I. A Calendar»
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1. - 10. 5.
The 8th International Festival of Animated Films – Anifest 2009 was held in Třeboň and Teplice (Czech Republic). The festival was opened in Třeboň on 1. 5. and ended on 4. 5. It then continued in Teplice on 7. – 10. 5. The international competition in the categories of short and feature filmes and the competition of Czech animated films created over the past two years was announced for Třeboň. Teplice was then the place of the international competition of student films, school series and custom-ordered works (i.e. advertisements, video clips and series, etc.). Anifest was included on the list of accompanying cultural events during the Czech presidency of the EU. In connection to this, the television project European Pexeso (2009), shot by Czech animators led by director Maria Procházková was presented in Třeboň and Teplice. The jury’s award for best Czech animated film from the Czech films in Třeboň went to A Tear is Needed (Usnula jsem, dir. Kristina Dufková, 2009), while the jury’s Honourable Mention went to a film from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague entitled Closed Garden (Zahrada uzavřená, dir. Magdalena Bartáková, 2006). Maria Procházková received Honourable Mention for her exceptional work with children in the television series Children Draw Songs (Děti kreslí písničky, 2008) and European Pexeso (Evropské pexeso, 2009). In Teplice in the competition of schools and student films, special recognition went to director Aneta Kýrová for the film Whoops, Mistake! (Chybička se vloudí, 2008); in the competition category of custom-ordered work special recognition went to director Michal Žabka for advertisements AVG – Monster (2008), UFO (2008) and Shark (Žralok, 2008).
4. - 6. 5.
The 5th Festival of Films on Ecology – EkoBiograph 2009 took place at Brno’s Art cinema. Both films from the Ekofilm festival and from other similar festival or foreign films the organizer felt relevant were presented at the non-competition festival. An interesting accompanying programme was prepared in addition to the film screenings. The Ekobibliographer, a series of environmentally focussed author readings in cooperation with the editors of Sedmá generace magazine, continued.
4. - 7. 5. and 15. 5.
In conjunction with The 8th Screening The World of Books in Film during the 15th International Book Fair and Literary Festival Book World /14. – 17. 5./, Prague, Ponrepo, the screening hall of the National Film Archive at Bio Konvikt in Prague, organized a screening of film adaptations. It featured film adaptations of the works of the Russian writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol (1. 4. 1809 – 4. 3. 1852) and adaptations of various works of Slovak writers brought together by one important individual: script editor, writer, artist and translator Albert Marenčin. These films included among others Taras Bulba (dir. Vladimir Strizhenovski, 1924, Germany), The Portrait (Podobizna, dir. Jiří Slavíček, 1947, Czechoslovakia) and Il cappotto (dir. Alberto Lattuada, 1952, Italy). Albert Marenčin’s work was represented by the Czechoslovak films A Song About the Grey Pigeon (Pieseň o sivom holubovi, dir. Stanislav Barabáš, 1961), Midnight Celebration (Polnočná omša, dir. Jiří Krejčík, 1962), The Barnabáš Kos Case (Případ Barnabáš Kos, dir. Peter Solan, 1964) and The Three Daughters (Tri dcéry, dir. Štefan Uher, 1967).
5. - 10. 5.
The International Film Festival was held in Stuttgart (Germany) where there was a screening of the Czech animated films A Place in the Sun (O místo na slunci, dir. František Vystrčil, 1959), The Incorrectly Drawn Hen (Špatně namalovaná slepice, dir. Jiří Brdečka, 1963), The Hand (Ruka, dir. Jiří Trnka, 1965), Darwin Anti-Darwin or What the Earthworm Didn’t Suspect (Darwin Antidarwin aneb Co žížala netušila, dir. Břetislav Pojar, 1969) and Dimensions of Dialogue (Možnosti dialogu, dir. Jan Švankmajer, 1982).
6. 5.
