I. A Calendar»
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
1. 7.
Recipients of the Andrej ”Nikolaj” Stankovič award for 2007 were Daniela Gébová for the documentary film Industrial Elegy (Industriální elegie, 2006) and Petr Skala for the artistic film about artist Kamil Linhart, Touches of Eternity (Dotyky věčnosti, 2008) covering the work of artist Kamil Linhart (8. 1. 1920 – 19. 6. 2006), a native of Louny (CR). The prize has been announced for the sixth time by a group of followers of the critical intentions of poet and critic Andrej Stankovič (22. 6. 1940 – 12. 7. 2001) consisting of Jiří Fiedor, Martin Fišer, Zbyněk Hejda, Vladimír Hendrich, Michal Matzenauer, Josef Mlejnek and Petr Šafařík. The acknowledged laureates accepted their awards, a sculpture of the head of Andrej Stankovič, which was created by Academic sculptor Michal Blažek, a bottle of home-made Slivovice, ”Nikolajka” and a small monetary prize. A part of the evening included, in addition to film screenings, author readings by the attending poets (J. H. Krchovský, Eugen Brikcius, Jiří Daníček, Jaroslav Erik Frič, Zbyněk Hejda, Ivan Martin Jirous, Věra Jirousová, Luděk Marx, Michal Matzenauer, Josef Mlejnek, Ivan Wernisch and Pavel Zajíček), who read samples of the poetry of Stankovič together with their own poems which they dedicated to him. The Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic supported the event, which took place at the screening room of the National Film Archive, Ponrepo at Bio Konvikt in cooperation with the publishing company Pulchra.
1. 7.
The first Fresh Film Walk started off from the New Scene of the National Theatre in Prague at 10 p.m. This was organized by the International Festival of Student Films and Debuts, the Fresh Film Fest with the support of the City of Prague. In a series of film walks through Prague, participants walked through Prague and participated in film screening on building facades. The so-called Fresh Film Walks provided a different experience of the city and during the course of each walk several stops were made, during which student films that had been a part of previous festival years were screened, but also among the screenings were other film works such as Mozart’s Requiem (Mozartovo Requiem, 2007) – a puppet ballet by artist and director Petr Nikl. Similar excursions took place prior to the commencement of the Fresh Film Fest in Brno, Plzeň, Olomouc, Hradec Králové and in Kolín.
2. 7.
The National Technical Museum in Prague’s Letná neighbourhood celebrated its 100th year of existence, although due to the renovation work that began in 2003 it has been closed to visitors since 2006. The exhibits should be gradually re-opened in the next two years. The Technical Museum of the Czech Kingdom was established 5. 7. 1908. Within the framework of the renovation, the original architectural layout will be restored. A major modernisation of the transport hall and the ore and coal mine will take place and the astronomy exhibit, the exhibit of film and photography equipment will be expanded. The museum commemorated its anniversary with, among other things, the publication of a catalogue of 150 three-dimensional and archival treasures from its collections. Among them was included Lumière’s cinematographic machine.
2. - 16. 7.
A presentation of selected films by American director Sydney Pollack took place at the screening hall of the National Film Archive, Ponrepo at Bio Konvikt. The films screened included They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), The Way We Were (1973), Bobby Deerfield (1977) and Out of Africa (1985).
3. 7.
A website for film enthusiasts, Europa Film Treasure, in cooperation with almost thirty film libraries and archives from 19 European countries including the Czech Republic, and which opened the opportunity of seeing unusual and to date unattainable films connected with the very beginnings of film. The film material for the website was provided primarily by institutions that have rich film libraries such as the London-based British Film Institute, Museo Nazionale del Cinema in the Italian city of Turin, the Spanish film library Filmoteca Espaňola in Madrid, the Czech National Film Archive, the Moscow Gosfilmofond, the Paris Cinémathèque Française and the Svenska Filminstitutet in Stockholm.
4. - 12. 7.
