I. A Calendar»
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
1. 10.
General Manager of Czech Television Jiří Janeček, in connection with discussing the year-end report on the economic management of Czech Television for the past year, announced to members of the parliamentary cultural commission, that Czech Television would continue to push for an increase of the television fee in relation to inflation. Czech Television finished last year with a balanced budget.
1. - 5. 10.
The 7th annual International Festival of Spiritual Films, entitled Film in the Sign of the Fish, took place in Olomouc (CR) at the Metropol cinema. The festival programme consisted of thirty films, primarily documentaries, with a spiritual theme, the screenings of which also took place at the Mozarteum in the Archdiocese museum and at the cinema hall of the Art Centre of the Palacký University. The opening screening was a documentary film by German director Philip Gröning, Die grosse Stille (2005, France – Switzerland – Germany). The festival, which builds upon the Christian tradition of Europe, serves to bring together interesting guests from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia. Attending in person to present their films were directors Ivan Vojnár, Otakáro Maria Schmidt and Andreas Dér. Director Csaba Bollók presented in person the Czech premiere of the film Iszka utazása (2007, Hungary), which was nominated for an Oscar in the category of best foreign film.
1. - 9. 10.
The 3rd annual presentation of German-language films, Der Film took place in Prague and from 7. – 10. 10. in Brno. It’s echoes then continued in the cities of Olomouc and Uherské Hradiště (CR). Organization of the festival was a co-operative effort of the Goethe-Institute together with the Austrian Cultural Centre and the Swiss Embassy Confederation in cooperation with the Aero and Světozor cinemas. The festival was opened with screening of the film Die innere Sicherheit (dir. Christian Petzold, 2000, Germany) at the Světozor cinema in Prague. An important subject of this year was a probe of the 1970s, which were escorted by a wave of leftist radicalism in Germany. One of the main programme sections was Der ParagRAF, which contained within its title the abbreviation for the terrorist organization Red Army Fraction (RAF). In other sections (Der Film, Das Debüt, Die Doku a Die Ikone’68 – Uschi Obermaier) German, Swiss and Austrian feature and documentary films were presented that were shot in a new way and interpretation. Festival films going into general distribution in the autumn in local Czech cinemas were, among others, the films Absurdistan (dir. Veit Helmer, 2008, Germany), Falco – Verdammt, wir leben noch! (dir. Thomas Roth, 2008, Austria) and Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (Baader Meinhof Komplex, dir. Uli Edel, Germany – France – CR, 2008). The supplementary festival events included an exhibition of photographs by a former member of RAF, Astrid Proll at the Aero cinema.
2. - 4. 10.
Night of the Advert-Eaters took place at the Prague Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům multiplex which offered advert viewers contemporary and period adverts from the collection of French advert collector Jean Marie Boursicot. The programme prepared for viewers in six-hour blocks consisted of over 480 adverts including Czech productions. Boursicot’s film library is the largest archive of advertising films and spots in the world. It has almost 800, 000 adverts, and each year 25, 000 new titles, including Czech adverts are added. This year’s specialty was a selection of international football adverts, Paris-themed spots, a mix of Mexican adverts and a series dedicated to the OSN development programme.
2. - 10. 10.
The 12th annual International Film Festival took place in Pusan (South Korea), in which two Czech films were included – the feature film Night Owls (Děti noci, dir. Michaela Pavlátová, 2008) and the feature-length documentary René (dir. Helena Třeštíková, 2008). Both directors attended the screenings of their films in person. Czech cinematography was presented at this festival and film market by the Czech Film Centre within the framework of the European Film Promotion organization.
3. - 5. 10.
The 25th jubilee Nation-wide Thematic Seminar by Lecturers and Members of Film Clubs, this time entitled The Film Laughter of Petr Nárožný took place in Rychnov nad Kněžnou (CR). The programme featured films in which the well-known actor appeared, such as Put It in the Machine, Joachim! (Jáchyme, hoď ho do stroje, dir. Oldřich Lipský, 1974), It’s not Me (Já nejsem já, dir. Václav Vorlíček, 1985), Boys Will Be Boys (Páni kluci, dir. Věra Šimková-Plívová, 1975) and several short films, where he was the narrator or lent his voice talent to one of the characters. An autograph session followed the traditional forum in which Petr Nárožný answered audience questions.
6. - 12. 10.
The 6th annual Bollywood Film Festival took place in Prague, with the subtitle ”Indian Reality?”, focusing on the reality of life in India. A part of the programme took place at the Evald cinema, where the screening of alternative productions took place. Bollywood hits, controversial films, comedies and tragedies were shown, as they are every year, at the Světozor cinema. Within the premises of the Světozor cinema an exhibition of photographs also took place, on the subject of Bollywood from a Czech perspective. Indian film production is categorized by place of origin, language, genre or commercial success. The most famous, which have become known as Bollywood or Masala Movies, are produced at Bombay film studios. The star guest of the Bollywood Film Festival was Indian actor Kabir Bedi, known above all for his role as Sandokan from the television series and the film Sandokan (dir. Sergio Sollima, 1976, Italy – France – Germany – Great Britain). In addition to films in which Kabir Bedi has performed, the organizers of the festival prepared several public discussions at which viewers could meet with the actor.
