I. A Calendar»
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
2. 6.
Palace Cinemas Slovanský dům in Prague (Czech Republic) held the ceremonial opening of the animated film Hurveenek and the Snowman 3D (Hurvínek na scéně 3D). The film was shot by David Havel (Martin Klásek – theatre director) in 2010. This is a film shot on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the creation of the famous puppets by Josef Skupa based on the performance Hurveenek’s Nicholas (Hurvínkův Mikuláš) by the director of the Divadlo Spejbla and Hurvínka theatre Helena Štáchová.
3. 6.
The Czech Literary Fund Foundation (Nadace Český literární fond) awarded its prizes for 2009. In the category of film and television Jiří Barta’s In the Attic or Who Has a Birthday Today (Na půdě aneb Kdo má dneska narozeniny?/Na povale alebo Kto má dnes narodeniny?, 2009, CR – SR – Japan) was awarded.
3. - 5. 6.
Athens (Greece) hosted the Days of Contemporary Czech Film, which presented four Czech films from 1999 – 2007. The festival was held in the newly opened outdoor cinema of the Greek Film Archive Lais and was opened with Alice Nellis’ Little Girl Blue (Tajnosti, 2007, CR – SR). The festival then continued with the films Wrong Side Up (Příběhy obyčejného šílenství, dir. Petr Zelenka, 2005, CR – SR – Germany), Želary (dir. Ondřej Trojan, CR – SR – Austria, 2003) and Cosy Dens (Pelíšky, dir. Jan Hřebejk, 1999, CR).
3. - 5. 6.
Prague’s Palace Theatre hosted The 4th International Film Festival of /non/Actors with Mental and Combined Disabilities – Mental Power Prague (4. mezinárodní filmový festival (ne)herců s mentálním a kombinovaným postižením – Mental Power Prague), organized by HENDAVER, o. s. in collaboration with the National Council of Disabled People in the Czech Republic and its chairman Václav Krása. The festival’s objective was to create the conditions and environment typical for film festivals of professional actors, allowing disabled people to experience fame and prestige among people without disabilities and to show healthy people that these people are people just as capable in artistic creation and experience, to convince the public at large of their abilities and to convince people with disabilities that they have an equal and stable place in society as artists. For prizes – see 4. mezinárodní filmový festival (ne)herců s mentálním a kombinovaným postižením – Mental Power Prague.
4. 6.
The presidium of the Czech Film and Television Academy (ČFTA – České filmové a televizní akademie) recommended to the European Film Academy (EFA) for 2010 three Czech feature films and one documentary for European film awards: Three Seasons in Hell (3 sezóny v pekle, dir. Tomáš Mašín, 2009, CR – Germany – SR), Kooky (Kuky se vrací, dir. Jan Svěrák, 2010, CR – Denmark), Protector (Protektor, dir. Marek Najbrt, 2009) and the documentary Katka (dir. Helena Třeštíková, 2010). The Czech Republic is among a group of 20 countries that also have the chance for a direct nomination of one feature film. This nomination is determined by the Czech members of the EFA and they announce it with the other nominations announced by the European Film Academy in November. The awards themselves will be presented on 4. 12. in Tallinn, Estonia. In addition to these 20 directly nominated films, another twenty films are selected by a special commission of the EFA in the traditional way by recommendation. So altogether there will be 40 films in the competition. Their choice is announced in early September. Feature and documentary films taking part in the European Film Prizes 2010 must be created in European production and must have their first official premiere (whether at a festival or in a cinema) after 1 July 2009. New members were elected to the ČFTA’s presidium – Miroslav Ondříček as president and Petr Vachler as director. Jiří Hubač is the administrative chairman and Ivo Mathé the chairman of the supervisory board. The presidium consists of Jiří Bartoška, Pavel Strnad, Zdeněk Svěrák, Ondřej Trojan, Eva Zaoralová, Jaroslav Bouček, Václav Marhoul, Alois Fišárek, Čestmír Kopecký, Jan Mattlach and Helena Třeštíková. There are thirty-two members of the European Film Academy for the Czech Republic of which Miloš Forman is an honourable member.
