I. A Calendar»
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
1. - 3. 11.
The Buddhas at Fléda Film Festival took place in Brno (CR). This year’s festival focussed on the convergence of western culture and Tibetan Buddhism. Four documentaries and one feature-length film were offered at Brno’s Fléda club. The feature-length film Travellers and Magicians (2003) was directed by Bhutan director Khyentse Norbu and had its Czech premier in 2004 at the International Film Festival at Karlovy Vary. The festival The Buddhas at Fléda is part of a whole series of screenings of Buddhist films that have been held over the past few years in Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Russia, Germany and other European countries.
2. 11.
The project Stories of Injustice – a month of film in schools was begun. Documentary and feature films on totalitarianism were screened in 800 schools. The fifth year of this educational event that is to increase the interest of young people in modern history was organized by People in Need. It is a year-long project and schools can order a teaching guide or informational materials. In 2009, due to an increase in extremist movements, schools had the greatest interest in films focussing on the holocaust. Břetislav Rychlík’s documentary Oh, You Little Black Bird (Ó tu kálo čiriklóro/Ó, ty černý ptáčku, 1997) was among the films offered.
2. 11.
Actor and television show host Jan Kraus resigned as the chairman of FITES – Czech Film and Television Union. “I’ve decided after much consideration to resign from my position as chairman of FITES. My decision was based on my convictions and recent discoveries that my disputes with the management of Czech Television are negatively linked to FITES,” said Kraus. “If similar disputes arise, I'd like to solely be responsible for my actions and statements,” he added.
2. - 4. 11.
A Week of Venezuelan Film was organized in cooperation with the Venezuelan Embassy and screened at the National Film Archive’s Ponrepo screening hall at Bio Konvikt. The following films were screened: Miranda regresa (dir. Luis Alberto Lamata, 2007), Oriane (dir. Fina Torres, 1985, Venezuela – France), Tocar y luchar (dir. Alberto Arvelo Mendoza, 2006) and Cuentos para mayores (dir. Román Chalbaud, 1963).
3. 11.
Caricaturist Vladimír Jiránek, who among other things works on animated films, was bestowed with the Order of the White Monkey. The order is bestowed upon major Czech artists, caricaturists and people who contribute the most to animated humour by The Czech Cartoonist’ Union. Jiránek became the fifth recipient of this award.
3. 11. - 4. 12.
The GAMU exhibition gallery in Prague hosted the exhibition Back in CAS, which presented the work of students of FAMU’s Centre of Audiovisual Studies FAMU – Dana Machajová, Krištof Pešek, Matěj Strnad, Barbora Švarcová, Vladimír Turner and František Týmal, whose common denominator is a remake or revision of famous works of world film. Each of the filmmakers chose a different strategy for the remake: from the removal and reinforcement of a specific fragment to the reconstruction of the film as a special time-space unit, to the structural cluster of details to the method of a precise facsimile – digital trans-mediation.
4. 11.
Famous British actor Michael York performed at Prague’s Rudolfinum at the Strings of Autumn Festival. He recited Richard Strauss’s melodrama Enoch Arden set to the words of Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 and William Butler Yeats’ poem The Second Coming. His recital was accompanied by Libor Nováček on piano, who opened the evening by playing the first series of the cycle On an Overgrown Path (Po zarostlém chodníčku) and Piano Sonato in Es minor 1. X. 1905 “From the Street” (Z ulice) by Leoš Janáček. The sixty-seven-year-old York, famous for films such as Cabaret (dir. Bob Fosse, 1972, USA), The Three Musketeers (dir. Richard Lester, 1973, Panama – Spain) and Murder of the Orient Express (dir. Sidney Lumet, 1974, USA), played the melodrama Enoch Arden in 2002 and together with pianist John Bell Young successfully performed it at several major festivals in the USA and Europe. In addition to Young, York has performed the melodrama with four other pianists. York has performed recitals as part of many musical projects. In his youth he played the piano, and classical music has remained a lifelong passion.
4. 11.
The office of the general commissioner of Expo 2010 in China has chosen nearly all the Czech major monuments, discoveries, objects or records that will be displayed at the Expo. Czech animated films are also among them – the Czech animated school is an accomplished example for filmmakers from Asia to America.
4., 9., 10., 16., 18., 25., 27. and 30.
The National Film Archive’s Ponrepo screening hall at Bio Konvikt in Prague held a screening of Hungarian films entitled Hungarian Modernism 1963 – 1975. The programme featured the following films among others: Miklós Jáncsó’s Oldás és kötes (1963), Ferenc Kósa’s Tizezer nap (1967), Zoltán Fábri’s Húzs óra (1965), András Kovács’ Hideg napok (1966), István Szabó’s Apa (1966), Pál Sándor’s Bohóc a falon (1967), István Gaál’s Keresztelö (1968) and Magda Meszáros’s Eltávozott nap (1968).