The 43rd annual Film Festival took place in Karlovy Vary. The festival was organized by the company Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary, a. s., headed by festival President Jiří Bartoška and Art Director Eva Zaoralová. Its programme was anchored by the competition of international feature films and documentaries (divided into categories of under 30 minutes and over 30 minutes), and a competition section entitled East of the West. Director Ivan Passer acted as president of the festival grand jury. Representing the Czech Republic on the jury was film music composer Jan P. Muchow. Representing Czech cinematography in the international competition of feature films was the film of director Michaela Pavlátová Night Owls (Děti noci, 2008). Films in the section of independents battled for the Independent Camera award presented in cooperation with Czech Television. The programme further included tributes to Slovak directors Juraj Jakubisko and Dušan Hanák and a section entitled Eyes Open that presented exceptional film works. An informative section called Horizons offered films recently winning awards at film festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Venice). The Other View section focused on films unusual from a creator, formal or content perspective or providing access to unfamiliar cinematography. A presentation entitled Days of the Variety Critics offered ten European films, selected by reviewers from the renowned magazine. Classic British horror movies from the 1930s to the1960s from the archives of the British Film Institute were presented in a retrospective called Midnight Movies. A selection of Czech films from 2007 – 2008 presented films from the past season. The festival programme was supplemented with a tribute to Slovak directors Juraj Jakubisko, Dušan Hanák and Mexican director Arturo Ripstein whose work was represented through seven films. The section Focused on the Netherlands brought a selection of local productions made after the year 2000. The awards for best actor and actress went to Martha Issová for her role as Ofka and to Jiří Mádl for the role of Ubr in the film Night Owls (Děti noci). A special mention was awarded to Czech-Polish film by Petr Zelenka, The Karamazovs (Karamazovi/Bracia Karamazow, 2008, CR – Poland), which also won the International Federation of Film Press’s award (FIPRESCI). Directors Dušan Hanák (SR), Juraj Jakubisko (SR), Ivan Passer (USA) and actor Robert De Niro (USA) were awarded for their exceptional contribution to world cinematography. The International Film Festival Karlovy Vary President’s award went to actors Danny Glover (USA) and Christopher Lee (Great Britain). The City of Karlovy Vary award went to Armin Mueller-Stahl (Germany). The Pravo daily newspaper Viewer’s prize went to the film 12 (dir. Nikita Mikhalkov, 2007, Rusko). International guests at the festival included actors Brenda Blethyn (Great Britain), Robert De Niro (USA), Danny Glover (USA), Christopher Lee (Great Britain), Armin Mueller-Stahl (SRN), Táňa Pauhofová (SR), Rita Tushingham (Great Britain) and many others. Foreign directors attending included Jana Bokova (Argentina), Vlado Fischer (SR), Henrik Ruben Genz (Denmark), Dušan Hanák (SR), Zhang Chi (China), Juraj Lehotský (SR), Paul Mazursky (USA), Piro Milkani (Albania), Gyula Nemes (Hungary), Nicolas Roeg (Great Britain) and Marko Škop (SR). Special events of the festival included the 11th annual Variety & European Film Promotion Critic’s Day, a meeting of representatives of the European Film Academy (12. 7.) at the Grand Hotel Pupp and Masters Classes – a meeting with filmmakers that was a new event at the 43rd annual International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary. During the Master Classes programme, a total of six moderated forums took place with the following personalities: Danish documentary filmmaker Jorgen Leth, Mexican director Arturo Ripstein and screenwriter Paz Alicia Garcíadiego, British actor Christopher Lee, independent American filmmaker Les Blank and British actress Saffron Burrows.
7. 7.
was launched into distribution Czech documentary film To Estonia (Do Estonska, dir. Lukáš Přibyl, 2008) from the cycle Forgotten Transports (Zapomenuté transporty).
9. 7.