6. - 12. 10.
The 34th annual International Film Festival about the Environment and the Natural and Cultural Heritage EKOFILM took place in České Budějovice and Český Krumlov (CR). The festival Cinetrain visited Třeboň, Veselí nad Lužnicí and Boršov nad Vltavou. 172 films from 33 countries entered the competition, of which 46 were from the Czech Republic. Opening day of the festival that began in two locations at once, was kicked off with ”cap and a swatter” by actor Jaroslav Dušek at the Cinetrain in the station in Třeboň, from where a band accompanied the audience to the Světozor cinema, where a screening of the film Rail Yard Blues (Ještě žiju s věšákem, plácačkou a čepicí, dir. Pavel Göbl, 2005, CR), in which actor played the leading role, took place. In České Budějovice the first festival event was the Remembrance of nature protector, scientist, painter and Opava (CR) native of German origin, Joy Adamson (real name Frederik Victoria Gessner, 20. 1. 1910, Opava, – 3. 1. 1980, Kenya), that began in the Kotva cinema with the presentation of the film Born Free (dir. Tom McGowan, James Hill, 1966, USA). The film marathon was kicked off in the evening by the European premiere of the documentary film Changing Climates, Changing Times (dir. Marion Milne, 2008, Canada – France). The festival’s winning films were announced at the Český Krumlov Theatre. The festival winner was the documentary film Prisoners of the White God (Zajatci bílého boha, dir. Steve Lichtag, 2008, CR), which was given the Grand Prix prize. The award for direction went to Hana Pinkavová for the film A Military Rider – Miloslav Příhoda (Jezdec military – Miloslav Příhoda, 2008, CR) from the television cycle Don’t Put It Out! I’m On Fire! (Nehasit! Hořím!). The award for best documentary film went to director Marián Polák for the film entitled A Living Picture of a Better World (Živý obraz lepšího světa, 2008, CR). Czech director Pavel Koutský found success with the animated film Plastic People (2007, CR). The Czech Ministry of the Environment Award went to the film Story of a Demolition (Příběh jedné asanace, dir. Josef Císařovský, 2007, CR) that documented, in one example, the irredeemable destruction of a large number of historic buildings in the invisible hands of the market in the historic city of Louny. The student jury gave an award to the film Fish’n Pills (Hormonální akvárium, dir. Tereza Tara, 2007, CR), in which the director focuses on the problem of birth control pills, which affect the entire eco-system and their affects show up in unexpected places.
7. 10.
Of the Czech feature film Womanizer (Nestyda, dir. Jan Hřebejk, 2008) opening ceremony took place at the Lucerna cinema in Prague.
7. - 10. 10.
The 40th annual Ota Hofman Children’s Film and Television Festival took place in Ostrov (CR). For this jubilee year of the festival, the organizers prepared a retrospective of films for the period just passed. The festival was opened by the Minister of Culture, Václav Jehlička, who also unveiled a sculpture of a film slate in the Ota Hofman (10. 4. 1928 – 17. 5. 1989) Park in Ostrov that will serve to remind people of this honorary citizen of the city of Ostrov and creator of popular children’s series. Four feature and eight television films clashed in the competition section. Two juries, composed of children and adult jurors, judged the competing films. In a survey children also picked ten successful films from past festivals that were then included in screenings of thematic films. The Main award of the children’s jury in the category films for children of ages up to 12, the Crystal Chaton, Viewers main prize and Honourable recognition went to children’s story The Loveliest Riddle (Nejkrásnější hádanka, dir. Zdeněk Troška, 2008). In the category for children ages 13 and up the Crystal Chaton went to the film Just an Ordinary Family (Taková normální rodinka, dir. Patrik Hartl, 2008). The Professional jury awarded the Ota Hofman prizes in the under 12 category to the television films The Girl Who Stepped on Bread (O dívce, která šlápla na chléb, dir. Jiří Strach, 2007) and to The School in the Mill (Škola ve mlejně, dir. Karel Janák, 2007). In the category from 13 and up, the jury consisting of Bára Štěpánová, Václav Křístek, Radim Wolák and Pavel Melounek did not present an award at this year’s festival. A Special jury prize for a work with the most accentuated moral message was given to the film The Can (Gympl, dir. Tomáš Vorel, 2007). The jury also awarded Honourable recognition awards to Bára Hrzánová for her performance in the film The Girl Who Stepped on Bread (O dívce, která šlápla na chléb) and to Jiří Mádl for his roles in the films The Can (Gympl) and The School in the Mill (Škola ve mlejně). The Children’s Jury gave a Golden Hoopoe Award for best female actor to Anna-Marie Valentová for the role of Fialka in the television story Enchanted Love (Začarovaná láska, dir. Ondřej Kepka, 2007), for best male actor the Golden Hoopoe Award went to Matyáš Valenta for the role of Kája in the television film Kája and Zabi (Kája a Zabi, dir. Pavel Jandourek, 2008). The film Code Name Maharal (Maharal – Tajemství talismanu, dir. Pavel Jandourek, 2007) received a Little Golden Hoopoe Award – Director of Festival award on the basis of internet voting.