4. - 6. 6.
In Poděbrady (Czech Republic) there was held The 1th International Television and Film Festival of the Central Bohemian Region – Poděbrady Film Experiences (1. mezinárodní televizní a filmový festival Středočeského kraje Poděbradské filmové zážitky), offering audiences screenings of films made for television and cinemas that were divided into five competition categories (Art and relaxation, Gastroscope, Trends, Sport, Person and Planet), as well as a rich accompanying programme. Viewers enjoyed seeing their favourite stars – the finalist of Czech-Slovak Superstar Leona Šenková or Petr Vondráček and his music group Locomotive. Receiving honourable mention from the foreign films was, among others, the Slovak film Bhutan – Searching for Happiness (Bhután – Hľadanie šťastia/Bhútán – hledání štěstí, dir. Pavol Barabáš, 2010, SR), the jury’s special awards went to Maradona by Kusturica (Maradona para Kusturica, dir. Emir Kusturica, Spain – France) and Home (dir. Yann Arthus-Bertrand, France). The festival was thematically focused on health and a healthy life style. For the awarding of films – see 1. mezinárodní televizní a filmový festival Středočeského kraje Poděbradské filmové zážitky
7. 6.
The Pavel Koutecký award was given out for the fourth time (4. ročník Soutěže o Cenu Pavla Kouteckého) and took held in Prague. For exceptional documentary work it went to Martin Ryšavý for his film A Land of Dreams (Země snů, 2009).
7. 6.
Václav Marhoul’s film Tobruk (2008, CR – SR) won several awards at the festival of the Los Angeles Movie Awards: for best film of the entire festival, for best work in the competition of feature films, the award in the category of best editing, the award in the category of best creative work, the award in the category of best special effects and the award in the category of best costume.
9. - 11. 6.
John Amos Comenius Museum in Uherský Brod (Muzeum Jana Amose Komenského v Uherském Brodě, Czech Republic) and the Zlín Region Culture Fund organized the 13th Festival of Museum Films – MUSAIONFILM (13. přehlídku muzejních filmů MUSAIONFILM). The event was divided by the days into three cycles: Museums, People, places and film and History. The festival also featured lecture seminars with film screenings, an exhibition of the photography of Pavel Popelka entitled People from Moravia. doc. Rudolf Adler, doc. Jiří Myslík from FAMU (Filmová a televizní fakulta Akademie múzických umění v Praze) and Jarmila Šlaisová, director of IMPULS Centre for Amateur Culture (Středisko amatérské kultury IMPULS), took part in the lecture seminars.
10. 6.
The Czech film About Sex (O sexu, dir. Bára Dlouhá, 2008) had its premiere in Czech cinemas. It was screened as a pre-film to the Spanish film Me Too (Yo también, dir. Álvaro Pastor, Antonio Naharro, 2009).
10. - 13. 6.
The Vsetín Film Club and Association of Czech Film Clubs organized in Vsetín (CR) The 12th Summer Film Marathon – Winners of the European Film Festival and Macedonian Film (12. letní filmový maraton – vítězové evropských filmových festivalů a makedonský film). The Vsetín festival is traditionally connected with the cinematography of Balkan countries. Following the films of Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia, older and newer films of the post-Yugoslavian republic of Macedonia were presented in a thematic block. The main guest was Macedonian director Stole Popov. Four of his feature films were included in the screening of Macedonian films: Gypsy Magic (1997), Tetoviranje (1991), Crveniot konj (1981) and Happy New Year (1986). Another festival guest was film director, screenplay writer, producer and native of Skopje, Macedonia, but residing in the Czech Republic, Ivo Trajkov. Twenty-one feature films were included in the Summer Film Marathon programme (12. letní filmový maraton – vítězové evropských filmových festivalů a makedonský film), nine of which were from Macedonia. Some of the Macedonian films were never before screened in the Czech Republic. In addition to the collection of films from the Balkans, films awarded at European national and international festivals were screened and exhibitions were organized.
