Discoveries from Czech Republic World Cinema

In Czechoslovakia, between 1946 and 1971, the characters of two very different fairy tales interacted and enriched each other: on the one hand, the filmmakers of the Czechoslovak New Wave who, through poetic, committed and ambitious cinema, fought against the Soviet yoke with subtle irony; and, on the other, the writer Jan Procházka, who in 1968 added his voice to the popular outcry of the Prague Spring.

A comedic fairy tale about a stubborn, skinny princess who prides herself on her thinness and makes life miserable for everyone in the castle with her whims.

A story about twin brothers whom got separated during a Cold War and their life 40 years later. One of the twins lives in United States and his twin brother he doesn't know about lives in Soviet Union. Both of them are really successful in what they do for living. They have no idea about each other's existence but eventually they are going to find out.

Flexible, powerful, and naive. The fates of three men intersect at the launch of Czechoslovak television broadcasting. Ambitious actor František Filipovský has no idea that his casual improvisation on the theme of "the miser" will go down in history. For Minister of Information Václav Kopecký, it is a moment of great nervousness: will he convince his comrades that television broadcasting is the golden goose of communist propaganda? A young television technician is fascinated by the "remote transmission of images and sound" – he has a job he never dreamed of. But can a person fulfill their dreams in communist Czechoslovakia in the 1950s without getting involved with the regime?

A provocative snapshot of the world we live in. It is a well-known fact that our society is structured like a pyramid. The very few people at the top create conditions for the majority below. Who are these people? Can we blame them for the problems our society faces today? Guided by the saying “A fish rots from the head” we set out to follow that fishy odor. What we found out is that people at the top are more likely to be psychopaths than the rest of us.

Rudo is a 25-year-old stripper who has chosen to embrace a life of perpetual partying and sleep deprivation. As he navigates through the chaotic nightlife fueled by drugs and dance, memories of his ex-girlfriend Misha haunt him, reminding him of broken promises and lost connections.

Carmen is a circus star in a Spanish city where mayor's daughter Catherine is engaged with the officer José Rivera.

Inspired by two fairy tales by Jan Drda, this film tells the story of young Matěj, who enjoys a good riddle. When he is chased off by a farmer for falling in love with his daughter Majdalenka, he sets off to the castle to see the princess, who presents her suitors with three riddles. But Matěj always escapes any pitfalls that he may encounter. (filmovyprehled)

The original Czech musical based on Alexandre Dumas' novel was followed by composer Karel Svoboda, Zdeněk Borovec, and Richard Hes, who built on the success of their previous musical, Dracula. The musical Monte Cristo was also performed at the Prague Congress Center and achieved an impressive 444 performances between December 13, 2000, and December 21, 2002, when the final performance took place. The show was seen by 600,000 viewers during that time. Thanks to the Czech Television recording, you too can be there. The musical took almost two years to create, and composer Karel Svoboda once again proved that he is one of our best musical creators today, with a tremendous sense of musicality. He relied on the excellent work of lyricist, librettist, and co-creator of the theme and script, the late master of words Zdeněk Borovec. Richard Hes was the co-creator of the theme and script and, most importantly, the choreographer.

Second-rate writer Marton spends his not-yet-advanced old age in a luxurious retirement home. Apart from his grandson, who lives somewhere in Australia, he has no one else in the world. His wife left him long ago, but he cannot forget her. He feels he cannot bear the empty, monotonous life among equally abandoned people. He confides in his diary that he will commit suicide in the coming days. But then new guests arrive—the beautiful Mrs. Rouvrová and her disabled husband. A spark quickly ignites between Marton and Mrs. Rouvrová, and suicide is forgotten. But mysterious deaths begin to occur in the home, and soon there is no doubt that they are murders. Marton must ultimately suspect his late love, Mrs. Rouvrová...

A successful scientist dares to openly and forcefully criticize the unproductive activities of the institute in which he works. He draws attention to outdated procedures and also to the fact that scientific work must not fall into the abyss of mediocrity and everyday grayness, so typical of the entire society. Will his career withstand this situation?

In her most recent film, Linda Kallistová Jablonská observes three girls growing up in a residential facility in Počátky, Czech Republic, over the course of ten years. She explores their dreams about liberty, the reality they must face as well as their ideas about their own future families. The sequel to her first longitudinal documentary about Adéla, Denisa and Pavla captures the rocky road to independence after leaving the facility, their reconciliation with the past, job search, new relationships, small joys and big disappointments. Not only does the director draw an empathic portrait of three young girls with no-one to rely on but themselves; she also explores the ways in which public institutions form young people’s attitudes to life.

The inner drama of Jiří Mánka, a forty-year-old cashier at Živnostenská banka, who has artistic talent, both musical and painterly. After his experiences on the battlefields of World War I, he chose a job that provides him with a very good livelihood, but does not satisfy his ambitions. He lives alone with his mother and gets along well with his brother Teodor, with whom he shares a love of music. Jiří's life is shaken up by a chance encounter with a young, attractive girl named Adéla, with whom he feels relaxed and rejuvenated, at least at first...

Two young returnees from the First World War face a difficult future because they cannot find work. One eventually finds a job as an electrician, the other breaks into the Social Democratic press, where he gets the chance to watch up close how the Social Democratic leadership deceives its members and enters the service of the ruling classes. And a newly-trained journalist solves the problem of whether he should also adapt to the corrupt environment...