8. 10.
Anchorman and publicist Aleš Cibulka received an award for his book about Czech actress Nataša Gollová (27. 2. 1912 – 29. 10. 1988), whose title, Life Fools Around (Život tropí hlouposti), was inspired by the film title Eva Fools Around (Eva tropí hlouposti, dir. Martin Frič, 1939), in which she had the leading role together with Oldřich Nový (7. 8. 1899 – 15. 3. 1983). A jubilee reprint of the book was prepared for the occasion in a print run of 1, 111 copies. At the same time actress Jiřina Bohdalová christened Cibulka’s calendar for contemporaries for the year 2009. This desk calendar features a photograph for each week from the archive of Prague collector, Milan Wolf, mostly from a film shooting or a private life moment.
8. - 9. 10.
The 41st International Festival of Touring Films and Video Productions, Tour Film 2008 took place in Karlovy Vary concurrently with the 15th National Festival of Films, Video Shoots and Multi-media Projects about Tourist Regions Tour Region Film 2008. Guest of the festivals was South African traveller Mike Horn, who appeared at the festival virtually. He greeted viewers on the first day of his four-year journey around the world in a one-hour broadcast. The following films received awards at Tour Region Film: The Hot Springs of Charles IV (Vary Karla IV., dir. Pavel P. Ries, 2008) in first place and received the Karlovy Vary region Mayor’s award, A Symphony for the Senses (Symfonie zážitků, dir. Vladimír Linduška, 2007), that was made and entered in the festival by the CzechTourism Agency came in second place and at Tour Region Film and placed third in the category of videos and films under 30 minutes at Tourfilm. The film The Chomutov Region – an Active Vacation (Chomutovsko – aktivní dovolená (dir. Vladimír Rýdl, 2007), which was entered by the city of Chomutov, and which placed third. The Jury Awards of Tour Region Film went to the films Kroměříž: Enticing Beauty (Kroměříž: Podmanivá krása, dir. Ivan Marek, 2006), Krásná – A Village Below the Lysá Mountain (Krásná – Dědina pod Lysou horou, dir. František Řezníček, Klára Řezníčková, 2007), Prague – An Unforgettable Experience (Praha – Nezapomenutelný zážitek, dir. Zoran Gospič, 2008), Welcome to the Golf Republic (dir. Vít Bělohradský, 2008) and Strakonice (dir. Zdeněk Junek, 2008). Czech works receiving awards at Tour film included, in the television documentary films under 60 minutes category, the collection of Czech Television films On The Road (Na cestě), the Jury Prizes went to the films Cymru am Byth – Wales Forever (Cymru am Byth – Ať žije Wales, dir. Zora Cejnková, 2008) and With a Brush and a Machete (Štětcem a mačetou, dir. Vladimír Šimek, 2008).
8. - 11. 10.
The 4th International Festival of Films by Women and about Women – Femina Film 2008, which is geared toward women and featuring films by male and female film directors in which the hero is a woman, took place in Ústí nad Labem (CR). The Main award of the festival, the Femina Grande 2008 went to Michaela Pavlátová for her contribution to Czech cinematography. Further award-winning Czech films were: A Walk Worthwhile (Dobře placená procházka, 2007) by director Olga Špátová, in the category of television documentary and also, in the same category, an honourable mention went to Hana Pinkavová for the pair of films Cyclist – Tereza Huříková (Cyklistka – Tereza Huříková, 2006) and Farmer – Hana Maturová (Farmářka – Hana Maturová, 2006) from the television series Do’t Put It Out! I’m On Fire! (Nehasit! Hořím!). The award in the animated film category went to the film Closed Garden (Zahrada uzavřená, dir. Magdalena Bartáková, 2006). A Honourable jury mention in the category animated film went to the film duo The Confectioner (Cukrářka, 2007) and Story of Mrs. Kolomazníková (Příběh paní Kolomazníkové, 2008) by Anna Masníková. The accompanying programme focused on the theme, women and sport. An exhibition of large-format photographs by Markéta Navrátilová, entitled Tour de France, was installed in the pedestrian underpass of the Ústí nad Labem Main Train Station.
8. - 12. 10.
The 16th annual Třinec Film Indian Summer was hosted in Třinec (CR). The festival lasted until 12 October and featured the screening of 28 Polish, Czech and Slovak films. Even Hungary was represented by a film in the programme. Nine films vied for the grand prix Golden Debut in the festival competition for director debuts. The grand prix went to the film Demons (Demony) by slovak director Róbert Švéda. The student Shadow Jury composed of victors from the Golden Review competition awarded the Polish film Ballada o Piotrowskim (dir. Rafael Kapeliński, 2007). The third award was given by the audience and went to the Polish-Slovak film Wino truskawkowe (dir. Dariusz Jabłoński, 2007).