The bust of Czech director Martin Frič (29. 3. 1902 – 26. 8. 1968) was unveiled in the foyer of the main building of the Barrandov Studios in Prague. Columnist Ondřej Suchý talked about peripetia with the re-installation at the ceremonial event. It commemorated the creation of the foundation Frič Is (long) Gone (Frič je pryč /a už dlouho/), whose members took to questioning in 1997 why the monument to this great Barrandov figure was not returned to its proper place after the facade was repaired. The bust, unveiled at the end of the 1980s commemorating the 90th anniversary of the inception of Czech film was stowed away for a long time in a depository and the foundation was dissolved because it didn’t have the necessary capital. The Vlasta Burian Society took up the cause because Frič had shot eleven films with Burian. They succeeded in having the bust reinstalled.
6. 5. - 2. 11.
The 10th International Festival of Czech-German-Jewish Culture – Nine Gates 2009 was held. The children’s opera Brundibár by Hans Krása and Adolf Hoffmeister opened on May 6, 2009 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg to commemorate the end of World War II. The festival was divided into three parts: Spring, held in Strasbourg and London, Summer, held in Prague, and Autumn situated in the Luhačovice Spa. As for the film part of the programme, London hosted the screening of the Czech films Diamonds of the Night (Démanty noci, dir. Jan Němec, 1964), Psalm (Žalm, dir. Evald Schorm, 1965), Death of the Beautiful Roebucks (Ota Pavel – Smrt krásných srnců, dir. Vladimír Merta, 1975, FAMU graduate film), Love Your Enemies (Milujte své nepřátele, dir. Tomáš Škrdlant, 2005) and Stanislav Motl – The Living Dead (Stanislav Motl – Živý mrtvý, dir. Pavel Dražan, 2008). Prague hosted theatre performances and the following films were screened in the section of Film and Literature. Das Wachsfigurenkabinett (dir. Paul Leni, Leo Birinski, Germany, 1924) and the documentary Short Long Journey (Krátká dlouhá cesta, dir. Martin Hanzlíček, 2009). This film was also screened at the start of the autumn part of the festival in Luhačovice. Films also screened were the Czech films I Survived My Death (Přežil jsem svou smrt, dir. Vojtěch Jasný, 1960), A Loaf of Bread (Sousto, dir. Jan Němec, 1960), The Trial of H. – the Milada Horáková’s trial, a five-part documentary series (dir. Martin Vadas, 2008), Protector (Protektor, dir. Marek Najbrt, 2009), and Broken Promise (Nedodržený slib/Nedodržaný sľub, dir. Jiří Chlumský, SR – CR – USA, 2009). The Crystal Menorah Grand Prix for documentary film from the Nine Gates festival went to the film by screenplay writer Fedor Gál and director Martin Hanzlíček A Short Long Path (Krátká dlouhá cesta) and the Crystal Menorah for feature film went to Jiří Chlumský’s Broken Promise (Nedodržený slib/Nedodržaný sľub).
8. - 10. 5.
The 6th annual Animefest festival was held under the auspices of the Japanese Embassy in the Czech Republic and with the financial support of the City of Brno and the Japan Foundation at Scala cinema, the Břetislav Bakala screening room and at the conference centre at the International Hotel in Brno (Czech Republic). The festival is an annual meeting of fans of Japanese comics (mangy) and animated film (anime). This year’s festival brought many novelties. A few months before the festival Internet users could take part in several small competitions. New “large”competitions, Ren’Ai games and the Fest Fan-fiction were added. The traditional cosplay competition was divided into a competition of costumes and cosplay theatre. Traditional cosplay (costume play) is theoretically grouped with the performance art, i.e. art that uses the language of body and face Thanks to cooperation with foreign distributors the Animefest offered an exclusive screening of anime novelties – the European premiere of the series Kemono no Sôya Erin (dir. Takayuki Hamana, 2009) and Xam’d: Lost Memories/Bounen no Xamdou (dir. Masayuki Miyadji, 2008), the Czech premier of the films Sky Crawlers (dir. Mamoru Oshii, 2008), Sword of the Stranger (dir. Masahiro Ando, 2007), Genius Party Beyond – a film composed of five films: Gala (dir. Mahiro Maeda), Moondrive (dir. Kazuto Nakazawa), Wanwa the Doggy (dir. Shinya Ohira), Tou Jin Kit (dir. Tatzuyuki Tanaka) and Dimension Bomb (dir. Kodji Marimoto) and other films Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (dir. Mamoru Oshii, 2008) and Furusato Japan (dir. Akio Nishizawa, 2007).
