I. A Calendar»
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
1. - 14. 12.
The 2nd non-competitive film festival, CinepurChoice, tookplace in Prague, BrnoandOlomouc. The secondannual Cinepur Choice was markedly expanded – a total of 51 festival screenings consisted of 21 feature films and 23 short films, in five programme sections.The festival featured 10 new film premieres for the Czech Republic including El Canto de ocells (dir. Albert Serra, Spain, 2008), ParanoidPark (dir. Gus Van Sant, 2007, France –USA) and Un Lac (dir. Philippe Grandrieux, France, 2008), which includes a performance by Czech actress Natálie Řehořová, and the film Alexandra (dir. Alexandr Sokurov, Russia, 2007). Also screened were a retrospective of films by French director Claire Denis, video art installations in galleries in the festival cities, a cross section of Czech experimental film and, in a section entitled Doc.art, foreign documentaries shown in the small Art cinema in Brno.
2. 12.
A premiere of the Czech feature film production of Who's Afraid of the Wolf (dir. Maria Procházková, 2008) took place at the Palace Cinemas Slovanský Dům multiplex in Prague.
2. - 12. 12.
The 1st year of the International, Human-rights-themed Film Festival, This Human World, took place in Vienna. The Czech documentary Citizen Havel (Občan Havel, dir. Pavel Koutecký, Miroslav Janek, 2008) was shown, meeting with success. The festival was organized by the Ludwig Bortzemann Institute for Human Rights together with the Czech Centre in Vienna.
3. 12.
Film screenings at the Cinema City multiplex in the Novodvorská Plaza shopping centre, which opened in 2006, were discontinued. The reason for the closure of the cinema, which had 5 screens and 850 seats, was low attendance.
3. 12.
A premiere of the Czech documentary film Gyumri (dir. Jana Ševčíková, 2008) took place at the Oko cinema in Prague.
4. 12.
A concert for the un-reached seventieth birthday of musical composer Karel Svoboda (19. 12. 1938 – 28. 1. 2007) took place in Prague at the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House, featuring the Czech National Symphony Orchestra conducted by lead conductor Libor Pešek. The concert consisted of symphonic renderings of popular and musical numbers, a medley of musical numbers from the musicals Dracula (1995) and film music. Top Czech soprano Eva Urbanová performed two songs from the film Night at Karlstein Castle (Noc na Karlštejně, dir. Zdeněk Podskalský, 1973).
4. 12.
The premiere of the Czech feature film Sister (Sestra, dir. Vít Pancíř, 2008), took place at the Oko cinema in Prague.
4. - 5. 12.
A seminar and workshop with the creators of The Simpsons TV series, Bill Odenkirk and Daniel Chun took place at FAMU (Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague). The first day was dedicated to the process of development of the television sitcom in the USA and a summary of the entire process of writing the Simpsons, from the concept to a finished episode, including practical training in the overall conception of a sitcom and planning a strategy for the first season of a sitcom. On the second day the participants were able to consult their work with the lecturers. The seminar was simultaneously translated into Czech.
4. - 7. 12.
The 4th Festival of Asian Films, Filmasia 2008, took place at the Světozor and Aero cinemas in Prague. It featured films from Korea, China, Japan and other Asian countries. Programme was divided into five themed sections, within which viewers could compare the approach to certain similar motifs or become familiar with the specific creative tendencies of the Far East. Primarily shown were films that did not run in Czech cinemas, while the programme did not consist of just hot new films.
6. 12.
The European Film Awards 2008 were presented in Copenhagen by the European Film Academy (EFA). The Italian film Gomorrah (dir. Matteo Garrone, 2008), became European Film of the Year, and Matteo Garrone also received the European Director of the Year award for the Film Gomorrah. Toni Servillo won the European Actor of the Year award for his role in the film Gomorrah. Kristin Scott Thomas received the European Actress of the Year award for her role in the film Il y a longtemps que je t’aime (dir. Philippe Claudel, 2008, France – Germany). The EFA documentary award, the Prix Arte went to Czech director Helena Třeštíková for the period transcending film René (2008). Helena Třeštíková is the first Czech recipient of the prestigious award, which is said to be the European Oscar. Aňa Geislerová was also among the invited personalities of the gala ceremony.
6. - 19. 12.
A festival of the films of Czech director Jiří Menzel took place in Tokyo at the Chanter Cine, at which were presented, among others, the films Closely Watched Trains (Ostře sledované vlaky, 1966) and My Sweet Little Village (Vesničko má středisková, 1985). 20. 12. A premiere of Menzel’s film I Served the King of England (Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále, 2006, CR – SR) took place. The film was shown with Japanese subtitles by Japanese Bohemia scholar Kenichi Abe.
7. 12.