9. - 11. 10.
The 8th International Festival of Student Films, Písek 2008, which was organized by the Private Film College Písek, and the Film Academy of Miroslav Ondříček, took place in Písek (CR). At the Portyč cinema the organizers also presented 44 student films from all over the world, in six competing blocks. A festival programme in honour of the British saviour of Czechoslovak children of Jewish birth during the Second World War, sir Nicholas Winton, was a forerunner of the project Winton Train. His rescue efforts will be commemorated in 2009 by a special historic train that will travel in his path from Prague to London. The programme will be a celebration of his 100th birthday. The best festival film received the Nicholas Winton Award from the Winton Train Foundation. Of the eleven awards given out, two were awarded to Czech filmmakers. Director Jan Chramosta received the Vladana Terčová Award for the film The Magic Bridge (Kouzelný most, 2008), and the jury presented a special Jury Award for The 8th International Student Film Festival Písek 2008 Theme Clip (2008) to director Vojtěch Moravec.
10. - 11. 10.
ARSfilm of Amateurs, the 36th International Selection Competition of Non-professional, Non-commercial Film and Video Production on Art, Animated Films, Video Art and Experimental Film took place in Kroměříž (CR), and was dominated by the works of Czech filmmakers. According to Ladislav Františ, president of the Nationwide Non-Professional Films Association of the Czech Republic, 35 amateur films by filmmakers from Slovakia, Great Britain, Germany and Belgium participated in the festival. The highest award, the Golden Kroměříž Thaler and the Viewer’s Choice Award went to the Czech film From Confidental Letters (Z listů důvěrných, dir. Eduard Mocek, 2008) dedicated to music composer Leoš Janáček (3. 7. 1854 – 12. 8. 1928). The golden medal of UNICA, under whose patronage the festival took place, was not awarded this year. The film Eva’s Temptation (Evino pokušenie, dir. Josef Strubl, 2007) received Main prize – the Bronze Kroměříž Thaler in the category Animated film. In the category Films on art the film Ode To… (Óda na..., dir. Petr Baran, 2007) was the winner and received the Bronze Kroměříž Thaler. Among the experimental and video-art films, the jury voted the film Opus No. 8 (Opus č. 8, dir. Martin Čtvrtníček, 2006) as best film and received Main prize – the Bronze Kroměříž Thaler. The Czech Association on Film and Video award went to the film My Job Is a Therapist (Má profese je terapeutka, r. Jan Stráník, 2008).
10. 10. - 6. 12.
The 6th International Travelling Festival of Outdoor Films – MFOF was held. The following Czech Films were awarded: in category A – adrenaline films 1st prize went to the film 20 Seconds of Joy (20 sekund rozkoše, 2007) of Red Bull Česká republika, s. r. o. In category C - water, adventure films 1st prize went to the film The Clay River (Hliněná řeka, dir. Petr Kašpar, 2008), in category D 1st prize went to the film A Planet of People – On the Trail of the Aborigines of New Guinea (Planeta lidí –výpravy za domorodci Nové Guineje (dir. Jaroslav Vašíček, Jaromír Giecek, 2005). In the same category director Jan Popelka won 3rd prize for the film Bambuti (2008). A Special Prize for film rendering of the extraordinary humanitarian project went to The Hospital on the Edge of the World (Nemocnice na konci světa, dir. Otakar Štěrba, 2008). A Special award for unique film work went to directors Jan Husták, Marek Cinko and Jaromír Materna for the film Jamamacijahu (2007).
11. 10.
Makers of the Czech feature film Those Wonderful Men with Crank (Báječní muži s klikou, dir. Jiří Menzel, 1978), met in Český Krumlov (CR), commemorating the passing of thirty years since the shooting of the film. The film not only commemorates the beginnings of Czech cinematography, but the director, actors and other technicians reminisced with nostalgia, remembering the shoot so many years later. Commendations for organizing the meeting belonged to the script continuity girl of the time and current organizer of Ekofilm, Jitka Radová. Attendance of the director in person also brought, among others, actress and theatre director Hana Burešová, for whom this was the first and last film role. Actress Jaromíra Mílová, for whom it was the first role in her acting career, and for whom the film went on to receive an award at a festival in Switzerland, which was organized by Oona Chaplin (13. 5. 1926 – 27. 9. 1991). Rudolf Hrušínský (17. 10. 1920 – 13. 4. 1994), starred in the leading role, and who, as Mr. Pasparte, embodied the founder and owner of the first cinema in the Czech lands, Viktor Ponrepo (original name Dismas Šlambor, 6. 6. 1858 – 4. 12. 1926). Jiří Menzel played the part of photographer Kolenatý in the film, whose character was based on the founder of Czech film Jan Kříženecký (20. 3. 1868 – 9. 2. 1921). The tribute by Jiří Menzel to the filmmakers of long ago was made from a screenplay by Oldřich Vlček, who told the story of the establishment of the first permanent cinema in Prague in Karlova street at the house of the Blue Pike, in which the first film screening took place on 15. 9. 1907. By pure chance, the second permanent cinema in the Czech lands was established four years later in Český Krumlov in the building of the local theatre.