10. 6. - 26. 11.
Aerokraťas – The 7th annual Competition of Auteur Short Films which the operators of Prague’s Aero cinema have announced since 2004, was held (Aerokraťas – 7. ročník soutěže autorských krátkých filmů). More than one amateur talent, whose work was first shown on Aero’s screen, have been discovered during the competition. The competition winner received, in addition to a prize gift, also the chance to have his film screened with the other winning films as a pre-film before the screening of feature films at Aero the following year. For the awards – see Aerokraťas – 7. ročník soutěže autorských krátkých filmů.
11. - 20. 6.
The 10th Krimifest Film Festival was held in Chodov (10. filmový festival Krimifest CHODOV) /Czech Republic/. Taking part in the festival’s organization were Jaroslav Kopic with Cultural and Social Centre KASS, Ltd. and the Chodov Municipal Authorities. The festival included the screening of 24 Czech and foreign films and 4 films for children and young people that were arranged in various sections: competition films, film tension, films that stand out, films for children, films for schools and films on DVD. An opening the exhibition entitled Jan Saudek – Original was held, a concert of Castle Guard Music was performed and the festival was visited by several interesting guests including police captain Jiří Komorous and emeritus police councilman Miloslav Dočekal, actor Jan Révai and actress Jaroslava Obermaierová. For awarded films – see 10. filmový festival Krimifest CHODOV.
12. - 19. 6.
Nové Město nad Metují (Czech Republic) hosted the The 32nd Czech Film and Television Comedy Festival – The Nové Město Pot of Laughter (32. festival české filmové a televizní komedie – Novoměstský hrnec smíchu). The organizer was the Municipal Club and town. Only five feature-length films vied for the Golden First and other awards, including the viewers’s choice Nové Město Cup of Laughter. The TV category was empty. The festival included the competition section Student Laughter 2010 that screened the films of film school students. For the awards – see 32. festival české filmové a televizní komedie – Novoměstský hrnec smíchu.
12. 6. - 29. 8.
As part of the Prague Film Summer films were screened on the specially equipped Kinobus for the third time at twenty places in Prague and its surroundings under the auspices of the Prague Public Transport Company. Nine films were offered to audiences over 75 screenings. The following films were screened Three Seasons in Hell (dir. Tomáš Mašín, 2009, Czech Republic – Slovak Republic – Germany), The Grapes 2 (2Bobule, dir. Vlad Lanné, 2009), Kawasaki’s Rose (Kawasakiho růže, dir. Jan Hřebejk, 2009), You Kiss Like God (Líbáš jako Bůh, dir. Marie Poledňáková, 2009), Men in a Rut (Muži v říji, dir. Robert Sedláček, 2009), Cosy Dens (Pelíšky, dir. Jan Hřebejk, 1999), Protector (Protektor, dir. Marek Najbrt, 2009) and two films for television by Marie Poledňáková: How to Pull Out a Molar from a Whale’s Mouth (Jak vytrhnout velrybě stoličku, 1977) and How to Get Dad to Reform School (Jak dostat tatínka do polepšovny, 1978). The screening started at Petřín Hill as part of the Prague Museum Night. The Help Children fundraising event was part of the Kinobus screenings.
14. - 18. 6.
In collaboration with the Spanish Embassy in the Czech Republic the National Film Archive’s Ponrepo screening hall at Bio Konvikt in Prague (Národní filmový archiv) held a screening of Spanish experimental film entitled From Ecstasy to Captivation – 50 Years of a “Different Kind” of Film. The programme was divided into four blocks according to the prevailing technology (animation films, films shot on Super 8) or genre (journal films, meta films). Two blocks consisted of independent feature films – the abstract Ere erera baleibu icik subua aruaren (dir. José Antonio Sistiaga, 1970) and Arrebatados. Recordando a Iván Zulueta (dir. Pedro González Bermúdez, 1980).