This date marked conclusion of a presentation of current Czech films, which was organized for the 9th time by the Czech Centre in New York in cooperation with the prestigious BAMcinématek affiliated with The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). The programme included the films A Country Teacher (Venkovský učitel, dir. Bohdan Sláma, 2008, CR – Germany – France), On Parents and Children (O rodičích a dětech, dir. Vladimír Michálek, 2008), Night Owls (Děti noci, dir. Michaela Pavlátová, 2008), Empties (Vratné lahve, dir. Jan Svěrák, 2007, CR – Denmark – Great Britain), Lost Holiday (Ztracená dovolená, dir. Lucie Králová, 2007) and Teddy Bear (Medvídek, dir. Jan Hřebejk, 2007).
10. - 14. 12.
The 14th Videofest took place in Tábor (CR), offering viewers, above all, films by czech director and producer Jan Svěrák. Student, amateur and semi-professional short films supplemented the presentation of his work. The Videofest was opened with the film The Elementary School (Obecná škola, 1991), followed by Accumulator I (Akumulátor I, 1994), The Ride (Jízda, 1994), The Oil Gobblers (Ropáci 1988) – a film awarded the Student Oscar, Dark Blue World (Tmavomodrý svět, 2001), Kolya (Kolja, 1996, CR – Great Britain – France), Empties (Vratné lahve 2007, CR – Denmark – Great Britain) and Papa (Tatínek, 2004). Jan Svěrák was a guest of the festival on Saturday 13. 12.
11. 12.
The new full-format digital television station, TV Barrandov, commenced broadcasting with a programme entitled A Light Will Go On (Rozsvítí se vám), in which the station presented itself in detail to viewers.
11. - 14. 12.
The 7th Presentation of Animated Film – PAF Olomouc 2008 took place. Asingle award was presented in the competition section, Other Visions 008. It went to the videoart project Moonwalk (dir. Pash*, 2008).
11. - 17. 12.
A presentation of the films of director and screenwriter Evald Schorm (15. 12. 1931 – 14. 12. 1988) took place at the Evald cinema in Prague, marking the 20th anniversary of his death. The presentation was a continuation of the Plzeň Finále programme, which included Schorm’s films The End of a Priest (Farářův konec, 1968), Dogs and People (Psi a lidé, 1971) and Actually, Nothing Happened (Vlastně se nic nestalo, 1988), supplemented by short film work. On the anniversary of his death, a screening took place of the theatre presentation of the Brothers Karamazov, which Evald Schorm adapted for the stage in 1979 at the Na Zábradlí theatre in Prague. The screening was followed by the film adaptation by Petr Zelenka The Karamazovs (Karamazovi/Bracia Karamazow, 2008, CR – Poland), which was made using Schorm’s dramatization of the play. For those interested, a book by Jan and Ivana Lukešovi, The Silent Guest Evald Schorm (Mlčenlivý host Evald Schorm) was on sale at the theatre box office. The publication is supplemented by a DVD with the short films To Live One’s Own Life (Žít svůj život, 1963), Why? (Proč?, 1964), Reflection (Zrcadlení, 1965), Psalm (Žalm, 1966), Etude on an Exam (Etuda o zkoušce, 1976) and the mid-length Carmen Not Only According to Bizet (Carmen nejen podle Bizeta, 1968).
12. 12.
The 15th annual Awards of the Government Commission for Disabled Citizens for publicity work focusing on the problem of health impairment, for television, print and broadcast media. In the television programme category, first place was awarded to the film My Loved Ones (Moji milovaní, dir. Tomáš Kapras, Tomáš Prošek, Alena Derzsiová, 2008), the second place award went to Looking for a Sponsor: For Sick Child (Hledám sponzora. Zn. pro nemocné dítě, dir. Silvie Kleková, Hana Teislerová, 2008), 3rd place went to the TV Club for the Deaf no. 15/2007 (Televizní klub neslyšících č. 15/2007, dir. Alexandra Vebrová, Josef Brožík, Alena Derzsiová, 2007). Honourable mention was given to director Arnošt Goldflam for the production Human Destinies – The Hard Life of Miroslav Darmovzal (Lidské osudy – Těžký život Miroslava Darmovzala (2007) and Alexandra Vebrová for the TV Club for the Deaf focusing on the theme People Who Have Lost Their Hearing (Ohluchlí lidé).
13. 12.