13. 10.
British director Peter Greenaway arrived in Prague to present his new film, Nightwatching, (2007, Germany – France – Poland) at the Lucerna cinema. The Artcam Distribution company prepared, together with the director, his ”masterclass”, at which he presented his work and personal techniques used during shooting.
13. 10. - 3. 11.
A presentation of Greek films from 1953 – 2007, entitled Greek Autumn, took place at the National Film Archive’s Ponrepo screening hall at Bio Konvikt in Prague. It covered four decades of artistic development in modern Greek cinematography, following the Second World War. The selection of films reflected innovation in the commercial genres as well as in more intellectual approaches to the film medium, which were promoted by several generations of filmmakers. The programme included, among others, the films of Nikos Kunduros – Magiki polis (1954), Theo Angelopoulos – O Thiassos (1974 – 1975), Pantelis Vulgaris – Happy Day (1976) and Nikos Papatakis – I fotografi (1986).
14. 10.
American singer and pianist, Alicia Keys performed the main theme for the James Bond film at the Prague Tesla Arena. The first duet in the history of James Bond movies, Another Way to Die was sung with White Stripes singer Jack White, for the film Quantum of Solace (dir. Marc Forster, 2008, USA – Great Britain). The first concert of the singer in the Czech Republic took place as part of a world tour for her album, As I Am.
14. 10. - 15. 12.
A wide-ranging presentation of films of the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman (14. 7. 1918 - 30. 7. 2007) took place in Prague at the Světozor and Aero cinemas. The presentation was organized by the Embassy of The Kingdom of Sweden in Prague, Axman Productions and The Swedish Institute. Together with the Swedish side, the presentation consisted of more than 40 films with an overall length exceeding 70 hours. The presentation was opened with a premiere of the director’s last film, Sarabanda (2002). The film was shot digitally and in it the director loosely picks up the story of his famous television and film series, Scener ur ett äktenskap (1973, Sweden), in which his protagonists played by Erland Josephson and Liv Ullman have met after thirty years. The films shown were organized chronologically by their dates of production, that is, from the oldest to the most recent. Also screened were several documentary films, above all, the television film Ingmar Bergman – 3 dokumentärer ärer om films, teater, Färo och livet (dir. Marie Nyreröd, 2004). Its director, Marie Nyreröd, presented the film in person at the Světozor cinema. The Bergman presentation travelled to other cities in the Czech Republic in a reduced scope.
15. 10.
The Centre of Documentary Film, which came into being with the fifty-two-million Czech Crown renovation of the local cinema Dukla, opened in Jihlava (CR). This centre was prepared for the 12th annual International Film Festival of Documentary Films (24. – 29. 10.).
15. - 19. 10.
The 49th Iternational Competition Festival Feature Short Films and Video Productions – The Brno Sixteen 2008 took place in Brno (CR). The competition received entries from filmmakers from 43 countries, including Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Mexico, Iran and Hong Kong. The arenas for the competition were cinemas Scala, Art and the Břetislav Bakala Hall, where the ceremonial opening took place. The Brno Sixteen, originally a purely amateur competition of live-action films, was founded by Brno film lovers. In the 80s and 90s, video and digital productions were added to films shot using traditional technology. Furthermore, the competition is opened to independent professionals and students of film schools. The festival focused on young filmmakers and viewers. For the third time now the programme was accompanied by a children’s competition and a school of short films for youth with the motto, ”Stop shooting school silliness with your phone and jump into real film work”. In the Student category the golden medal was given to the film I Am Bigger and Better (dir. Martin Duda, 2007), and bronze medals received Martin Bohadlo for his work Family Reunion (Rodinná sešlost, 2007) and Andy Fehu for the film The Irresolvable Mystery of Living It Up (Nerozluštitelná záhada užívání si, 2007). Honorable mention of Association for B16 received Alzheimer’s Labyrinth (Alzheimerův Labyrint, dir. Tomáš Polenský, 2008).
15. - 30. 10.
The 52nd annual London Film Festival took place in London. This non-competition showcase included the Czech feature films About Parents and Children (O rodičích a dětech, dir. Vladimír Michálek, 2008), The Karamazovs (Karamazovi/Bracia Karamazow, dir. Petr Zelenka, 2008, CR – Poland), the documentary film Citizen Havel (Občan Havel, dir. Pavel Koutecký, Miroslav Janek, 2008) and the Slovak documentary film Blind Loves (Slepé lásky, dir. Juraj Lehotský, 2008). The films were placed in the Cinema Europa section.
16. 10.