The opening ceremony of the coproduction feature film Bathory (dir. Juraj Jakubisko, 2008, CR – SR – Great Britain – Hungary) took place at multiplex Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům in Prague.
13. 7. - 3. 8.
The 4th annual International Music Festival Prague Proms took place in Prague. Italian conductor Mario Rotta introduced concertgoers to the world of film melodies in a programme entitled Hollywood Night. The programme included music from the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (dir. Gore Verbinski, 2003, USA), Le notti di Cabiria (dir. Federico Fellini, 1957, Italy – France), Mission Impossible (dir. Brian De Palma, 1996, USA) and Schindler's List (dir. Steven Spielberg, 1993, USA).
16. 7.
The central park in the city of Ostrov nad Ohří (CR) is going to be named after the Czech prose artist and screenwriter Ota Hofman (10. 4. 1928 – 17. 5. 1989), author of the television series Mr. Tau (Pan Tau, dir. Jindřich Polák, 1988, Czechoslovakia – NSR), Visitors (Návštěvníci, dir. Jindřich Polák, 1983, Czechoslovakia – France – Switzerland) and The Octopus from the 2nd Floor (Chobotnice z II. patra dir. Jindřich Polák, 1987). As a tribute to Ota Hofman, a symbolic film slate was placed in the park. City representatives who approved the re-naming of the park to the Ota Hofman Park in this way not only honoured his life’s work, produced mainly for children, but also emphasized the annual Ota Hofman Children’s Film and Television Festival, whose fortieth anniversary took place (7. – 10. 10.). Ota Hofman visited Ostrov for the first time in 1967. At the time he’d been accepted as a member of the newly established Children’s film club, whose foundation was inspired by his films. He then returned to the city regularly and helped to prepare the Children’s Film Festival. In 1978 he was awarded honorary citizenship of Ostrov. After his death the Ostrov festival adopted his name.
17. 7.
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) in Los Angeles announced the candidates for the American television Emmy Awards. Among them was a group of seven Czech and Slovak computer animators and special effects creators: draughtsman and animator Jiří Štamfest, who worked on the animated series Mach and Šebestová Come Up to the Blackboard! (Mach a Šebestová k tabuli!, dir. Adolf Born, Jaroslav Doubrava, Miloš Macourek, 1985), Jaroslav Matys who worked on the film Dark Blue World (Tmavomodrý svět, dir. Jan Svěrák, 2001), animator Viktor Müller, who participated on the films Grand Hotel (Grandhotel, dir. David Ondříček, 2006) and Helluva Good Luck (Z pekla štěstí, dir. Zdeněk Troška, 1999), computer graphic artists Vít Komrzý and Jan Všetíček, who worked on the production of the film Empties (Vratné lahve, dir. Jan Svěrák, 2007, CR – Great Britain – Denmark), One Hand Can't Clap (Jedna ruka netleská, dir. David Ondříček, 2003) and Želary (dir. Ondřej Trojan, 2003, CR – Austria – SR). Nominated along with them were Slovak special effects artist Miroslav Gál and Petr Němec for digital effects. These artists were nominated for their work on the television drama series The Company (dir. Mikael Salomon, 2007, USA), which dealt with the fates of Yale graduates that were recruited into the services of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Producer of the series was British filmmaker Ridley Scott. The nomination was for the second half of the series produced by TNT in cooperation with Sony Pictures Television.
21. 7.
Special tours with commentary for children and a weekly film school for youth were started in Olomouc (Czech Republic) in the Archdiocese museum. These were prepared for interested children and young people by the educational centre of the museum. While the tours with commentary were intended for groups of children, for example those from summer camps, and it was necessary to make reservations for them in advance, it was possible for individual children ages 12 to 16 to try making their own animated film using digital technology in the weekly course. The workshop concluded with a public screening of the film they created in the Mozart Hall of the museum.
23. 7.