5. 11.
Palace Cinemas multiplex at Slovanský dům in Prague held the ceremonial premiere of the Czech feature-length film Witness (Pamětnice, dir. Vlado Štancel, 2009).
5. 11.
A documentary on Czech music composer Jan Klusák entitled Jan Klusák – Axis Temporum (2009) had its ceremonial premiere at Evald cinema in Prague and on DVD. The black-and-white film was shot by director and producer Dan Krameš.
5. 11.
Moderated samples from Slovak films considered important milestones of Slovak audiovisual work were shown at the Slovak Institute in Prague. The programme included the film Sunshine in the Net (Slnko v sieti, dir. Štefan Uher, 1962), which ushered the Czechoslovak “new wave”. It also included short films of the Slovak Film Institute in which Slovak actors recollect the shooting of Slovak films, samples from films that received the IGRIC award in 2009, six forms of Jánošík in film and the films of Pavol Barabáš The Tatras – A Mystery (Tatry mystérium, 2004) and The Secret of Underground (Tajomstvo podzemia, 2009).
5. 11.
The premiere of a selection from the unique project of digital restoration of films by the great Czech documentary filmmaker Jan Špáta (25. 10. 1932 – 18. 8. 2006) was held at Aero and Světozor cinemas in Prague. Krátký film Praha took part in the digital restoration. The National Film Archive lent the materials. The selection included the films Respice finem (1967), Hallo Satchmo (1965), Variation Gustav Mahler (Variace na téma Gustava Mahlera, 1981), Between Light and Darkness (Mezi světlem a tmou, 1990) and Athletic Variations (Atletické variace, 1982). A total of 18 Špáta films were restored and transferred into HD format.
5. - 7. 11.
The 9th Festival of Documentary Films on Social Issues – Within Reach 2009 was held in Ústí nad Orlicí (Czech Republic). This time the festival’s primary emphasis was on the work of director Helena Třeštíková. Eight of her films were screened included the time-lapse documentary Marcela (2007) from the Marital Studies series and number of other films including one feature-length film by director Vladimír Čech The Key (Klíč, 1971). The jury awarded the following prizes at the festival’s conclusion: the main prize in the category of documentary film up to 30 minutes was not given for 2009. The main prize in the category of documentary film over 30 minutes went to the film We and Matterhorn, Matterhorn and We (My a Matterhorn, Matterhorn a my, 2008) by director Bernard Šafařík. Director Helena Třeštíková was awarded for her contribution to Czech documentary film.
5. - 9. 11.
The 5th International Festival of Films by Women about Women – Femina Film 2009 focussed on films made by women was held in Ustí nad Labem (Czech Republic). Sixteen feature and 50 documentary and short films were screened at it. The festival opened with the premiere of the Czech documentary film Revolutionary Girls (Holky z fildy, dir. Nataša Dudinski, Taťana Marková, 2009). Czech features films screened included Who’s Afraid of the Wolf (Kdopak by se vlka bál, dir. Maria Procházková, 2008), Janosik. The True Story of Janosik (Jánošík. Pravdivá historie/Janosik. Prawdziwa historia/Jánošík. Pravdivá história/, dir. Kasia Adamik, Agniezska Holland, 2009, Poland – CR – SR – Hungary), Foxes (Lištičky/Líštičky, dir. Mira Fornay, 2009, CR – SR – Ireland) and the Czech Television film Naughty Girls (Potížistky, dir. Věra Chytilová, 2007); short films screened included the film for television The Struggle for the Memory of a Nation (Boj o paměť národa, dir. Kristina Vlachová, 2007), Old Lady (Bába, dir. Zuzana Špidlová-Kirchnerová, 2008), Ivette and the Mountain (Ivetka a hora, dir. Vít Janeček, 2008), Take It Jeasy! (Ježíš je normální!, dir. Tereza Nvotová, 2008, CR – SR). As in year 2008, the festival presented German films, since it is part of the Czech-German Days of Culture. The cooperation with AG Kurzfilm Dresden also continued. This programme was begun in 2008 and brings to the Czech Republic novel short films. Thanks to cooperation with the Colegium Bohemicum society, viewers were able to see films that could only be viewed at the festival. The jury of the Femina Filmu 2009 award the Femina Grande prize to director Kristina Vlachová for authorial contribution in film and her unique view of the world. The festival’s main prize went to German director Susan Gluth for the documentary film Wasser und Seife, 2008, while the award for the best film went to the French feature film Coco Chanel (2009) by director Anne Fontaine. The award for the best documentary film was divided between two films: Bye, Bye Shanghai (dir. Jana Boková, 2008, CR – Argentina) and Take It Jeasy! (Ježíš je normální!), the award for best film in the category of news coverage and current affairs went to Petr Kašpar for the film Tears of Congo (Slzy Konga, 2009), the award for best film in the category of animated work went to The Expedition (Výprava, 2009) by director Barbora Zadražilová. Several honourable mentions were also awarded.