A opening ceremony of the first Czech feature-length 3D animated film entitled Goat Story – Legends of Old Prague (Kozí příběh – Pověsti staré Prahy, dir. Jan Tománek ml., 2008) took place in the Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům multiplex in Prague.
16. 10.
The Czech feature film About Parents and Children (O rodičích a dětech, dir. Vladimír Michálek, 2008) was shown at the International Film Festival in Chicago, with the showing being accompanied in person by Vladimír Michálek, who is currently working in New York at Columbia University. Other screenings abroad await the film – a presentation in the American city of St. Louis, a showing at the Brooklyn Academy in New York, a screening at the festival in Götteborg and at the film festival in Madeira.
16. - 20. 10.
The 5th annual International Film Festival of Musical Films, Music On Film – Film On Music (MOFFOM), took place in Prague focusing this year on documentaries and New York. Festival took place at the Lucerna, Světozor and Evald cinemas. Over 60 films in seven sections were presented, covering bands, musicians, musical styles and music itself. For the first time the jury evaluated 12 competing films and voted the best to be the Polish film Solo (dir. Maciej Pisarek, 2008). The Viewer’s Choice Award went to the American film Gogol Bordello Non-Stop (dir. Margarita Jimeno, 2008). The New York City section presented films that documented the creations, cultural environment and atmosphere of the city. The programme included, among others, the film The Producers (dir. Mel Brooks, 1967, USA). The festival also opened a new section called Planet MOFFOM, that featured non-verbal films and included the Czech documentary film by director Olga Špátová entitled Radůza – I Go Where I Want (Radůza – Půjdu, kam chci, 2007). The festival also honoured two fighters for human rights and peace – the world-famous folk-singer Pete Seeger and Czech singer Marta Kubišová for their lifetime achievements.
17. - 19. 10.
A festival of Indonesian films took place at the Municipal Library in Prague. The festival is one of many events that were held for the occasion of 50 years of Indonesian-Czech cultural relations that were honoured at the opening of the festival by Indonesian ambassador to the Czech Republic Salim Said. Films shown at the festival included the film The Photograph (dir. Nan Triveni Achnas, Indonesia – The Netherlands – Sweden – Switzerland, 2007), which won the Special Jury Award at the 34th International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary 2008.
17. - 20. 10.
The Film festival 2morrow2 took place in Moscow. Czech cinematography was represented by the film of director Petr Zelenka The Karamazovs (Karamazovi/Bracia Karamazow, 2008, CR – Poland), which opened the festival. It was in competition with ten other films, selected by the organizers on the basis of creativity and originality. The main jury included actress Aňa Geislerová. The Main award went to the film about child soldiers in Liberia Johnny Mad Dog (dir. Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, 2008, France – Belgium – Liberia).
21. 10.
Russian theatre performer, actor and pedagogue Oleg Tabakov accepted the honorary title of Doctor Honoris Causa, together with a diploma and a gold medal on a chain, symbolising scientific title, at a ceremonial meeting of the Artistic Council of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.
21. 10.
The period cross-section documentary René (2008) by director Helena Třeštíková won the award of the European Film Academy, the Prix Arte for best European documentary. Helena Třeštíková became the first Czech laureate of these awards, which are considered the equivalent of the American Oscars. The European Film Awards were presented at a ceremony on 6. 12. in Copenhagen.
22. - 27. 10.
The East European Forum, an annual meeting of Eastern European directors and producers with representatives of European television stations, business agents and distributors, that will help the production of a number of films in preparation stages, took place in Jihlava (CR). Fifty Eastern European documentary filmmakers from the year-round education programme Ex Oriente Film, a preparation workshop of the East European Forum, participated in a number of lectures, case studies and individual meetings with the largest number to date of European and North American documentary professionals. The East European Forum is organized every year by the Institute of Documentary Film in cooperation with the International Festival of Documentary Films Jihlava. Czech projects attracting the most attention were that of Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda, The Radar/Czech Peace (Radar/Český mír, 2009) and the project Welcome to North Korea (Vítejte v KLDR, 2009) by Linda Jablonská.
23. 10.
An opening ceremony of the co-production feature film Small Celebrations (Malé oslavy, dir. Zdeněk Tyc, 2008, CR – SR – Italy) took place at the Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům multiplex in Prague.
23. - 24. 10.