11. - 13. 5.
The documentary serie The Trial of H. – Day One Through Day Ten (Proces H – Den první až Den desátý, 2009) was screened at Ponrepo, the screening hall of the National Film Archive at Bio Konvikt in Prague. Director Martin Vadas captured in it the preparation, course and participants of the communist staged “trial of the leader of the saboteur conspiracy against the republic, Dr. Milada Horáková.” The atypical documentary project comes from authentic film records that State Security made during the mammoth nine-day political trial. (The State Court did not issue a verdit on Sunday, 4 June 1950, but the machinations of the propaganda and disinformation campaigned controlled along the party line from the Central Committee of the Czechoslovak Communist Party continued to run). With the help of a sound recording from the archive of Czech Radio and the stenographic records of the process stored in the National Archive it was possible to patch together the incomplete footage archived in the National Film Archive with a length of roughly seven hours into a “live broadcast” from a courthouse in Pankrác. The documentary record is augmented by contributions made by historians and contemporaries. This tragic farce was played out before the National Court of that time over the course of nine days in late May and early June in 1950 – and the series The Trial of H. was divided in a similar way.
11. - 16. 5.
Zvolen, Banská Bystrica, Banská Štiavnica and Kremnica (Slovak Republic) hosted the 15th annual International Festival of Films on the Environment – Envirofilm 2009. The award in category A went to director Tomáš Kudrna’s Czech television film The (Eco)Lawyer with Respect (/Eko/právník s respektem, 2008) from the Generation “0” (Generace “0”) series. The award of the general director of Slovak Television went to the Czech television film Stones in the Czech Landscape (Kameny v české krajině, dir. Ljuba Václavová, 2008).
13. 5.
Prague’s cinema Lucerna hosted the opening ceremony of the Czech documentary film Citizen Havel Rolls Another Barrel (Občan Havel přikuluje, dir. Jan Novák, Adam Novák, 2009).
13. - 24. 5.
The 62nd International Film Festival took place in Cannes (France). In the Cinéfondation section, designed for film schools and young filmmakers, the twenty-one minute Czech feature film Old Lady (Bába) by director Zuzana Špidlová-Kirchnerová shot in 2008 won the main prix – Prix de la Cinéfondation. The Media European Talent award for best project went to Helena Třeštíková for her time-lapse project Miracle after 35 Years (Zázrak po 35 letech, 2010). The Czech Film Centre prepared in the Czech-Slovak pavillion, which was ceremonially opened on the occasion of the Cannes festival, novelties in current Czech film. On the film market the following Czech films were either screened, offered for sale or introduced at festivals: Tobruk (dir. Václav Marhoul, 2008, CR – SR), Bathory (dir. Juraj Jakubisko, 2008, SR – CR – Great Britain – Hungary), Who’s Afraid of the Wolf (Kdopak by se vlka bál, dir. Maria Procházková, 2008), Sister (Sestra, dir. Vít Pancíř, 2008), English Strawberries (Anglické jahody, dir. Vladimír Drha, 2008, CR – SR – Ukraine), Wingless (Ocas ještěrky, dir. Ivo Trajkov, 2009, CR – Macedonia) and Heaven, Hell... Earth (Nebe, peklo... zem, dir. Laura Siváková, 2009, SR – CR). The pavilion presented the 8th International Festival of Animated Film AniFest 2009 during the festival.
19. - 21. 5.
The Municipal Library in Prague hosted the 3rd Festival of Indonesian Films. The festival featured a screening of films of the most successful Indonesian filmmaker at present Riri Riza. The screening of six films began with Rizi last film to date Laskar pelangi (2008). The other films included the drama Eliana, Eliana (2002) and the film for children Patualangan Sherina (2000). Representative offices of Indonesia in Austria, Slovenia and Serbia took part in the festival as did the general consulate of Indonesia in Hamburg (Germany) where Rizi’s work was also screened.
19. - 23. 5.
