the director of Bathory Juraj Jakubisko at Gijon Film Festival 2012
Kaunas International Film Festival 5th edition invites the audience to discover one of the most interesting phases of cinematic history and invited to Slovak cinematic retrospective “New Wave“. Festival opening of the retrospective took place on 29 September 7 p.m. in “Zalgiris arena”.
The creative Slovak cinematic golden age came to broader light only at the end of the eighties, when Czechoslovakia struggled free from a socialistic regime. By then, films, made in the sixties, were hi...
Director: Jozef Pasteka.
Story
The main characters of this contemporary comedy are connected to each other by their profession and family ties. University professor and a translator of Dante, Kryštof Mitrovský, his wife of 20 years, Naďa, and her brother, twice-divorced university rector Alexander Pažický who can find a solution in any situation. Krištof is a believer in the Taoist passivity; he rejects his brother-in-law’s careerism and suffers from narcolepsy. However, in the presence of women he wakes up miraculously. Just like in a centaur, he struggles with the conflict between the head of a human and the body of a beast, between morality and human passion. “God, when will you bless me with impotence, it will end the suffering…” sighs Miro Noga playing the role of Krištof.
The story starts with a scene of infidelity: Naďa catches her husband “consulting” with his student Silvia who suffers from nymphomania. Deeply upset, Naďa visits her lawyer friend and files for divorce. Later at a gas station, she runs into a man who insults her. Anger against the entire male race bursts forth and Naďa kicks the man with all her might in his butt. The man follows her home. Scared to death in the scary darkness of her building, Naďa hits the man and he falls to the ground, motionless. This unlucky incident starts a series of other unexpected events…
Czech Film Center will be hosting a film festival in Brussels, BEST OF VISEGRAD CINEMA, from March 22-27. To mark the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Visegrad Group, four recent films from each V4 country – the biggest box-office hit, the biggest international success, the best documentary and the most successful film for children and youth – will be screened at the Brusselian Cinéma Vendôme during event. The festival precedes a conference titled: Quo vadis Visegrad...
As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, the Zlin Film Festival in eastern Czech Republic is mounting a photo exhibition of top Czech and Slovak directors. Yesterday afternoon, the photo exhibition was unveiled at the new University Centre, a strikingly modern building that is now a huge addition to the Zlin skyline.
The photographs are thework of famed advertising and commercial photographer Karel Česal, wth a theme of highlighting the best film directing talents in both...
by Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor
Each year, FESTROIA shines its spotlight on a different film producing country. This year, it is the turn of the Czech Republic, which has been at the forefront of international filmmaking since its celebrated heyday in the 1960s. One of its best known films of that era, CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS by Jiri Menzel was screened here on Sunday evening, with the 76-year-old director in attendance. A gentle satire on Czech life du...
You may not know Pilsen, but any beer connoisseur can guess from its name that the Czech town is a source of ferment. Pilsner Urquell calls it home, as does the annual festival of Czech films, Finále Plzeň, which runs April 19–25. The festival dates back to 1968, when the Communist Party allowed a “Spring” thaw. Finále Plzeň sought to acquaint Czechs with their own New Wave of films sweeping world festivals, but three years later packed itself on ice as Czech cinema ran afoul o...
Alex Deleon offers his choice of ten best and worst films of the past year. Well, it's that time again when many film reviewers and critics compile their lists of Best (and Worst) of the flicks they were exposed to in the preceding year. Given that one can no more tell people which films they "should" like and which they shouldn't, anymore than you can expect everybody to agree with you on the taste of tripe soup or boiled tongue-- or even honey, for that matter -- it should be obvious to any pe...
The Feature Film and Short Feature Competitions Ten films from ten countries of Central and Eastern Europe were nominated for the Feature Film Competition, stretching geographically from the Polish neighbour to far-off Kazakhstan. They include three international co-productions, of which two were made in collaboration with German partners. The traditionally strong Czech cinema is represented with two films, while the revived Russian cinematography – by far the most productive film nation of Ea...
Anyone wondering if there is film festival life in the Czech Republic after Karlovy wouldn't have long to wait. Barely two weeks after the closing of the KV International Film festival on July 12 where Czech films did very well in terms of prizes and recognition, another gathering of the Czech film tribes is taking place in the remote southern town of Uherske Hradiste (in the Moravian region near Brno). While this festival is known here as "The Summer Film School", don't let the name fool you -...
A star studded jury confronted with a slate of second rate films in the international competition section (par for the course at Karlovy Vary because more important festivals gobble up the better films) had to sweat it out for five hours before arriving at their decisions on the main awards. The Grand jury composed of such luminaries as British actress Brenda Blethyn, Dutch star Johanna Ter Steege (The Vanishing), ace Hungarian-American camerman Vilmos Zsigmond, and presided over by Czech-Americ...
Senior American superstar actor Robert De Niro (65 in August) was the trophy guest of the 45th Karlovy Vary film festival where he received a crystal globe career award for his "extraordinary contribution to world cinema" at the opening ceremony on July Fourth. But the real star of the festival here in the Bohemian valley of eternal thermal springs has turned out to be 86 year old British actor Christopher Lee who dazzled the Czech press and fans with his exraordinary knowledge of Cze...
45th Karlovy Vary IFF Senior American superstar actor Robert De Niro (65 in August) was the trophy guest of the 45th Karlovy Vary film festival where he received a crystal globe career award for his "extraordinary contribution to world cinema" at the opening ceremony on July Fourth. But the real star of the festival here in the Bohemian valley of eternal thermal springs has turned out to be 86 year old British actor Christopher Lee who dazzled the Czech press and fans with his exraordinary knowl...
UK-based production house Film and Music Entertainment head towards completion of 2006 slate worth a total of $32 million, as well as 2007 as Border Post bows in Competition in San Sebastian. Downey and Taylor confirm shareholding in Shotgun Pictures.London/San Sebastian: Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME) is in the last stages of post production on a 2006 slate of six pictures, and despite gloomy prospects for the UK independent sector, announce a robust line up for their 2007/2008 roster. The...
THE 27th MIFF PRIZE WINNERSEach year the Moscow film festival occupies a more and more prominent place on the international arena. It is eagerly awaited not only in Russia but in many other countries because the qualitative growth of the contemporary Russian cinema is an unquestionable fact. The Jury was composed of Valentin Chernykh, Nicola Piovani, Ulrich Seidl, Janos Kende, Victoria Tolstoganova, Claire Denis and for the competition perspectrives: Juraj Jakubisko, Jang Joon-Hwan, Yelena Safon...