The 7th International Festival of Films and Television Programmes on Technical and Industrial Historic Monuments, focusing on scientific cooperation and the tourist industry TECHNÉ Ostrava 2008 took place in Ostrava (CR) at the Poklad House of Culture. The presentation was oriented toward the preservation of the technical and industrial heritage and the possibility of its renewal for use. The best films were awarded a statue of the Ostrava Venus, which was the grand prize of the festival. A part of the TECHNÉ Ostrava festival was also a meeting with professionals not just from countries of the European Union. An accompanying event to the film presentation was an exhibition of photographs at the Ostrava Museum by Polish author Arek Gola entitled People Born of Coal. The professional jury led by Josef Mazáč awarded the main festival award, the Ostrava Venus, to Ladislav Bardoň for a collection of selected documentary films that were made between 2007 – 2008 for the 20th anniversary of the Friends of the Ostrava Mining Museum Club and are dedicated to the subject of Ostrava-Karviná region mining. The Ostrava Venus – Award of Stanislav Vopasek for individual Contribution in the field of safety and other uses of technical and industrial monuments was awarded to Zdeněk Dombrovský. The professional jury gave an honourable mention to Czech Television’s editorial programmes, Wandering Camera (Toulavá kamera) and An Objective Lens (Objektiv) for the collection of documentaries dedicated to technical monuments and trades and to Lenka Kocierzová for the poetic documentary Vítkovice Not Only Factories (Vítkovice víc než fabrika, 2004) on the history of Vítkovice and its metamorphoses.
23. 10.
An Open House was held at the screening hall of the National Film Archive Ponrepo at the Bio Konvikt cinema in Prague. Within the programme, the initiative of the National Film Archive’s Czech Commission for UNESCO was commemorated, on the basis of whose recommendation and that of other national commissions, the 33rd General Conference of UNESCO in Paris accepted the proposal to make October 27th World Audio-Visual Heritage Day. From 15:00 to 22:00 hours visitors could then become acquainted with the individual departments of the NFA. First to be presented was the film historian’s department, whose head Jiří Horníček familiarized those attending with the issues of amateur cinematography. He also spoke about films whose theme was travel. Restoration as adventure was the next topic spoken on by historian Blažena Urgošíková using the film Monte-Cristo (dir. Henri Fescourt, 1928, France) as an example. Historian Věroslav Hába spoke about American cinematography and about films from the authentic environment of Africa, documented in the film Trader Horn (dir. W. S. Van Dyke, 1931). The activities of the technical department were presented by its head Jana Přikrylová. Jitka Panznerová, head of the department of written material archives spoke about her department and deputy head Tomáš Lachman described the processing of personal collections at the NFA, and using photographs and titles presented a mock-up of the lost Czech film Song of Gold (Zpěv zlata, 1920). The Library of the National Film Archive was presented by its head Pavla Janásková. Jan Lukeš familiarized listeners with the publishing activities of the NFA and Ivan Klimeš, head of the Film History and Theory department spoke on the situation in the area of film research. The magazine, Film Review was presented by Editor-in-Chief Tomáš Bartošek and Milan Lička familiarized listeners with film distribution. Beginning at 8 pm a series of Africa-themed films was shown. The programme included the Czech films Bara-Bara (dir. B. Machulka, 1933), In the Pre-historic Land of Coffee (V pravlasti kávy, dir. Jiří Hanzelka, 1953), Berber Rhapsody (Berberská rapsodie, dir. A. F. Šulc, A. Bouassida, 1980) and Fugue on Black Keys (Fuga na černých klávesách, dir. Drahomíra Vihanová, 1964).
23. - 25. 10.
The 4th annual home entertainment tradeshow Home Cinema Praha 2008 took place at the Hotel Diplomat in Prague. The show focused on equipment with high picture resolution and surround sound. It had a new slogan, ”Gain Prestige, Treat Yourself to Comfort”, which characterizes the current trends in home entertainment in the form of televisions and projectors with high resolution, Full HD, in combination with Blu-ray players, High End installations and control systems. In more than twenty halls it presented 35 exhibitors and approximately 130 brand names. The tradeshow was the first event in the Czech Republic where the long-awaited Blu-ray disks by Hollywood’s largest distributor, Warner Brothers, were presented. These were Czech versions of films such as 300 (dir. Zack Snyder, 2007, USA) or Full Metal Jacket (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1987, USA). Czech titles such as Empties (Vratné lahve, dir. Jan Svěrák, 2007, CR – Great Britain – Norway) and I Served the King of England (Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále, dir. Jiří Menzel, 2006, CR – SR) will also become available in the Blu-ray format.
24. - 29. 10.
The 12th International Festival of Documentary Films, which is the largest documentary festival in Central and Eastern Europe took place in Jihlava (CR). The programme was divided into the following sections: newest trends in world documentary making; documentary map of Europe; experimental/discovery documentaries; the best of Czech documentaries; retrospectives of important directors. Several juries worked at the festival, which gave out the following awards: the international jury section Between Seas, which evaluated the best documentary films of Central and Eastern Europe, presented the Main award to the film Podul de flori (dir. Thomas Ciulei, 2008, Romania – Germany). Selected as best Czech documentary film in the section Czech Joy was the film by Vít Janeček, Ivette and Mountain (Ivetka a hora, 2008). Also, the Czech Redemption Attempt of a TV Repairman Josef Lávička in Nine Scenes (Pokus o duchovní nápravu opraváře televizí Josefa Lávičky v devíti obrazech, dir. Lukáš Kokeš, 2008) received a special mention. Viewers prize was given to René (dir. Helena Třeštíková, 2008) and Prize of Respect magazine for the best TV and video works received film Tough Guys from Třebíč (Ostří hoši z Třebíče, dir. David Macháček, Roman Šantůr, 2008) from the TV cycle Reporters (Reportéři). The juror of the Opus Bonum section, Czech documentary maker Karel Vachek, gave the award for best world documentary film to Iraqi Short Films (dir. Mauro Andrizzi, Argentina, 2008), and in the jury section entitled Fascination, the best experimental film was declared to be the film Night Still (dir. Elke Groen, 2007, Austria).