5. - 13. 11.
The 3rd International Festival of Visegrad Countries in Student Films – OSTRAVA PICTURE took place. It was held in Ostrava (9. – 13. 11.), in Žilina (Slovak Republic) from 5. 11. to 7. 11. and in Katowice, Poland. The films competed in five categories: Stories, Fact, questions and answers, Songs and music clips, Pictures and experiments and Ostrava – European Capital of Culture 2015. The City of Ostrava decided to sponsor the final category – films should be shot in Ostrava and the best can then become part of the city’s official film presentation in connection with the Ostrava – European Capital of Culture 2015. In the Stories category the winner was Jan Chramosta for his film The Little Prague Mermaid (Malá pražská víla), in the category of Fact, questions and answers the main prize went to Robin Lipo for the film Pavel Nawrat (2009), in the category of Songs and music clips the winning video clip was Veronika Szemlová’s Chocolate Factory (2009), in the category of Pictures and experiments the main prize went to Martin Jůz for his film Buried Dog (Zakopaný pes, 2009) and in the category of Ostrava – European Capital of Culture 2015 Martin Skarka received the main prize for his film Moonlight Ostrava (Měsíční Ostrava, 2009). Also awarded was the Ostrava viewers’ choice prize that went to Libor Drobný for the film Space Troubles (Vesmírné trable, 2009) and the Žilina viewers’ choice award that went to Lenka Kačiašvili for her film Behind the Corner (Za Rohom, 2009).
5. - 18. 11.
The 4th Palace Film Festival 2009 that was held in the first week at Prague’s Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům and the second week at Brno’s Palace Cinemas Velký Špalíček opened in Prague and in Brno with the pre-premiere of the Czech film Dreamers (Zoufalci, 2009) by director Jitka Rudolfová. The most extensive section was, as in the past, the Best of 2009 which showed the best films of 2009 in Czech distribution. Notable Czech films were offered in the section Czechs against the Current. Screened films in this section included the genre films Angels Gone (Normal, dir. Julius Ševčík, 2009, CR – Macedonia) and T.M.A. (dir. Juraj Herz, 2009, CR – SR), and a newly edited version of the film Hrubes and Mares, Friends Come Rain or Shine (Mareš jsou kamarádi do deště, 2005) named Hrubeš and Mareš Reloaded (2009) that was introduced by director Vladimír Morávek in Brno. In Prague director Oskar Reif presented his film The Bed (Postel, 1997). The Palace Film Festival also offered mini-profiles of foreign filmmakers for example: Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire (2008, Great Britain – USA), Trainspotting (1996, Great Britain) and Millions (2004, Great Britain – USA), Emir Kusturica’s Otac na službenom putu (1985), Dom za vešanje (1988), Život je čudo/La vie est un miracle!, (2004, France – Serbia and Montenegro), Darren Aronofsky’s Wrestler (2008, USA), The Fountain (2006, USA) and Requiem for a Dream (2000, USA).
9. - 14. 11.
The 6th annual Crossroads festival spanning Central European culture was held in Olomouc (Czech Republik). The festival presented alternative culture from the Czech Republic as well as from Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Hungary and other countries. This year’s festival’s motto was “Adventurous Meetings”. The festival opened with a screening of Polish director Andrzej Wajda’s film Sweet Rush (Tatarak, 2008, Poland). Also screened were Peter Kerekes’ film Cooking History (Jak se vaří dějiny/Ako sa varia dejiny (2009, SR – Austria – CR) and the German film Whisky mit Wasser (dir. Andreas Dresen, 2009).
10. - 15. 11.
The 19th Festival of Eastern European Films took place in Cottbus (Germany). The Dialogue Award went to the film Foxes (Lištičky/Líštičky, dir. Mira Fornay, CR – SR – Ireland).
10. - 17. 11.
The 15th International Film Festival took place in Calcutta (India). Its programme included the Czech film Romeo, Juliet and Darkness (Romeo, Julie a tma) by director Jiří Weiss from 1959.
10., 19., 25. and 30. 11.
Entitled Luciano Emmer’s Italians, a screening was held of this director’s films at the National Film Archive’s Ponrepo screening hall at Bio Konvikt in Prague. The following films were screened Le ragazze di Piazza di Spagna (1952), Il bigamo (1956), Il momento più bello (1957) and Una domenica d’agosto (1949).