Světozor cinema in Prague held the Festival of Latin American Film. The screening of eight films opened with the Brazilian film Como Era Gostoso o Meu Francês shot in 1971 by director Nelson Pereira dos Santos. Films shot in the last nine years in Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela were screened. At the close of the festival viewers saw a sixty minute documentary film entitled Miranda el precursor (2006). Venezuelan director Carlos Fung Guevara captured in it the life and struggle of Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda, the hero of three revolutions and progenitor of Latin American independence. A portrait of filmmaker Nelson Pereira dos Santos was also screened on May 19 – 22 as part of the festival at Ponrepo, the screening hall of the National Film Archive in Bio Konvikt in Prague.
21. - 22. 5.
A mini film festival of three Czech female directors was held in the Czech National Building in New York. It accompanied the international conference of female entrepreneurs and managers entitled Women – Creative Figures of the New Millennium. The screening offered conference participants, fellow Czech and the American public the documentary film for television A Walk Worthwhile (Dobře placená procházka, 2007) by Olga Špátová, the feature-length films Faithless Games (Nevěrné hry, 2003, CR– SR), Little Girl Blue (Tajnosti, 2007, CR – SR) by Alice Nellis and Night Owls (Děti noci, 2008) by Michaela Pavlátová.
21. - 24. 5.
The Mže cinema in Tachov (Czech Republic) hosted the 31st International Festival of Diving Photography, Films and Children’s Creative Works – PAF Tachov 2009. Both amateurs and profesionals could enter their works in the contest. The Film section consisted of three categories: A – amateur films, B – professional films and C – beginning artists. This third category was designed for all filmmakers who would like to or are beginning to present their work and are hesitating to participate in the PAF Tachov festival in categories A and B. The other competition sections consisted of Digital Photography, Artist Portfolio, Audiovisual Presentation and Children’s Works. Award winning Czech films: in the category of amateur film 2nd place went to the film Cenoty with a Check (Cenoty s kontrolou, dir. Miloš Smola, 2008), in the category professional films 2nd place went to Hugo Habrman for The Leštinka Quarry – a Flooded History (Lom Leštinka – zatopená historie, 2009) and to Miroslav Hrdý’s film Interactions (Interactions – Ovlivňování, 2009). In the category of beginning artist the special award for commentary and a light-hearted approach to a serious theme went to Zdeněk Zelinger for the feature film Free as a Bird (Volný jako pták, dir. Anna Zelingerová, 2009).
25. 5.
Slovak actor Marián Labuda received the Karel Čapek Award. This award recognizes an individual who contributed to the development of Czech-Slovak relations. It is presented by the Circle of Friends of Czech Culture and the Slovak town of Trenčianske Teplice. Labuda won the award as the Slovak actor appearing the most in Czech films.
25. 5.
Gustav Machatý’s Eroticon (Erotikon, 1929) considered the most important film of the silent era of Czech cinematography was shown at Lucerna cinema in Prague as part of the Prague Spring music festival. The screening was accompanied by the original music of composer Jan Klusák performed by a five-member ensemble directed by Mario Klemens. The screening was the opening event to commemorate the 100th anniversary of this cinema. In rescuing the film in the early 1990s the National Film Archive in Prague made it longer with newly discovered shots. Until then, the known version of it was 600 m shorter. A unique copy was, however, obtained from collector Milan Volf. This was a distribution version in which unknown shots were also preserved.
25. 5. - 10. 6.
One part of the film Utomlyonnye solntsem 2 by director Nikita Mikhalkov was shot in the Czech Republic, predominantly at the Barrandov studio, but also at Bezovka in Prague. The film was produced by Tree T, Moscow, services for the Czech side were provided by PRAGUE INTERNATIONAL FILMS.
26. 5.
Film director Miloš Forman, writers Arnošt Lustig and Josef Škvorecký and actor Josef Abrhám were among the nine individuals receiving the award of the Prague branch of the compatriot Society for Science and Art. The awards have been given since 2002 for artistic and scientific activities and the promotion of Czech culture and science abroad. The Society for Science and Art is a non-profit organization created in 1958 in the USA with the aim to preserve the continuity of Czech and Slovak sciences abroad. It currently has branches in American and Europe, as well as in Australia. In addition to publication activities, the Prague branch also organizes various lecture evenings where young scientists and artists are presented. It also helps them mediate the necessary contacts to study abroad.
