, Palach’s actions aroused worldwide attention. At home, a staggering 600,000 people from all over the country attended his funeral.
DUKLA 61 | Dukla 61
An incomprehensible disaster that resonates to this very day.
David Ondříček’s Dukla 61 is one of the most remarkable Czech television productions of recent times, focusing on the largest mining disaster of the 2nd half of the 20th century that occurred in former Czechoslovakia.
Falling safety standards, the pressure to produce results as well as an avalanche of critical errors caused a fire on July 7, 1961, during which 108 men suffocated in a Dukla mineshaft near Ostrava. This catastrophic event and the circumstances leading up to it are told through the eyes of a man working at the mine along with his son.
Award-winning director Ondříček has turned this half-forgotten tragedy into a compelling family drama which morphs into a thriller as we head towards a needless disaster.
FREEDOM | Freiheit
One person’s desire for freedom often becomes another person’s chains.
Nora leaves her husband and children without saying goodbye. Driven by an irresistible force she cannot ignore, she randomly hitchhikes to
Bratislava. Hiding her identity, she changes her appearance and befriends a young Slovakian stripper Etela and her husband Tamas, a cook.
While Nora struggles to build a new life, her German family in Berlin is left completely uncertain of her fate. The radical nature of her departure
appears to be both traumatic and an opportunity.
Jan Speckenbach’s film Freedomraises some fundamental questions: What is a freedom worth? What is the difference between living and surviving? Is it possible to erase your old life and to become someone else without losing yourself in the process? And above all – actually, what is freedom?
INTIMATE ENEMY | Dôverný nepriateľ
Is artificial intelligence our friend or enemy?
Karel Janák’s sci-fi mystery Intimate Enemy touches on today’s hot topic of our incorporation of AI in everyday life as well as our ever-increasing reliance on objects that could potentially harm us.
Andrej, a programmer, is working on a project for an intelligent home. In order to perfect his program, he decides to move into the bespoke house with his wife Zuzana to test it out. But he is also working on adding a bonus feature to the software – something that will take care of his wife and help her with her mundane, day to day chores.
Their idyllic, seemingly perfect life turns into a nightmare and a struggle for survival when someone else steps in and takes control of the software.
THE SECRET OF THE TWO HEADED DRAGON | Když draka bolí hlava
What happens when a dragon has a headache?
Barborka and Tomik by chance stumble upon a two-headed dragon in Čmoudík’s cave and this leads to unexpected adventures during their
summer holidays at grandma and grandpa’s in the countryside.
Together with Barborka and Tomik, discover the Dragon’s Kingdom, the deeply in love Princess Adelka and Prince Janko and the curse which has
been placed on them as well as the evil elf Blivajz and the mystery of the Forgotten Meadow.
Kids, have you ever wondered if dragons dance hip hop, how Christmas is celebrated in a dragon cave, what magic power a hundred-year-old dragon
tooth has and why the dragon has a headache? Don’t miss this wonderful fairy tale mystery and all will be revealed.
Three lucky children will each receive a beautiful handmade toy in our special prize draw following the screening.
THE MEDAL | Signum Laudis
A gripping portrait of an insane war.
A look at the absurdity of war and a piercing account of false ideal, Martin Hollý’s masterpiece with its carefully constructed script gives an
excellent portrait of the final years of World War I and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The trenches of the Eastern Front provide the backdrop to the drama of Corporal Hoferik. In his devotion to the Habsburg Empire, he
fanatically carries out his military orders.
Hoferik, brilliantly played by Vlado Mülleris a genuine tragic hero hoping for a different world, but strictly adhering to the codes of duty and
obedience which are ultimately his undoing.
The Embassy of the Slovak Republic is the proud sponsor of this screening.
THE FIREMENS’ BALL | Hoří má panenko
‘If you don’t steal, you’re robbing your family.’ (a common Czech saying in communist times)
Miloš Forman’s last movie filmed in Czechoslovakia before he emigrated to the US, the legendary tragicomedy Firemen’s Ball is one of the gems of Czech cinematography. This unforgiving portrayal of an ill-fated rural ball is today regarded as a masterpiece of Czechoslovak New Wave cinema. But at the time of its release, it was rejected by the state-run film industry.