11. 11.
The avant-garde American director Peter Hutton presented his film At Sea (2007, USA) in the National Film Archive’s Ponrepo screening hall at Bio Konvikt in Prague.
11. 11.
The ceremonial premiere of the Czech feature film Dreamers (Zoufalci, dir. Jitka Rudolfová, 2009) was held at the same simultaneously at the Prague cinemas Světozor and at the Palace Cinemas multiplex at Slovanský dům.
11. - 14. 11.
An International Festival of Animation was held in Bradford (Great Britain). Among the films screened was Jiří Trnka’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Sen noci svatojanské, 1959).
12. 11.
The National Film Archive’s Ponrepo screening hall at Bio Konvikt in Prague hosted a ceremonial evening to commemorate the 75th birthday of cinematographer Miroslav Ondříček (4. 11. 1934). The film Distant Harmony: Pavarotti in China (dir. DeWitt Sage, camera: Miroslav Ondříček, Richard Gordon, 1987, USA) was screened. The event was organized by the Association of Czech Cinematographers, AXIUS and the National Film Archive in Prague.
12. 11.
The feature film The Eye in the Wall (Oko ve zdi, dir. Miloš J. Kohout, 2009, CR – SR) had its ceremonial premiere at Atlas cinema in Prague.
12. 11.
CineStar, the company operating the largest network of multiplexes in the Czech Republic, bought out its competitor Village Cinemas Czech Republic and thus acquired its two multiplexes in Prague – at Anděl and Černý Most. The number of CineStar multiplexes thus increased to eleven. CineStar also obtained a share of the Prague market where it had not operated any multiplexes up to that point.
12. - 15. 11.
The 26th Festival of Student Films – FAMU Fantomas FEST 2009 was held. The winning film was Rozálie Kohoutová’s Roma Boys – The Love Story (Roma Boys – Příběh lásky, 2009), which, in addition to receiving the main first prize, also received the award for best documentary (Václav Táborský Award) and the Dagmar Táborská non-statutory award. The award for best director went to Viera Čákanyová for her feature-length film Alda (2009). Čákanyová also received along with Alexandra Gojdičová the award for best editing in this film. The award for best camera went to the director and cinematographer of the film Jump! (Skoč!, 2009) Marek Dvořák. The jury selected Lukáš Glaser’s film Basic Language (Kmenový jazyk, 2009) as the best animated film. The award for best sound went to Pavel Kovařík for the films Seconds (Vteřiny, dir. Kateřina Borecká, 2009) and Ferda (dir. Jan Oraský, 2009). The Award for best production went to Tomáš Trojánek for the film Míca (dir. Martin Kohout, 2009), best film of a first-year student went to György Kristóf for the film The Borders (Hranice, 2009), and the award Best of FAMU International went to the film Awake (dir. Thaiddhi, 2009) and the award for best photography went to Kateřina Držková. The prize for best experimental work was not awarded. Non-statutory awards were also presented: Lukáš Kokeš received it for the film 59/184/84 (2009).
12. - 22. 11.
The 32nd International Starz Denver Film Festival was held in Colorado (USA). The Krzysztof Kieślowski award for best feature film went to the Czech film Protector (dir. Marek Najbrt, 2009) which competed for it against seventeen other films.
13. - 15. 11.
Veselí nad Moravou (Czech Republic) held its the 16th Seminar of Russian Films 2009. In 2009 the festival reflected upon perestroyka. The programme offered “Soviet”, as well as “reconstruction” films from the exceptionally dynamic years of 1988 and 1989. The films of the following directors were screened: Viktor Aristov, Ernest Yasan, Alexandr Muratov, Oleg Teptsov, Alexandr Kaydanovsky, Semyon Aranovich, Georgi Natanson, Otar Ioseliani and others. Lectures were introduced by Galina Kopaněva. The Film Club in Veselí nad Moravou organized a seminar in cooperation with the Slovak Film Institute in Bratislava and Association of Czech Film Clubs. The seminar was supplemented by an exhibition of Czech film posters for Soviet films.
13. - 15. 11.
Prague’s Světozor cinema hosted the 1st annual Festival of Dancing Films that offered for the first time ever Czech viewers a specific glimpse at this genre bordering dance and film. The programme featured short and medium-length films, a number of which were screened for the first time ever in the Czech Republic. The biggest attractions were the now famous film Enter Achilles (dir. Clara Van Gool, 1995, Great Britain) by the British collective DV8 or the film Blush (2005, Belgium) of choreograph Wim Vandekeybus by the Belgian collective Ultima Vez and the film Body, Body On the Wall (dir. Wim Vandekeybus, Jan Fabre, 1997, Belgium) with music by Woven Hand. Both have received many awards at various international festivals and both are derived from the eponymous performances designed for stages. The festival commenced with a commentated evening with the unique film Pina Bausch (dir. Anne Linsel, 2006, Germany) – remembering the German choreographer who died in 2009. One block featured dance films from Germany selected in collaboration with the prestigious Deutsches Tanzarchiv Köln.