The FIAF Manifesto was issued for occasion of the 70th anniversary of International Federation of Film Archives which giving the world the new slogan ”Don’t Throw Movies Away”. The slogan means that film must not be discarded, because is culturally irreplaceable. Although film can be physically and chemically fragile, it is a stable material that can survive much longer than moving image carriers like videotape or digital information carriers. It is a call to all who own any kind of film and are not adequately equipped to preserve it, to turn to the members of FIAF who will assist in finding an archive that is equipped for this purpose.
24. 7.
The premiere of the time-lapse documentary film René (dir. Helena Třeštíková, 2008) took place at the Světozor cinema in Prague. In the film the director built upon an older film from a series about young delinquents, Tell Me Something About Yourself – René (Řekni mi něco o sobě – René, 1992).
25. 7. - 3. 8.
The 34th annual festival Summer Film School (LFŠ) took place in Uherské Hradiště (CR). It was organized by the Association of Czech Film Clubs (AČFK) lead by its art director Pavel Bednařík in cooperation with the City of Uherské Hradiště and with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, The State Fund of the Czech Republic for the Support and Development of Czech Cinematography, the County of Zlín, the Visegrad Fund and the European Media programme. In contrast to previous years, a reduction took place in the number of films screened and individual cycles of films were prepared in cooperation with professional institutions with the goal of being balanced and clearly categorized. The changes were also indicated by the change in the Summer Film School’s visuals. In addition to the films being shown a number of additional programmes were included. In the thematic cycle Brothers in Special Effects (Film and Magic) various perceptions of film in relation to the theme of magic, from black magic to magic realism. A retrospective of ”magic” works by director Juraj Jakubisko were presented in cooperation with the Slovak Film Institute. In connection with the main theme, retrospectives of filmmakers Jan Švankmajer and Julio Medem were presented and along with them a profile entitled Alejandro Jodorowsky, Mystic and Guru. The series Possibilities of Dialogue: Israel/Palestine screened films that concerned the longstanding conflict and issues of the Jewish and Arab cultures. A separate section entitled, Music and Silent Film – Silent Muse(ic) consisted of silent films with accompanying musical performances. In addition to the traditional review of Current Czech and Slovak Film, the festival offered a new series entitled The Re-writing of the Past, that was intended to turn to Czechoslovak works of the recent past that re-evaluated historic events in an essential way. This year the focus was on the years 1948 and 1968 through the lens of normalisation. The series Borders and Perspectives presented the opportunity to see foreign views on the key events of the Prague Spring and Soviet occupation. The section Panorama of Film Criticism presented a collection of films selected by editorial sections of film magazines in the Visegrad countries. An introductory course in film history for high school students that built on the project Film and School took place under the title Film Actively! The anniversary awards of the Association of Czech Film Clubs 2008 were presented during the course of the Summer Film School. The Association of Czech Film Clubs 2007 award went to the film Little Girl Blue (Tajnosti, dir. Alice Nellis, 2007, CR – SR) – the award was presented at Finále Plzeň 2008. The Annual awards of Association of Czech Film Clubs were presented to directors Jan Švankmajer for a notable life’s work in Czech animated film and for his contribution to the Czech surrealist movement, to Juraj Jakubisko for his lifetime contribution to Czechoslovak film and the development of the poetry of the new wave, to Spanish director Julio Medem for the modernization of film narration processes in magic realism and Spanish/Basque cinematography, and to Ámos Gitaio for his artistic involvement of political and cultural contexts of the Middle East question. In addition, the award of the Association of Czech Film Clubs was awarded to general manager of Slovak Film Institute Peter Dubecký for his long time support of and cooperation with the Summer Film School, Project 100 and the development of relationships of Czech and Slovak activities, to Doris Drozdanovičová for notable activity in the beginnings of the club movement and its development from the 1970s to the present, and to Jan Joukal for his many years of contribution to the club movement and its development from the 1970s to the present. Special awards were given to those who have cooperated in organization with the Summer Film School: Ludmila Rubalová, Radek Kusák and Jaromír Kusák.