I. A Calendar»
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
4. 5.
Prague’s Světozor cinema hosted the ceremonial premiere of the Czech feature film Tomorrow There Will Be... (Zítra se bude..., dir. Jan Hřebejk, 2010).
6. 5.
Světozor and Lucerna cinemas in Prague hosted the ceremonial premiere of Czech documentary film Czech Peace (Český mír, dir. Vít Klusák, Filip Remunda, 2010).
7. - 9. 5.
Uherské Hradiště (Czech Republic) hosted the 12th annual Seminar of Archive Film – Marco Ferreri /Discovering the Director/ (12. seminář archivního filmu: Marco Ferreri – objevování osobnosti režiséra) and was devoted to the Italian director and his less known work in the Czech Republic that in many views broke down social and film myths and illusions. Among those films screened were his film L’ape regina: Una storia moderna (1962) and La Grande bouffe/La grande abbuffata (1973, France – Italy). A guest of the seminar was the Italian critic Adrian Apra, who repeatedly worked with Ferreri. The seminar was organized by the Municipal cinemas of Uherské Hradiště.
7. - 16. 5.
The Moravian Gallery in Brno held a retrospective film festival devoted to the work of cinematographer Karel Slach (17. 12. 1940), on the occasion of his seventieth birthday. Karel Slach is a major Czech cinematographer of the documentary school. After studying at the Šechtl photography studio in Tábor, his native town, he studied at Prague’s FAMU (Filmová a televizní fakulta Akademie múzických umění v Praze) in the camera department (1961 – 1965). Slach’s cinematographic work includes a wide thematic scope in the area of art, culture and social life. The list of directors with whom he has worked and continues to work includes Karel Vachek, Ctibor Turba, Dušan Hanák, Dušan Trančík, Břetislav Rychlík, Pavel Kačírek, Petr Slavík, Miloš Zábranský and others.
8. 5. - 9. 11.
The 11th International Festival of Czech-German-Jewish Culture – Nine Gates (11. mezinárodní festival česko-německo-židovské kultury – Devět bran) was held on several dates in the Czech Republic. The spring part took place in Brno on 8. 5. and in Prague 9. 5., this time the festival’s echoes after its spring part were abroad as well – in Spain and Romania. The summer part of the festival was held in Prague’s Divadlo hudby theatre 21. – 27. 6., the autumn programme could be viewed on 22. – 26. 9. in Luhačovice and the winter part on 5. – 9. in Trutnov. The main theme of this festival was the Romanian Jewish culture. Romania is a country with a rich Jewish tradition and before the Second World War over 700,000 Jews lived there. The State Jewish Theatre in Bucharest, which was also presented at the festival, also impresses. The festival also commemorated the 65th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. A number of films were among the screenings, including the following: the Czech documentary Thank God for Football (Zaplaťpánbůh za fotbal, dir. Ivan Stehlík, 2010) and the feature film Diamonds of the Night (Démanty noci, dir. Jan Němec, 1964). For the awarded films – see 11. mezinárodní festival česko-německo-židovské kultury – Devět bran.
10. - 11. 5.
Students of film studios of the Charles University’s Philosophy Faculty (Univerzita Karlova v Praze - Filozofická fakulta - Katedra filmových studií) organized at the K4 club in Prague The 15th Film Festival by Students of Audiovisual Theory – Golden Eyes (15. filmový festival studentů teorie audiovize – Zlatý voči). The festival was founded in 1988 by the legendary group Bulšitfilm and six years later was moved to the university. This year’s festival was attended by Czech students as well as students from Bratislava and Krakow. The expert jury consisted of the director of the Romanian Cultural Institute Dan Mircea Duţă, the head of Charles University’s Department of Film Studies (Univerzita Karlova v Praze - Filozofická fakulta - Katedra filmových studií) and the head of Národní filmový archiv - Oddělení teorie a dějin filmu Ivan Klimeš, editor-in-chief of Cinepur magazine Zdeněk Holý and film director and screenwriter Radim Špaček. For the awarded film – see 15. filmový festival studentů teorie audiovize – Zlatý voči.
10. - 15. 5.
The 16th International Film Festival on the Environment – ENVIROFILM 2010 took place in five Slovak cities – Banska Bystrica, Banska Štiavnica, Kremnica, Krupina and Zvolen. Czech films receiving prizes were, in the B film category, The Last Hunters (Poslední lovci, dir. Steve Lichtag, 2010) and the prize of the chairperson of Banska Bystrica region the film The Leštinka Quarry – A Flooded History (Lom Leštinka – Zatopená historie, dir. Hugo Habrman, 2009).
10. - 16. 5.