13. - 15. 11.
The 9th Sokolov Film Seminar 2009 attempted to examine the relation of the Czech and German national environment from the view of how it was reflected and jointly created in Czech and German films. The seminar offered in addition to film screenings a series of lectures and discussions. Films screened included St. Wenceslas (Svatý Václav, dir. Jan S. Kolár, 1929, Czechoslovakia), Die Golden Stadt (dir. Veit Harlan, 1942, Germany), The Stolen Frontier (Uloupená hranice, dir. Jiří Weiss, 1947, Czechoslovakia), Courage for Every Day (Každý den odvahu, dir. Evald Schorm, 1964, Czechoslovakia). Deutschland in Herbst (dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Volker Schlöndorf, Alexander Kluge and others, 1978, Germany), Divided We Fall (Musíme si pomáhat, dir. Jan Hřebejk, 2000, CR) and The seminar culminated in a screen of the film Deutschland 09 – 13 kurze Filme zur Lage der Nation (dir. Fatih Akin, Wolfgang Becker, Sylke Enders, Dominik Graf a Martin Gressmann, Christoph Hochhäusler, Romuald Karmakar, Nicolette Krebitz, Dani Levy, Angela Schanelec, Hans Steinbichler, Isabelle Stever, Tom Tykwer, Hans Weingartner, 2009), which is a joint project of 13 leading German directors giving their view of present-day Germany.
13. - 21. 11.
The Animánie project, organized by OCET (Regional Centre for Elementary Works) seated in Plzeň (Czech Republik), attempted in 2009 for the fourth year to acquaint a broad spectrum of audiences – from children and youth to teachers and the lay public – with the possibilities of animation. Animánie culminated in the eponymous festival of animated film with the subtitle “Autumnal Harvest”. During the festival animated films of Czech and foreign filmmakers were screened at various sites in Plzeň. The festival also offered animation workshops for children and the public where participants had the opportunity to take a glimpse into the animation process and try various animation techniques. The festival also included a nationwide competition screening of animated films made by children and youths entitled Through the Eyes of Children. A regional art, photography and film competition was also held – Plzeň through the Eyes of Children. The Animánie Festival also awarded prizes: the main prizes in the Through the Children competition went to the films Zubounek in the Tram (Zubounek v tramvaji, dir. Karel Slanař from the Trnka Basic Art School in Plzeň) – category of up to 13 years, The Grey City (Šedé město, dir. Matěj Forejt from the Sokolovská Basic Art School in Plzeň) – category of up to 18 years. In the group work category up to 13 years the animated film Ceramic Games (Keramické hry) by Kamila Šilhánová and of the Art Workshop Vyšehrad DDM Prague won and up to 18 years the film Touched Wishes (Ošmataná přání) by Michal Kodet and Ines Zayacová from the Animation Workshop Plzeň. The festival also offered this year a screening of student films at the Days of Students, Day of Comics and Virtual Worlds, a screening of short animated films from around the world as part of the Echoes of the Anifest, animated films from American animated workshop of Pixar Animations Studios, a portrait of Czech animation figure Kristina Dufková, amateur film production and a screening of animated films for schools.
17. 11.
The ceremonial premiere of the Czech feature-length film An Earthy Paradise (Zemský ráj to napohled, dir. Irena Pavlásková, 2009) was held in Prague at the Palace Cinemas multiplex at Slovanský dům.
17. 11.
Several small crews of American filmmakers shot on the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution on National Avenue in Prague a documentary on the events of 17 November 1989. Filmmakers made use of a parade of young people and other events to document the fall of totalitarianism at authentic places. The footage is used at the conclusion of the feature-length film with the working title We Have Bare Hands (Máme holé ruce), whose shooting was begun by documentary filmmaker and Oscar recipient Gary Keith Griffin in 2010. He also worked on the film documentary about how Czechs celebrated twenty years of freedom. The producers of the feature-length film are Gary Griffin, Arnošt and Josef Lustig and Karel Kasal.
18. - 20. 11.
The Echoes of Ekofilm, which took place on 5. – 11. 10. in České Budějovice, Český Krumlov and Třeboň, was held for the third time in Olomouc (Czech Republik). In addition to screenings of documentary films, there was the opportunity to debate with filmmakers and experts. Morning programmes were planned for schools. The programme also offered a screening of the winning film of EKOFILM 2009 Garbage Warrior (2007, Great Britain – USA – Finland – Denmark) by director Oliver Hodge. This is the story of architect Michael Reynolds, who, goes against the grain to build cheap and energy-efficient homes, from old tires and other garbage. The viewers’ attention was also focussed on the problem of global climate changes. The Olomouc programme ended with the documentary film Darwin’s Nightmare (2004, Austria – Belgium – France – Canada) by director Hubert Sauper on the impasse of people in Africa.