Domestic audiences had scant opportunity to enjoy Forman’s movie at the cinema: It was only screened for a few weeks after its December 1967
premiere before the film was accused of gross distortion and denigration of socialist life and it was pulled from distribution. Media at the time even suppressed the fact that it received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. The film then disappeared into the censor’s vaults.
Domestic audiences did not get to see the Firemen’s Ball until perestroika arrived in the country in 1988.
THE CELLAR | Pivnica
The question of crime and punishment is never an easy one.
Igor Voloshin's film The Cellar is not an easy story - it invites serious moral judgement. Throughout the film, you are never sure of what you would
do in the same circumstances.
The film shows the dilemma of a parent caught between allowing their child to enjoy herself at a party and protecting her in case the party goes
wrong. Should you blame yourself if something does go wrong? Did you even have a choice as to whether she stayed at home or went out?
And if something does go wrong, can you really take justice into your own hands? Both Olga Simonova and Jean-Marc Barr as mother and father are completely convincing, brilliantly displaying the range of emotions one would expect from their characters.
THE CELLAR | Pivnica
The question of crime and punishment is never an easy one.
Igor Voloshin's film The Cellar is not an easy story - it invites serious moral judgement. Throughout the film, you are never sure of what you would
do in the same circumstances.
The film shows the dilemma of a parent caught between allowing their child to enjoy herself at a party and protecting her in case the party goes
wrong. Should you blame yourself if something does go wrong? Did you even have a choice as to whether she stayed at home or went out?
And if something does go wrong, can you really take justice into your own hands? Both Olga Simonova and Jean-Marc Barr as mother and father are completely convincing, brilliantly displaying the range of emotions one would expect from their characters.
ROBERT VANO: THE STORY OF A MAN | Robert Vano – příběh člověka
Robert Vano worked with the most famous men and the most beautiful women in the world. He met the biggest icons of show business yet he isn’t
world famous. He made thousands of dollars a day and never got rich. The little he did plan never worked out and yet he has never given much thought to all he had accomplished.
He wanted recognition, but in America, he got only ‘success’. He went further afield in search of it to Italy, Spain, Germany and France but none gave it to him. And when he didn’t care for it anymore, he found recognition, success and the media attention to go with it on his return to his former homeland.
Zika’s film deviates from the format of biographical documentaries on important personalities because Vano’s attitude to life has never been
driven by the dogged determination we tend to see in important people. As a result, we can relate to Robert Vano and his life story far more than we might have otherwise expected.
BEAR WITH US | Chata na prodej
A family, a country cottage and one last opportunity to reminisce.
Tomáš Pavlíček´s comedy/drama tells the story of a family, who decides to sell their beloved cottage as none of them has visited it for some time. But it holds so many nostalgic memories that their mother decides that before the sale is finalised, the whole family must come and spend one last weekend at the cottage, despite everyone’s objections.
Her husband doesn't like the idea. While grandma hates the cottage, grandpa isn´t really aware of reality anymore. Their daughter now lives in
Germany with her boyfriend and their son was recently dumped by his girlfriend. But mum insists, so on a foggy morning, they all set off for the
cottage.
This well-paced comedy about the Czech phenomenon of weekending in the country was a hit with critics and public alike at the 2018 Karlovy Vary IFF.
WHAT MEN LONG FOR / Po čem muži touží
Do women really have it easier than men?
Karel, the protagonist of this clever comedy will literally find out the answer to this question on himself. And yes, we did say ‘on’ himself.
Without spoiling the fun, suffice to say that the world of this charming but chauvinist ladies’ man will be turned upside down following a
sequence of unexpected events. The unforeseen consequences make Karel wish he could hit the rewind button faster than you can say
‘lipstick’.
Rudolf Havlík’s hilarious comedy about What Men Long For was the biggest box office hit of 2018 despite only being released in September. A laugh out loud comedy that’s a genuinely fun night out at the movies.