15. 6.
The Annual Awards of the Slovak Film Association, the Union of Slovak Television Artists and the Literary Fund for audiovisual work of 2009 – 21st IGRIC 2010 were presented. Ján Ďuriš, the cinematographer of the co-production Slovak-Czech film Broken Promise (Nedodržený slib/Nedodržaný sľub, dir. Jiří Chlumský, 2009), was awarded IGRIC for feature work. Actor Samuel Spišák received a creative reward for best performance in a film or television work for his portrayal of the figure Martin Friedman-Petrášek. The IGRIC Award for best actor in a film or television work went to Attila Mokos for his role in the film Peace in the Soul (Pokoj v duši, dir. Vladimír Balko, 2009, Slovak Republic – Czech Republic). The creative reward for feature work for cinema went to directors Vladimír Balko for Peace in the Soul and Mira Fornay for screenplay and directing of Foxes (Lištičky/Líštičky, CR – SR – Ireland, 2009). The jury awarded the creative reward for film and television documentary work to, among other Marko Škop for his screenplay and direction of the film Osadné Village (Osadné, SR – CR, 2009). The creative reward for other television and series work went to Martin Šulík for his direction of the series The Golden Sixties (Zlatá šedesátá, 2009, CR – SR).
15. - 25. 6.
The Světozor cinema in Prague hosted the First annual festival of the work of students of the Michael Secondary School of Advertising – Festmichael. The first day of the festival featured the screening of student films and on the same day Dolmen gallery opened an exhibition of photography and graphic works by the school's student. The leitmotif of the exhibition consisted icons of the Czech Republic – how they are interpreted by photographers and graphic artists at the start of their careers. Film director, cinematographer and pedagog Jaroslav Brabec headed the expert jury. The Main prize of the jury went to fourth-year student Josef Hník for his documentary probe into nocturnal city life entitled Surprise Visit (Nečekaná návštěva). Viewers chose as their favourite film a pointed mini-story with a crime-story plot, Vietnamese Job. The film was made by third-year student Jan Štětina. The Michael Secondary School of Advertising has for 15 years been the only school in the Czech Republic that provides comprehensive education in the area of advertising.
16. - 17. 6.
Czech Television (ČESKÁ TELEVIZE) organized at Atlas cinema in Prague the 2nd annual Festival Czech Document (2. ročník přehlídky Český dokument) that presented documentary films created either in direct production or co-production with Czech Television (ČESKÁ TELEVIZE) in 2009 and 2010. The festival featured 19 films and a retrospective of documentaries by Drahomíra Vihanová (31. 7. 1930) to commemorate her 80th birthday.
17. - 26. 6.
The 32nd International Film Festival took place in Moscow. Czech actress Vilma Cibulková received the Silver St. George Award for her performance in the film Earthy Paradise for the Eyes (Zemský ráj to napohled, dir. Irena Pavlásková, 2009). The film also came away from the Moscow Festival with the FIPRESCI (The International Federation of Film Critics) Award and the FICC (The International Federation of Film Clubs) award.
18. 6.
The European Commission approved for the Czech Republic a financial stimulus project for film productions. Based on this programme the state can return to film producers, who will shoot their films in the Czech Republic, a portion of their expended money. Foreign film crews can now get back up to 20 percent of their costs demonstrably incurred in shooting films in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic was one of the last countries to introduce this measure. The Czech Ministry of Culture (Ministerstvo kultury České republiky) released half a billion crowns for this programme that the Czech government approved in October 2009.
18. - 26. 6.
The 18th Art Film Fest was held in Trenčianske Teplice and in Trenčín (Slovak Republik) at which French actor Gérard Depardieu, Slovak actor Milan Kňažko and Czech actor Josef Abrhám were awarded with the Actor’s Mission Award. Czech director Václav Vorlíček and Slovak cinematographer Stanislav Szomolányi won the Golden Camera Award.