The Czech Film and Television Academy presented the Elsa Awards. The largest number of awards went to the television film by director Jiří Strach BrainStorm (2007), which scored in four categories: Original Drama, Direction, Screenplay (Marek Epstein) and Acting (Ivan Trojan – role of Jakub Holc). For original drama in the Actress category, Vilma Cibulková received the award for her role of Stárová in the production Piano Lesson (Hodina klavíru, dir. Zdeněk Zelenka, 2007). Nova Television received the Elsa award in the category of foreign films for the American television series House M. D. (2006 – 2007, USA). The Viewer’s Choice award in the best Original Drama category was awarded on the basis of number of viewers, and went to the film by Marie Poledňáková Taming Crocodiles (Jak se krotí krokodýli, 2006). The Elsa Award for entertaining production went to the creators of the television talk show of actor Jan Kraus, Relax Please (Uvolněte se, prosím, dir. Vojtěch Nouzák) and in the Magazine category, the award went to a film from the Picturesque Towns series – Picturesque Příbram (Šumná města – Šumná Příbram, dir. Radovan Lipus, 2008). 2008 Anchor of the year was Václav Moravec from the publicizing programme The Questions of Václav Moravec (Otázky Václava Moravce). The award for animated film was won by the Little Evening programme episode, The Rats (Krysáci, dir. Cyril Podolský, Milan Šebesta, 2008). The best discussion programme award went to the discussion program Historie.cs., the Elsa Award went to the documentary triptych The Year 68 (Rok 68, 2007) by Viktor Polesný and the foreign, non-acted film 68 (dir. Patrick Rotman, 2008, France) also received the Elsa Award.
13. 12.
The films for children screenings – Forum des images, took place in Paris. In cooperation with the National Film Archive, Prague, three animated films by Czech director Hermína Týrlová were presented – The Star of Bethlehem (Hvězda betlémská, 1969), Christmas with the Little Animals (Vánoce u zvířátek, 1973) and The Christmas Tree (Vánoční stromeček, 1968).
15. 12.
A presentation of the new website for the National Film Archive took place at the National Film Archive’s Ponrepo screening hall at Bio Konvict in Prague. Visitors to the website can familiarize themselves with the activities of the NFA and its products, including publication and editorial work, and even using the archive collections. An attractive addition to the website is a four-minute jingle created as a montage of the first film shots in the Czech lands, which were shot by the innovator of Czech cinematography, architect Jan Kříženecký (20. 3. 1868 – 9. 2. 1921). Also presented was the electronic version of the Catalogue of Czech Feature Films from 1898 – 1970 and the Film Yearbook 2007. With financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the National Film Archive modernized its database of the Film Yearbook and for the first time made it available in electronic form on CD-ROM. The information listed in the Film Yearbook and then in the Catalogue of Czech Feature Films is purposely interconnected, so that the user finds orientation easy.
16. 12.
The board of the City of Prague decided on the naming of 17 new streets. Among them was one street in Prague 9 Koloděje, named after the pioneer of Czech cinema, Viktor Ponrepo, Ponrepova Street.
18. 12.
The Czech comedy film Thawing Out (Sněženky a machři po 25 letech, dir. Viktor Tauš, 2008, CR – SR) went into cinema distribution. The script for the film was once again written by Radek John and Ivo Pelant, who also wrote the original treatment for the film by director Karel Smyczek (Sněženky a machři, 1982).
18. 12.
Vladimír Opěla, director of the National Film Archive Prague, accepted an award from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic for contribution to the development of Czech Culture for year 2008. He received the award for ”lifelong professional dedication to the success of Czech Cinematography”. Also receiving awards along with him were Jarmila Gabrielová, organizer of the Prague Quadrienale, Dušan Špička, director of the Regional Museum in Teplice and Czech Radio 3 – Vltava.
20. 12.
American actor and director Woody Allen performed in concert with his band, The New Orleans Jazz Band at the Congress Centre in Prague. Prior to the concert, the screenwriter, director and three-time Oscar winner was welcomed at the Prague Castle by President Václav Klaus. During his European tour, which Allen kicked off in Dresden, he played in Budapest, Amsterdam, Florence, Warsaw and several cities in Spain, the country which had been the shooting location for his film Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), and which had its Czech premiere in the Autumn. Woody Allen was accompanied on the tour by his third wife Soon-Yi Previn and other members of his family.
23. 12.
The 9th International Festival of Czech-German-Jewish Culture – Nine Gates, which took place in three segments – the Summer part (3. – 22. 6.), which took place in Prague, the Autumn and Winter part (1. 10. – 23. 12.), which took place in several Czech cities, and also in Bratislava (21. 12.) and in Nurenberg (20. 12.) came to a close. The festival included exhibitions, music, film screenings and literary evenings. Several Czech films were presented at the festival, such as Dita Sax (Dita Saxová, dir. Antonín Moskalyk, 1967), Funeral Ceremonies (Smuteční slavnost, dir. Zdenek Sirový, 1969) and The Seventh Day, the Eighth Night (Den sedmý, osmá noc, dir. Evald Schorm, 1969). Only one award was presented at the festival – for the literary work on which the film Die Fälscher (Ďáblova dílna, dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky, 2006, SRN – Rakousko) to Adolf Burger, author of the book of the same title.
30. 12.
The Lípa and Varšava cinemas in Liberec (Czech Republic) screened films for audiences for the last time, concluding their operation. These small Liberec cinemas gave in to the competition of the CineStar multiplex, which opened two months ago in the renovated Nisa shopping centre. The multiplex on the outskirts of Liberec at the Nisa centre has 8 screens with 1249 seats.