18. - 22. 11.
The 10th Festival of Czech Films was held in New York at the BAMcinématek cinema at the Brooklyn Music Academy. The festival opened with Miloš Forman’s A Walk Worthwile (Dobře placená procházka, 2009) that the director himself introduced. Other films screened included René (dir. Helena Třeštíková, 2008), The Karamazows (Bratři Karamazovi/Bracia Karamazow, dir. Petr Zelenka, 2008, CR – Poland), Who’s Afraid of the Wolf (Kdopak by se vlka bál, dir. Maria Procházková, 2008), Citizen Havel (Občan Havel, dir. Pavel Koutecký, Miroslav Janek, 2008), Tobruk (dir. Václav Marhoul, 2008, CR – SR) and I Am All Good (U mě dobrý, dir. Jan Hřebejk, 2008).
19. 11.
The Association of Czech Film Clubs launched into film distribution a series of two films by FAMU students Old Lady (Bába, dir. Zuzana Špidlová-Kirchnerová, 2008) and The Second Act (Druhé dějství, dir. Olmo Omerzu, 2008).
19. - 21. 11.
The 17th Screening of Czech and Slovak Documentary and Animated Films 2009 was held at the MAT Club on Karlovo náměstí in Prague. The annual screening is an occasion to bring together important works of these genres and present them to the professional public. It was organized by the Czech Film and Television Union (FITES) and the Union of Slovak Television Artists in collaboration with CZECH TELEVISION, Slovak Television, the Czech Ministry of Culture, the Czech Ministry of the Environment, the Slovak Ministry of Culture, with the For Slovakia program of Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic and the Centrum FotoŠkoda Praha. Fifty-one films were screened in all including Gentleman Josef Škvorecký (dir. Petr Kaňka, 2007), The Undulant World of Rudolf Krautschneider (Rozhoupaný svět Rudolfa Krautschneidera, dir. Vladimír Šimek, 2009), Ideals and Money (Ideály a prachy, dir. Petr Kaňka, 2009), A Flight through Space and Time (Let prostorem a časem, dir. Dagmar Průchová, 2009) and The Story of Flexareta (Příběh zvaný flexareta, dir. Jaroslav Večeřa, 2009), as well as the films The World of Baroque Theatre (Svět barokního divadla, dir. Dan Krameš, 2008), Aliens and Herons (Vetřelci a volavky, dir. Rozálie Kohoutová, 2008), Brno 1969 (dir. Peter Kerekes, 2009) and the animated films Ghosts at Kulíkov (Strašidla na Kulíkově, dir. Jiří P. Miška, 2008) and European Pexeso (Evropské pexeso – Portugal, Belgium, Malta, dir. Maria Procházková, 2009).
19. - 25. 11.
The 12th French Film Festival 2009 was held in Prague, Brno, České Budějovice, Hradec Králové, Olomouc, Ostrava, Pardubice and Plzeň (Czech Republic). Audiences saw five pre-premiere films, including Un prophète (2009, France – Italy) by director Jacques Audiard, that concluded the week-long festival. The festival was attended by actors from the film – Tahar Rahim, who was nominated for the European Film Prize for best actor, and another actor Adel Bencherif. The film was launched into Czech distribution on 3 December 2009. Other pre-premiers were also shown: Micmacs à Tire-Larigot (dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2008, France), Le petit Nicolas (dir. Laurent Tirard, 2008, France – Belgium), Antichrist (dir. Lars von Trier, 2008, Denmark – Germany – France – Sweden – Italy – Poland – Belgium) and the animated film Panique au village (dir. Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, 2007, France – Belgium – Luxembourg). The other sections were Panorama, FilmHits, Ciné classique, An Evening of Short Films and competition sections to which films were selected that were that then judged by the viewers, Czech film critics. Rémi Bezançon’s film Le Premier jour du reste de ta vie (2008, France) attracted the most interest at the 12th French Film Festival. By way of Internet voting and direct voting in the screening room, the audience selected this bitter comedy as the winner of this year’s festival. The company that decides to purchase the distribution rights and introduce this film into Czech cinemas by the end of 2010 will receive a contribution for distribution of EURO 10,000 from TV5 Monde and the French Embassy in the Czech Republic. Second place went to Caroline Bottaro’s Joueuse (2008, France – Germany) which also received an overwhelming response from viewers. Philippe Lioret’s Welcome (2008, France) came in third place.