20. - 27. 6.
The 39th Festival of Films from Central and Eastern Europe – the Lubusk Film Summer took place in Łagów (Poland). The Juliusz Burski Award in the competition of feature films went to the Slovak-Czech co-production Peace in the Soul (Pokoj v duši, dir. Vladimír Balko, 2009). The competition featured the screening of another co-production Slovak-Czech documentary Osadné Village (Osadné, dir. Marko Škop, 2009).
22. 6., 22. 9. and 23. 11.
Zlín (Czech Republic) held the 14th Festival on Travelling, Bringing and Understanding Cultures Closer Together – Unknown Land (14. festival cestování, sbližování a poznávání kultur – Neznámá země). In the days of the great expedition discoveries in which the shape of the land was just being discovered, the white places on the maps were marked with the words Terra incognita – Unknown Lands. The places still untouched by human foot. The plan of the festival organizers, Petr Horký and Miroslav Náplava, was to find the white places in our heads and remove them. This fourteenth festival honoured the legacy of explorer Jiří Hanzelka (24. 12. 1920 – 15. 2. 2003), who would have celebrated his ninetieth birthday in 2010. The festival’s subtitle was the title to Hanzelka’s last book “On Tolerance”. The Echoes of the festival were three days: 22. 6. Journalist, screenwriter and director Lenka Klicperová presented the documentary film Tears of the Congo (Slzy Konga) shot during the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo in November 2008. In the evening of the same day the discussion was held with two travellers, Jana Fárková and Darja Milošová, who had returned from Bhutan, from the “Little Showman” three-week trek. The trek links three closed valleys divided by five thousand meter mountain ridges. In 2009 Jana Fárková carried to the top of Kilimanjaro the flag of the Territo Incognita festival and upon returning dedicated it to Miroslav Zikmund (14. 2. 1919) for his 90th birthday. 22. 9. the dance ethno-beat group Kumbalu that draws inspiration from African, Arabic and Balkan-Jewish music played at the festival. The festival concluded on 23.11. with a discussion with explorer Petr Horký, who was a member of the six-member British expedition Cross Greenland – from sea to sea. Beginning on 20 April for a period of six weeks the progress could be monitored on line at www.piranhafilm.cz. Announced at the festival was the Motornomads international film competition for amateur filmmakers that undertake strips around the world using motor transport. The premiere of the international film competition will take place as part of the Terra incognita festival in April 2011. The name Motornomads is in honour of the most famous Czech “motor nomads”, Jiří Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund. Moreover, the films from the travels that Hanzelka and Zikmund undertook during their several-year expedition in Tatra 87 and 805 vehicles were made in the Zlín film studios. Miroslav Zikmund was named the honourable chairman of the jury of the first annual Motornomads competition. Since 2001 the festival’s organizers have given the Kantuta award to exceptional individuals for their personal contributions in discovering and understanding the world's cultures. In April 2010 the award went to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
23. - 27. 6.