The National Film Archive (Národní filmový archiv) hosted in its Ponrepo screening hall at Bio Konvikt in Prague, as part of the 9th Screening The World of Books in Film during the 16th International Book Fair and Literary Festival Book World (9. přehlídka Svět knihy ve filmu při 16. mezinárodním knižním veletrhu a literárním festivalu Svět knihy /13. – 16. 5. 2010/, Praha), the cycle A Week with Polish Modernists that included, among others, the films 30 Door Key (dir. Jerzy Skolimowski, 1991, Poland – Great Britain – France), based on the novel of Witold Gombrowicz, and film adaptation of the eponymous novel by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz Panny z Wilka (dir. Andrzej Wajda, 1979, Poland). Ponrepo also screened for the first time the complete tetralogy of the film adaptation of Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace (Vojna i mir, dir. Sergei Bondarchuk, 1965 – 1967, USSR). The book fair took place at the Industrial palace at the fair grounds in Prague-Holešovice and was organized by the Association of Czech Book Dealers and Publishers and Svět knihy, s. r. o.
12. 5.
Czech president Václav Klaus presented a plaque to singer Vladimír Kerndl (16. 4. 1945) on the occasion of the singer’s birthday.
12. - 23. 5.
As part of the 63rd Cannes Film Festival the results of the The Krzysztof Kieślowski ScripTeast Award 2010 for best screenplay of an author from Central and Eastern Europe were announced (19. 5.). Czech screenplay writer Irena Hejdová received a special award for the screenplay Memories of My Heart for the following reason: The writer managed to deal with a difficult task and incorporate a complicated narrative to an accessible and yet strong screenplay. She conceived the adaptation very bravely and created a screenplay that holds the audiences attention from the beginning to the end. At the same time she was able to create apt portraits of Mongolians living in an exotic land. A screenplay is an adaptation of Petra Hůlová's novel Memory for my Grandmother (Paměť mojí babičce).
13. - 19. 5.
The Week of Czech Film Documentaries was presented in Prague’s Evald cinema. The festival was opened with the premiere of the two-part feature-length film 25 from the 1960s or the Czechoslovak New Wave (25 ze šedesátých aneb Československá nová vlna, dir. Martin Šulík, 2010) linked to the series of profiles The Golden Sixties (Zlatá šedesátá, dir. Martin Šulík, 2009). In a pre-premiere there was screened a feature-length documentary on one generation of graduates of the School of Nuclear Engineering in Prague Generation 60 (Generace 60, dir. Peter Hledík, 2010). A collection of Czech films were supplemented by the documentary films Eye Over Prague (Oko nad Prahou, dir. Olga Špátová, 2010) – a film describing the social and political drama accompanying the project of the National Library of the Czech Republic (Národní knihovna České republiky) in Prague by architect Jan Kaplický (18. 4. 1937 – 14. 1. 2009) and the time-lapse film Katka (dir. Helena Třeštíková, 2010) capturing fourteen years in the life of a young drug addict.
18. - 23. 5.
ANIFEST 2010 – The 9th International Festival of Animated Films (ANIFEST 2010 – 9. mezinárodní festival animovaných filmů) took place in Teplice (Czech Republic) in the spirit of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Czech director of animated films Karel Zeman (3. 11. 1910 – 5. 4. 1989). The festival’s main accompanying event was the complete retrospective of Zeman’s films. The main prize – the Grand Prix AniFest 2010 – went to the British film Lost and Found (dir. Philip Hunt, 2008). For awarded Czech films – see ANIFEST 2010 – 9. mezinárodní festival animovaných filmů.
19. 5.
The ceremonial premier of the combined (animated and feature) film by director Jan Svěrák Kooky (Kuky se vrací, 2010, CR – Denmark) was held at the CineStar Anděl cinema in Prague.
19. - 21. 5.
Prague’s Žofín palace hosted the Prague International Advertising Festival PIAF (Pražský mezinárodní festival reklamy PIAF) organized by by the PIAF joint-stock company in collaboration with the Czech Association of Communications Agencies (AKA) and the Association of Communications Agencies in the Czech Republuc (ASOCIACE KOMUNIKAČNÍCH AGENTUR ČR – AKA). Marek Hlavica presided over the festival. From the total number of entered advertisements the jury, headed by Tim Delaney, a founder of the international agency Leagas Delaney, selected 35 winning films in ten categories. The festival also included a three-day conference featuring a number of predominantly foreign experts. A special block was devoted to the current and future form of product placement in television and in films. For the awarding of Czech advertisements – see Pražský mezinárodní festival reklamy PIAF.
20. - 23. 5.
The Tachov Diving Club organized in collaboration with the Municipal Cultural Centre in Tachov /Czech Republic/ the 32nd International Festival of Diving Photography, Films and Children’s Creative Works – PAF Tachov ((32. mezinárodní festival potápěčské fotografie, filmu a dětské výtvarné tvorby – PAF Tachov). The screening of films was supplemented by an exhibition of select competition photographs and there was held an opening of the exhibition of photographs by Pavel Bohoněk. For awarded Czech films – see 32. mezinárodní festival potápěčské fotografie, filmu a dětské výtvarné tvorby – PAF Tachov.
24. 5.
The Czech Centre in Paris hosted a screening of several short films of students of Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (Filmová a televizní fakulta Akademie múzických umění v Praze). The five films screened included the FAMUFEST 2009 winner Roma Boys – The Love Story (Roma Boys – Příběh lásky, 2009) by director Rozálie Kohoutová.
24. - 28. 5.