21. 11.
The Wilhelm Hack Museum in Ludwigshafen (Germany) hosted a screening on the theme of surrealism. The programme included a screening of Jan Švankmajer’s film Jabberwocky (Žvahlav aneb Šatičky slaměného Huberta, 1971, CSSR).
23. - 27. 11.
The Cultural House of Neratovice (Czech Republic) organized at the City cinema SD The 4th Film Fair 2009 – Films of Tomáš Vorel, devoted to the work of Czech director Tomáš Vorel. The following films of his were screened: The Prague Five (Pražská pětka, 1988), Smoke (Kouř, 1990), The Stone Bridge (Kamenný most, 1996), Out of the City (Cesta z města, 2000), Way Out (Z města cesta, 2002), The Imp (Skřítek, 2005), The Can (Gympl, 2007) and To Catch the Billionaire (Ulovit miliardáře, 2009).
23. - 29. 11.
Uherské Hradiště, Uherský Brod and Zlín (Czech Republic) hosted The 34th International Competition of Amateur and Professional Films and Video Based on Ecological Themes It’s Up to You, Too 2009 – TSTTT. The festival's aim is to draw attention to film and television works that emphasize the environmental aspects of human existence in today’s world. The festival featured side-bars of lectures, seminars, conferences, exhibitions and art programmes. In the amateur films competition the Grand Prix went to German director Josef Zanner for his film Lebensraum Bienwald – von Eichern und anderen Waldbewohnern (2006), from Czech amateur films the Award of the Union of Employees of Cultural Organizations went to Petr Baran’s Karelia – One Day (Karelia – Jeden den, 2008). The Grand Prix in the competition professional films – the Josef Velek Award went to the film Natura Bohemica (dir. Jiří Petr, 2009). This film also received the viewers’ choice award.
24. 11.
Inhabitants of the European Union that illegally download music or films from the Internet no longer have to worry that they could be arbitrarily cut off from the worldwide web. The European Parliament approved a reform of EU telecommunication market that provides for a certain degree of protection for Internet pirates. If offices of an EU member state intend to “cut off” Internet users, they must give them the right to a defend themselves. National governments did, however, in some cases uphold the right to disconnect users of the worldwide web. This can occur only in cases of suspicion that the user is part of a terrorist network, organized crime or child pornography network.
24. - 28. 11.
The International Film Festival of Science-Fiction Films was held in Terst (Italy). Older Czech feature films were screened including Icarus XB 1 (Ikarie XB1, dir. Jindřich Polák, 1963), Who Wants to Kill Jessie? (Kdo chce zabít Jessii?, dir. Václav Vorlíček, 1966), The End of August at the Ozone Hotel (Konec srpna v hotelu Ozon, dir. Jan Schmidt, 1966) and Ferat Vampire (Upír z Feratu, dir. Juraj Herz, 1981).
24. - 26. 11.
Ústí nad Labem hosted The 5th International Film Festival Water, Seas, Oceans 2009. The festival was attended by filmmakers, divers, photographers, ecologists and experts on the given themes. In 2009 the festival also expanded to Prague, to the Sea World premises at the Prague Exposition Grounds. The festival’s Grand Prix went to Solo (2007) by the director duo David Michod and Jennifer Peedom from New Zealand. Miroslav Hrdý’s Interactions (Interactions – Ovlivňování, 2009) was chosen as the best Czech film.
25. 11.
FILMEXPORT HOME VIDEO organized the premiere If There Is a Paradise in the World (Je-li kde na světě ráj) shot by Czech travellers Jiří Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund and Jaroslav Novotný in 1961. The premiere took place in the lecture hall of Zlín castle (Moravia). Before the start of the premiere there was a press conference attended by Miroslav Zikmund, at which the christening of the DVD was conducted.
25. 11.
The ceremonial premiere of the Czech feature film Three Seasons in Hell (3 sezóny v pekle, dir. Tomáš Mašín, 2009, CR – Germany – SR) was held at the Villages Cinemas Anděl multiplex in Prague.
25. 11.
There was issued a new film publication entitled Czech Film – Directors and Documentary Filmmakers. The 700 page publication was published by Libri and contains 406 biographical entries, 250 photographs and an index with another 3,400 names of colleagues and protagonists of documentary films. Martin Štoll, Jarmila Cysařová, Jana Hádková, Zdena Škapová and Milan Švihálek worked on the project. It was created with the financial support of the Czech Ministry of Culture.
25. 11. - 2. 12.