As part of the 20th anniversary of the relationship of partnership cities Prague and Hamburg the Czech Film Centre (České filmové centrum) České filmové centrumorganized in collaboration with the Kinemathek Hamburg a film festival and meeting of producers. Under the title Made in Prag the Hamburg public was first presented with dozens of Czech feature films. This was supplemented of films portraying Prague and three programmes of short films by film school students from Prague and Hamburg. The Made in Prag festival was opened by Miroslav Hřebejk’s film Kawasaki’s Rose (Kawasakiho růže, 2009) in the director’s presence. Also screened were Helena Třeštíková’s René (2008), the Czech-Polish film by Petr Zelenka The Karamazovs (Karamazovi/Bracia Karamazow, 2008), Michaela Pavlátová’s drama Night Owls (Děti noci, 2008) and Jan Balej’s feature animated film One Night, One City (Jedné noci v jednom městě, 2007). Film historian Michal Bregant put together three films portraying Prague under the title Three Views. In addition to Jan Němec’s feature film The Ferrari Dino Girl (Holka Ferrari Dino, 2009, CR) and the short documentary film by Martin Mareček Auto*Mate (Auto*Mat, 2008, CR), Věra Chytilová’s Prague: The Restless Heart of Europe (Praha, neklidné srdce Evropy, 1984, CR), part of the cycle of Italian TV’s Centres of Europe was shown. Under the thematic title Breathless – Dominance of the Moment two documentary films created as part of the Czech-German ZIPP project were screened: the film of Jan Gogola ml., I Love My Boring Life (Mám ráda nudný život (2009, CR – Germany) and Karel Žalud’s Phantom of Liberty II (Přízrak svobody II, 2009, CR – Germany). Beginning filmmakers from film schools from Prague and Hamburg got the chance to present their films as well. The You and Me programme offered in three blocks 18 short films that the filmmakers themselves introduced. The film festival was supplemented by a meeting of producers from Hamburg and Prague that presented their prepared projects. The shared “location tour” on a boat acquainted those attending with interesting places for filming.
24. 6.
From September 2010 schools in the Czech Republic can offer film and dance courses as part of their education. The proposal was approved at a Czech Ministry of Education meeting. Students should learn to express themselves through visual or physical means, and develop a sensitivity and critical view of art. According to Markéta Pastorová from the Pedagogical Research Institute, tertiary-level schools could offer this type of education for future teachers as well. In August River Film Festival in Písek (2. festival nad řekou, Czech Republic) offered teachers the chance to become familiar with film education at a seminar. From the new school year schools can also teach ethical education, in which students can learn proper behaviour, tolerance and communication. All new education programmes should serve to develop social and communication skills of children which is one of the main points of the school reform.
24. 6.
The British-Czech-French film Solomon Kane (dir. Michael J. Bassett, 2009) was launched into distribution.
24. 6.
Pardubice’s Dukla cinema hosted the ceremonial premiere of the Czech documentary full-length feature film The Village of Ležáky 42 (Ležáky 42, dir. Miloš Pilař, 2010).
24. - 26. 6.
The 6th International Festival of European Film Art Telč – Arts&Film 2010 was held in Telč /Czech Republic/ (6. mezinárodní festival evropského filmového umění Telč – Arts&Film 2010). Over 280 films from 32 European countries competed in some categories. The categories covered the area of the fine arts, architecture and design, music, dramatic art, film and literature, folk and naive art and arts and crafts. Multimedia presentations on CD and web presentations in all artistic areas were presented in a new category. Among the Czech films screened were Houses for Art Lovers (Domy milovníků umění, dir. Theodor Mojžíš, 2009) on Moravian architecture of the 20th century, capturing the work of not only Czech, but also foreign architects with work in the Czech Republic. The film was shot by the Museum of Art in Olomouc (Muzeum umění Olomouc) and Video Theo. The programme also featured echoes of the Lower Austrian Regional Exhibition from 2009. The festival was supplemented by art workshops, individual screenings and exhibitions. Young artists met with legends of Czech cinematography from the 1960s called the New Wave. The festival’s guest was director Miroslav Janek, who presented his films created in the USA before 1989 as well as films shot after 1990 in the Czech Republic, and the tradition guest of the festival, director Vojtěch Jasný. For the awarding of Czech films see the Czech text – see 6. mezinárodní festival evropského filmového umění Telč – Arts&Film 2010.
25. 6.
Students in Prague paid their respects at Újezd at the Monument to the victims of communism to the memory political prisoners and also commemorated the sixtieth anniversary of the execution of Milada Horáková (25. 12. 1901 – 27. 6. 1950). The remembrance ceremony was organized by People in Need (Člověk v tísni, o. p. s.) who organized for the entire week screening of films on modern Czech history at schools. The screenings were attended by 1,400 students of basic and secondary schools in Prague, Brno and Liberec. The week of documentary films for schools was organized by People in Need to commemorate the Day of Commemorating Victims of the Communist Regiment that fell on June 27th. This was the date that national-socialist politician Milada Horáková was executed 60 years before.