27. 10. - 2. 11.
A festival of documentary and animated films, DOK Leipzig, took place in Leipzig. The winning film was the period cross-section documentary of director Helena Třeštíková René (2008), which received the Golden Dove Award.
27. 10. - 2. 11.
In cooperation with The National Film Archive in Prague and the Czech Centre, A Week of Czech Films of the 1960s was presented at the Bulgarian National Archive in Sofia. Among the films shown were The Ear (Ucho, dir. Karel Kachyňa, 1970), Pearls at the Bottom (Perličky na dně, dir. Věra Chytilová, Evald Schorm, Jan Němec, Jaromil Jireš, Jiří Menzel, 1970), The Shop on Main Street (Obchod na korze, dir. Ján Kádár, Elmar Klos, 1965), The Joke (Žert, dir. Jaromil Jireš, 1968) and Seventh Day, Eighth Night (Den sedmý, osmá noc, dir. Evald Schorm, 1969).
28. 10.
President of the Czech Republic Václav Klaus presented the National Recognition awards of the Czech Republic to (we mention only the recognition regarding cinematography): author Adolf Branald (4. 10. 1910 – 28. 9. 2008) who, in memoriam, received a Distinguished Service Medal (1st degree) and to Břetislav Pojar, director of animated films the 2nd degree Distinguished Service Medal.
30. 10.
The 4th year of the project, Stories of Injustice began at the Světozor cinema in Prague. The goal of the project is to familiarize students of elementary and high schools with the post-war era of Czech history through film screenings and subsequent discussions. The project was accompanied by an exhibition that took place from 31. 10. onward on Wenceslaus Square, which brought back to mind various forms of active resistance to the communist regime. Director of the project was Karel Strachota. Stories of Injustice was organized by the People in Need Foundation. The project offered schools the documentaries Spring Interrupted – August as a Sickle (Přerušené jaro – Srpen jako kladivo, dir. Milan Maryška, 1998) and Great Escapist. The Real Story of Josef Bryks (Muž, který přecenil českou duši aneb Útěky Josefa Brykse, dir. Ján Novák, 2007) also including the feature film Swingtime (dir. Jaromír Polišenský, 2006) and two vault films, Quiet (Ticho, dir. Milan Peer, 1969) and Ten Points (Deset bodů, dir. Milan Maryška, 1969).
30. 10. - 2. 11.
The Hungarian Cultural Centre in Prague, the PolishInstitute in Prague and the Slovak Institute in Prague organized a screening of Contemporary Film Works – Central Europe at the Hungarian Cultural Centre. The programme featured a selection of new films of these countries with the films' creators in attendance. Czech films included in the screening were: Children of the Night (Děti noci, dir. Michaela Pavlátová, 2008), Small Celebration (Malé oslavy, dir. Zdeněk Tyc, 2008, SR–CR – IT) and The Second Act (Druhé dějství, dir. OlmoOmerzu, 2008).
30. 10. - 2. 11.
The festival Voix d’ Étoiles took place in Port Leucate (France). In the programme of animated films for children the films of Czech director Hermína Týrlová (11. 12. 1900 – 3. 5. 1993) How the Urchin Got the Wit (Kluk dostává filipa, 1972), Marble (Kulička, 1963), The Dreaded Duck (Obávaná kačena, 1972) and A Woolly Tale (Vlněná pohádka, 1934) were shown.
31. 10. - 12. 11.
The 9th Brno/Prague Czech Gay and Lesbian Film Festival – Mezzanine 2008 took place in Brno, focusing this year primarily on protagonist’s turning point situations, destiny diagnosis, loss of a partner and sex change, and that is why the festival was subtitled, ”Life After…”. The festival was split into the Brno segment and the Prague segment (6. – 12. 11.). The main section of the festival was the competition section. The traditional accompanying programme was a retrospective of some key filmmakers with a homosexual theme. This year it was a filmmaker with the artistic pseudonym Rosa von Praunheim (original name Holger Mischwitzky), a German director and co-founder of the German gay and lesbian rights movement. He attended the retrospective of his work in person. The Brno segment of the festival took place at the Art cinema and at the Břetislav Bakala Hall. Mezzanine for the first time placed some of its films on the Internet. The winning film as voted by the Jury was German film Mein Freund aus Faro (dir. Nana Neul, 2008). The favourite of the student jury was the Icelandic film, Braedrabylta wresting (dir. Grimur Hakonarson, 2007) and the most successful film among viewers was the Canadian Film, Breakfast with Scot (dir. Laurie Lynd, 2007).