Podbořany (Czech Republic) hosted the 36th Festival of Films – MedicFilm (36. festival filmů MedicFilm). Selected films included: Desert Flower (dir. Sherry Horman, 2009, Great Britain – Germany – Austria), Naqoyqatsi (dir. Godfrey Reggio, 2002, USA), Market Chalet (Jarmareční bouda, dir. Pavel Dražan, 2010, CR), Katka (dir. Helena Třeštíková, 2010, CR) and Women in Temptation (Ženy v pokušení, dir. Jiří Vejdělek, 2010, CR). The festival also featured a screening of the documentary film Changes in the Town of Podbořany (Proměny města Podbořany, dir. Jiří Diviš, 2010, CR) that was created in collaboration with the OKAP civic association, the 1st Basic School of Podbořany and the Town of Podbořany.
27. 5.
The world premiere of an adaptation based on Jules Verne’s novel Carpathian Castle was performed at Tramtarie Theatre in Olomouc (Czech Republic). The title corresponds with the theatre’s dramaturgic aim to dramatize classic literary works treated using a modern staging approach. The creators not only drew from Verne’s novel, but also from the film version by screenplay writer Jiří Brdečka and director Oldřich Lipský The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (Tajemství hradu v Karpatech, dir. Oldřich Lipský, 1981, Czechoslovakia) and the stories of E. T. A. Hoffmann.
28. - 30. 5.
The Czech Penguin – The 3rd Festival of Young Artists (Český tučňák – 3. ročník festivalu nejlepších výkonů mladých umělců) took place in Prague-Holešovice at La Fabrica. The festival was divided into five categories – Young Music, Young Film, Young Art, Young Dance and Young Theatre. The festival’s president was Petr Oplatka and festival culminated 4. 6. with the presentation of carbon statuettes of Czech Penguins. For awards presented in the category of film see Český tučňák – 3. ročník festivalu nejlepších výkonů mladých umělců.
30. 5. - 6. 6.
The 50th International Film Festival for Children and Youth took place in Zlín /Czech Republic/ (50. mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti a mládež). The festival’s programme consisted of the International Competition of Feature Films for Children, The International Competition of Feature Films for Youth, The International Competition of Animated Films for Children, The Competition of Feature Film Debuts – European First Films and The Competition Screening of Visegrad Four Films. The Informative Section included Days of Czech and Slovak Film, The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Karel Zeman (3. 11. 1910 – 5. 4. 1989), In Honour of Mark Twain, Night horizons, Japanese animé, 70mm Film, Novelties in Czech Film, Novelties in Czech Television, Panorama, Documentaries, Anniversaries and Commemorations. As part of the accompanying programme the following events were held: A Flight through the Film World with Egmont, the Film Magician Karel Zeman, Long Live the Knights (autographs of actors and filmmakers), Nightwork (concert of the music group), a small exhibition of film clapboards and their auction, among other things. The screening plan of the Cinema-train was divided into a matinee screening for schools from a given region where the train stops and an afternoon and weekend screening for the public at large. Favourite children’s films and evening fairytales were screened at every stop throughout the day. No Czech film won any prizes. Actor, lyricist and screenplay writer Zdeněk Svěrák received recognition for his creative contribution in film for children and youth. Foreign guests included British actor Christopher Lee, British actress Jodie Whittaker, Venezuelan director of animated films Alvaro Caceres and others. The International Advertising Festival – The Rainbow Marble 2010 (Mezinárodní reklamní festival Duhová kulička 2010) took place as part of the festival (2. – 3. 6.). The creative advertising festival was linked to a conference on socially relevant topics – media education, green marketing and political marketing. For awards – see Mezinárodní reklamní festival Duhová kulička 2010.
31. 5.
Filmové ateliéry, Ltd. Zlín /Česká republika/ (Filmové ateliéry s. r. o.) ceremonially unveiled a bust of director Karel Zeman (3. 11. 1910 – 5. 4. 1989) on the premises of Filmové ateliéry, Ltd. Zlín (Filmové ateliéry s. r. o.). The sculptor of the work is Radim Hanke, who attended the ceremony along with representatives of the city. Honoured guests of the ceremony were the heroes of Zeman’s film A Journey into the Primeval Times (Cesta do pravěku, 1955) and they jointly unveiled the bust. Karel Zeman and his work are closely linked to Filmové ateliéry, Ltd (Filmové ateliéry s. r. o.). Zlín where the lion’s share of his work was made. The permanent exhibition Genius Zeman Loci was also opened in his honour right at the master’s studio, which currently belongs to Film School Zlín, Ltd. (Vyšší odborná škola filmová Zlín, s. r. o.). The new theme film to the 50th anniversary the International Film Festival for Children and Youth (50. mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti a mládež) was presented. The theme was created by Film School Zlín, Ltd. graduate Marek Berger.
31. 5. - 6. 6.
The Slovak-Czech film Osadné Village (Osadné, dir. Marko Škop, 2009) was shown at the 50th International Festival of Documentary, Animated and Short Films in Krakow /Poland/ and received honourable mention. Director Jan Gogola ml. received the FIPRESCI award for his documentary I Love My Boring Life (Mám ráda nudný život, 2009, CR – Germany).