26. 6.
The Beatles’ hit Can't Buy Me Love, known from the film Hard Day’s Night (dir. Richard Lester, 1964, Great Britain) was played by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in a full Smetana Hall at the Municipal House to open the 6th annual Festival of Prague Proms that took place in various places in Prague till 22. 7. The Czech National Symphony Orchestra played the symphonic version of hits of the famous British quartet conducted by Carl Davis, who worked in 1991 with Beatles singer and bass guitarist Paul McCartney with the classical instrumentation of his Liverpool oratorio. The Prague Proms Festival offered a broad pallet of music from the Beatles to jazz and Italian aria to film music. The event included a performance in honour of Gustav Mahler (7. 7. 1860 – 18. 5. 1911) on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth. The 6th annual Festival of Prague Proms concluded with a concert composed from Verdi overtures and arias entitled Notte alla Scala, with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marcello Rota.
26. 6.
Czech director Jiří Menzel and actors Jaromír Hanzlík and Jiří Schmitzer once again went under the chimney of the Dalešice brewery. They commemorated the film Cutting It Short (Postřižiny, 1980) that they shot based on Bohumil Hrabal’s literary work exactly 30 years ago. The anniversary was also celebrated with them by hundreds of people at the traditional festivities.
26. 6. - 3. 7.
The DVD with the Czech film Marijka the Unfaithful (Marijka nevěrnice, dir. Vladislav Vančura, 1934) released in collaboration with the National Film Archive (Národní filmový archiv) and FILMEXPORT HOME VIDEO, spol. s r. o., received the award for the Best Newly Discovered Forgotten Film at the 24th Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna, Italy.
28. 6.
The Film Haberdashery Terry’s Socks shop and Světozor cinema in Prague prepared several exhibitions of film posters for film and art enthusiasts. Altogether over three hundred posters by leading Czechoslovak artists were exhibited, predominantly from the 1960s. The first exhibition opened 17. 6. in the Moravian Slovakia Museum in Uherské Hradiště (Czech Republic). One of the most extensive exhibitions to be prepared during the five-year existence of Film Haberdashery Terry’s Socks will run until 12. 9. The name of the exhibition is Czechoslovak Film Posters 1959 –1989 and contains over 120 works. In collaboration with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival the Thermal Hotel (45. mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary 2010) held on 2. – 10. 7. a screening of forty posters to cult films from all over the world. The festival’s visitors could see famous Czechoslovak posters to Fellini films Giulietta degli spiriti (1965, Italy – France) and La dolce vita (1960, Italy), to Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow Up (1966, Great Britain) and La notte (1960, Italy – France) or posters to the Czechoslovak 1960s classics The Shop on Main Street (Obchod na korze, dir. Ján Kadár, Elmar Klos, 1965), Firemens’ Ball (Hoří má panenko/La Fiesta de bomberos, dir. Miloš Forman, 1967, Czechoslovakia – Italy) and The Joke (Žert, dir. Jaromil Jireš, 1968). The third exhibition offered 3. 6. – 3. 8. in the foyer of Prague’s Světozor cinema propaganda and public education posters of the 1950s. In addition to posters promoting communism in all forms, viewers could see public education posters appealing, for instance, for Czechoslovaks to act thriftily. The Prague’s Bio Oko cinema hosted from 20. 6. a thematic exhibition entitled Flowers in Posters. Till the end of July visitors could view approx. twenty posters whose artists creatively used floral motifs. Another thematic exhibition, this time focussing on the motif of the airplane in posters could be viewed on 15. 6. – 30. 7. at the Aero cinema in Prague and part of it was exhibited during the Karlovy Vary film festival (45. mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary 2010) at the multi-functional Aeroport space near the spa colonnade.