The Escapades Festival, whose 6th year was held at the Municipal Library and the Mat and Aero cinemas and the Unijazz club in Prague, served for “information and to refresh the memory”. The festival’s organizers set as their goal to acquaint above all young people, including foreign visitors and foreign-language communities in the Czech Republic with select Czech films of our recent history. Each screening was preceded by an expert introduction; interesting guests were invited for select titles. The main theme of the Film and Literature section was a series of films by Jan Procházka (4. 2. 1929 – 20. 2. 1971). Also screened were film works based on the writings of Arnošt Lustig, Ludvík Aškenazy (24. 2. 1921 – 18. 3. 1986), Vladimír Körner, Alexander Grin (23. 8. 1880 – 8. 7. 1932, SU), Marie Majerová (1. 2. 1882 – 16. 1. 1967) and Eva Kantůrková. Another section was called The Hits of Totalitarianism, which included films such as Jaroslav Balík’s Atomic Cathedral (Atomová katedrála, 1984, CSSR). The section Film and Youth featured several documentary, educational and instructional films. In honour of the anniversary of cinematographer Jan Čuřík (1. 11. 1924 – 4. 12. 1996) the Czech new wave film Searching (Bloudění, 1965, CSSR), directed by Antonín Máša (22. 7. 1935 – 4. 10. 2001), was screened. The festival’s conclusion commemorated the distribution hit from 30 years ago entitled ABBA The Movie (dir. Lars Hallström, 1977, Australia – Sweden).
26. 11. 2009 - 28. 2. 2010
The Strahov Monastery in Prague hosted an exhibition of Czech Film Marionettes. The work of classics of Czech marionette films were on display here, including that of Jiří Trnka (24. 2. 1912 – 30. 12. 1969), Hermína Týrlová (11. 12. 1900 – 3. 5. 1993), Břetislav Pojar, Karel Zeman (3. 11. 1910 – 5. 4. 1989), Josef Kluge, Vlasta Pospíšilová, Jaroslav Boček (25. 5. 1932 – 15. 3. 2003), Lubomír Beneš (7. 11. 1935 – 12. 9. 1995), Jiří Barta and others.
27. 11. - 4. 12.
The 11th International Film Festival was held in Slovakia – in Bratislava, Košice (competition of documentary films) and in Banská Bystrica (competition of short films). The programme included the following Czech-Slovak films Foxes (Lištičky/Líštičky, dir. Mira Fornay, 2009, CR – SR – Ireland), T.M.A. (dir. Juraj Herz, 2009, CR – SR), Cooking History (Jak se vaří dějiny/Ako sa varia dejiny, dir. Peter Kerekes, SR – Austria – CR) and Take It Jeasy! (Ježíš je normální!, dir. Tereza Nvotová, 2008, CR – SR).
27. - 29. 11.
The Art cinema in Brno (Czech Republik) hosted the 3rd Visions of Light film festival. Thirteen films were screened that the organizers considered to be of high artistic quality though they are not considered strong films abroad. Viewers in the Czech Republic were unable to see them to date in broad distribution. The festival was divided into three parts – three stages of film work: 1930s to 1950s, 1960s to 1970s, and the period from the 1980s. Each film was preceded by an introduction placing the work in a broader artistic and social context. The festival opened with the horror Vampyr – Der Traum des Allan Grey (dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1932, Denmark) and included Detour (dir. Edgar G. Ulmer, 1945, USA), Der Amerikanische Freund (dir. Wim Wenders, 1977, Germany) and The Cement Garden (dir. Andrew Birkin, 1993, Great Britain).
30. 11. 2009 - 4. 1. 2010
Prague’s theatre Divadlo Hybernia hosted a photography exhibition entitled The Film Magician Karel Zeman. It featured the presentation of film clips including original costumes from the film Baron Munchhausen (Baron Prášil, 1961, CR) which the film’s starring actor, Miloš Kopecký, dressed in. The exhibition was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Karel Zeman (3. 11. 1910 – 5. 4. 1989) and was presented in Prague after being shown in New York. The exhibition consists of 38 large photographs and three panels of text. The exhibition’s black-and-white photographs recollected the most famous feature, combined and animated films. The exhibition at theatre Divadlo Hybernia prepared the ground for the staging of the musical Baron Munchhausen (Baron Prášil), which is to open at this theatre in February 2010.
30. 11.
Filmmakers from Russia led by director Oleg Stepchenko shot until the end of January 2010 the historical film Viy at the Barrandov Film Studio in Prague. Shooting of the epic horror film based on the work of a Russian classic by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol (1. 4. 1809 – 4. 3. 1852) was already conducted in 2007 and 2008 at Brštejn Château (Czech Republic). The film’s camera work is done by Czechs Vladimír Smutný and costumes are by Jarmila Konečná. The film was shot in a studio, on the adjacent land and outdoor swimming pool. The film crew also used Barrandov costumes, props, labs and decorations.