26. 5.
Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, the author of international bestsellers, shot an advertisement for Volkswagen in the historical spaces of Prague’s Strahov Monastery. The ad was shot in the monastery’s historical library where the author was surrounded by his books and leafs through a car manual. Coelho ranks among the five bestselling authors in the world. His 1988 novel the Alchemist is the most famous Brazilian bestseller of all time.
26. 5.
The exhibition Your Jiřina – Film, Theatre and Life Roles of Jiřina Bohdalová (3. 5. 1931) opened in the foyer of the Na Jezerce theatre in Prague. The event took place on the occasion of the actress’s seventy-eighth birthday and was attended by former president and dramatist Václav Havel and his wife Dagmar.
27. 5.
The Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům multiplex in Prague hosted the ceremonial premiere of the Czech feature-length film In the Name of the King (Jménem krále) directed by Petr Nikolaev in 2009.
31. 5. - 7. 6.
The 49th International Festival of Films for Children and Youth ZLÍN 2009 – Competition Screening of Feature and Animated Films was held in Zlín (Czech Republik). The programme featured films from 44 countries. The dominant events were the days of European Film devoted to Spanish film and culture. The Days of Spanish Film included both new films in competitions as well as older films. Czech film in the competition section Feature Film for Children included Hell with the Princess (Peklo s princeznou, dir. Miloslav Šmídmajer, 2009) and Who’s Afraid of the Wolf (Kdopak by se vlka bál, dir. Maria Procházková, 2008). Changes (Proměny, 2009, CR – Italy) by Tomáš Řehořek competed in the European Debuts section. The Zlín festival’s Golden Slipper main prize (feature film for children) went to the Czech film Who’s Afraid of the Wolf (Kdopak by se vlka bál), while Hell with the Princess (Peklo s princeznou) received the children’s jury main prize. This latter film also received the viewers’ choice Golden Apple Award. Actor Lubomír Lipský received recognition for lifelong work in film for children and youth. Part of the festival was The 7th International Festival of Ethic Advertisement – The Rainbow Marble 2009 that took place on 3. and 4. 6. In the category of television spots first place went to the Munich Agreement (Mnichovská dohoda, dir. Jakub Hussar, 2008), in the category of social and non-commercial campaigns second place went to the spot We’re Open – Campaign (Máme otevřeno – kampaň, dir. Daniel Růžička, 2008), the children’s jury granted first prize - the Rainbow Smile - to INPES – McCANN-ERICKSON PRAGUE, INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING AGENCY and second prize to the TV spot Fund Project Help Children – Peep for Chickens. In the non-profit competition first place went to Radio commercials for Ententyky.cz – Revolta, in the category of television commercials first place went to Munich Agreement (dir. Jakub Hussar, 2008) – Euro RSCG, in the category of direct mail two third places were awarded – to The 2009 New Year Felicitation for the National Theatre – Revolta and Easter egg – Mark BBDO, two third places were also awarded in the category of print advertisement – to the advertisements Homeland Study – Euro RSCG and to Gallows – Euro RSCG, in the category of New Media first place went to Citibank Transparent Card – Loosers Prague. The Children’s jury awarded first prize – the Rainbow Smile – to the advertisement INPES – McCann Erickson. This year’s festival for the first time did not include student international film festival – Zlín’s Dog which was held separately on 4. – 8. 3. Names were added on 2. 6. to the Sidewalk of Fame in front of the Zlín Velké cinema. Organizers unveiled the star tile for actress Tereza Brodská, who played adulted Věrka from the TV series The Train of Happiness and Hope (Vlak štěstí a naděje, dir. Karel Kachyňa, 1984) and to Ondřej Kepka who played Honzík in the TV series Arabela (dir. Václav Vorlíček, 1979).
31. 5. - 27. 6.
A screening of the films of the Czech film director Karel Vachek was held in Berkeley at the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. The screening included Moravian Hellas (Moravská Hellas, 1963) and Elective Affinities (Spřízněni volbou, 1968).