28. 6. - 2. 7.
Czech studies scholars from all over the world met in Prague to discuss otherness in Czech literature. As part of the fourth annual international literature studies congress scholars discussed the female and male roles in literature or the film or musical versions of literature. Another subject block dealt with Romantic poetry of Czech poet Karel Hynek Mácha (16. 11. 1810 – 6. 11. 1836), and the 200 year anniversary of his birth. Scholars aimed above all to reassess hitherto attitudes to literature. In the block concerned with otherness in Czech literature, their was also a paper give entitled Golem, Robot, Shweik: Their worldliness and Czech-ness by a professor Sergio Corduas of Venice University. The overlapping of Czech literature to other art forms was addressed by talks on literature in film or the relation of the modern poet and folklore. The congress was organized by the Institute for Czech Literature of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic together with the Institute of Czech Literature of the Faculty of Arts of Charles University (Univerzita Karlova v Praze - Filozofická fakulta) and the Museum of Czech Literature and was attended by 160 Czech studies scholars from 20 countries around the world. In addition to Europe, scholars came from the USA, Canada and Japan as well.
29. 6.
Karlovy Vary freed from the budget CZK 2,000,000 for the initial work related to saving the premises of the outdoor cinema that has been closed since 1999. The cinema’s structure was deemed unsafe and closed. Originally only the summer cinema will change to a natural amphitheatre fully connecting to the adjacent park.
29. 6. - 31. 10.
An exhibition at the Hvězda summer chateau in Prague presented the life and work of Czech Romantic writer Karel Hynek Mácha (16. 11. 1810 – 6. 11. 1836). It took place on the 200th anniversary of the artist’s birth. The exhibition was presented by its creator Dalibor Tureček from South Bohemia University in České Budějovice. Exhibition visitors could become acquainted with Mácha through copies of archive materials, books, photographs and drawings. The exhibition was divided into five parts – Mácha’s life, Mácha’s work, fine art Romanticism in his day, Mácha-inspiration in art and Mácha's myth and cult. The exhibition space was supplemented by an audio recording of a reciting of Mácha’s poem May (Máj) and musical compositions inspired by Mácha’s work. In the part devoted to Mácha’s work a documentary from Mácha’s second burial at Vyšehrad in Prague from 1939 was screened as filmed version of Mácha’s novel Gypsies (Cikáni, 1921) by Karel Anton from the National Film Archive (Národní filmový archiv). Mácha was buried at the Litoměřice cemetery in 1836, but more than a hundred years later his remains were, due to Germany’s occupying of the Czech borderlands, transferred to Prague. His second funeral was a display of national resistance against the Nazis. The exhibition was organized by the Museum of Czech Literature in collaboration with the Library of the National Museum and other partners. The Museum of Czech Literature published for the exhibition a catalogue with studies by the creators of the exhibition, a bibliography of Mácha’s works, Mácha’s filmography and a list of the exhibits.
30. 6.
The group Samozvanci (Pretenders) composed of Jiří Fiedor, Martin Fišer, Zbyněk Hejda, Vladimír Hendrich, Michal Matzenauer, Josef Mlejnek and Petr Šafařík announced at the National Film Archive’s Ponrepo screening hall at Bio Konvikt (Národní filmový archiv) The 8th annual Award of Andrej Nikolaj Stankovič (8. ročník Cen Andreje Nikolaje Stankoviče). The award went to Jana Ševčíková for the documentary film The Old Believers (Starověrci, 2001) and to Miroslav Bambušek for the film Jan Hus – A Mass for Three Dead Men (Jan Hus – mše za tři mrtvé muže, 2009). During the ceremony they were handed from a member of the Samozvanci a certification on the conferment of the award, a bronze statuette from sculptor Michal Blažek and a bottle of homemade “Nikolajka” plum liqueur.