About the love of two princes for one princess. The archer whose arrow flies the furthest will win the hand of the beautiful princess and ascend to the royal throne. So decided the king when both his sons fell in love with the same princess and both wanted to rule. But no one suspected that the arrow that would help one of the princes win his beloved and rule the land was magical.

The film is not merely a record of rehearsals, but above all an intimate look at the relationships between its individual protagonists. Nor is it a classic documentary, because the line between acting, creation, and recording reality is too thin. The film thus reflects not only the aging of outstanding actors, but also their relationship to today's world and their disappointment with the current state of Czech film and theater. It speaks to their fears, desires, and efforts to give their best.

Saturnin is a servant who becomes his master's master. A young man of good social standing and upbringing, somewhat conservative, acquires, through no fault of his own, a servant named Saturnin. Saturnin effectively becomes his employer's master and causes a series of surprising twists and situations in his previously peaceful life. Without Saturnin, these would be difficult to manage. If only because without him, they would probably never have happened.

The knight Johannes rides to his new lands, which the king has given him for his bravery in battle. On the way to his castle, he learns that the castle is enchanted. A ghost is said to be haunting it. No one dared to enter the castle. Even the cruel steward Rudolf, who considers himself the lord of the lands, avoids the castle. The farmers from the village help the friendly Johannes in his fight against the evil steward. And his love for the beautiful Anna gives him the strength to break the spell that lies upon the castle.

The aging Bohus buries his wife Vlastička and after seven years of abstinence starts drinking again.

Bohumil Modrý, the best hockey goalie in the world, who significantly contributed to the first international successes of Czechoslovak hockey after World War II. In 1948, he was offered a job in the NHL, but his stellar sports career and happy family life were destroyed by a trumped-up political trial in 1950. He died prematurely in 1963 at the age of 46 from the effects of imprisonment and radiation.

A comedy about how extremely difficult it is to uncover the truth through gossip and rumors. Live broadcast of Pirandello's comedy from the Dejvice Theater on the tenth anniversary of ČT art... The Ponzos are strange. They moved in recently, don't socialize with anyone, and what's more, no one has ever seen Mrs. Ponza. Rumor has it that her husband has forbidden her to leave the house and see her mother, though it's not clear that it's really her mother. The question arises as to whether Mr. Ponza or his mother-in-law are crazy.

A young girl buries in her soul a memory of a painful moment, when as a child she brought home an injured bird and her father burdened by his own weight of worries didn’t notice her feelings and longing for understanding. The girl took her father’s reaction as indifference and closed herself in her inner world longing for her father’s love and its manifestations. Since that moment she and her dad continued to grow apart, and as an adult she is no longer able to accept his endearments. The father suffers from guilt and searches for a way back to his daughter, trying to revive their lost relationship.

An army deserter and a soon-to-be high school graduate embark on an ill-fated romance in this musical film set in the '60s.

In the TV adaptation of Donald Churchill’s play, Jane’s affair comes to light when her lover’s furious wife Marcia threatens to expose her, so Jane persuades their building painter Walter to impersonate her husband and defuse the scandal. Unbeknownst to her, Walter’s a passionate amateur actor who seizes the chance to play Othello, unleashing a madcap parade of misunderstandings as both women lavish affection on their faux spouse to prove who’s superior.

An unusual story about love and laziness. Thalia Award for the title role for I. Trojan. Recording of a performance at the Dejvice Theater in Prague.

Frantisek is a deaf man who has spent years in prison for the apparent murder of a man he believed was threatening his then girlfriend, Liza. Once released, Frantisek begins to search for Liza, but the task proves harder than he hoped.

A story about family ghosts, wild pigs and the end of the world, which we all imagine differently. The drama Wilderness is an existential grotesque about building and breaking down family myths, love, memory and impermanence.

Captain Vašátko of the criminal police and Horác, a painter, bohemian, and amateur detective, escape the stresses of life by going to the river to fish. Horác befriends a young neighbor who is found dead one day. Everything points to suicide, but Horác is still suspicious, so he embarks on an investigation, even resorting to unacceptable tricks that ultimately land him in a very unpleasant situation. Fortunately, his friend Commissioner Vašátko intervenes, understanding his friend's extravagance...

Three soldiers desert and take refuge in an ancient, crumbling castle where three veiled maidens welcome them with a sumptuous feast, on the sole condition that they neither lift a veil nor lay a hand on their hosts during the night. Only one, Jakub, keeps his vow and is rewarded by a freed princess and a magical token that grants him three extra lives.

Věra lives alone and nothing seems to be waiting for her in life. She misses the time when she used to be truly happy – when she went to the sea with her friends. However, only debris remains of the old group and it is not certain whether they will be able to handle such an adventure. Nevertheless, they long to set sail together once again on the open sea towards idyllic bays and sunsets. Little does she know that the greatest threat to their expedition will not be the sea, nor the old grievances that will surface during the journey, but their own children, who have no sympathy for their elderly parents' crazy trip.

Prince Louis Ottomar Charles XII, born Noble, is very close to his loving mother, Queen Ludmilla. However, Prince Louis is already a bit too old, he is 39 years old. He's afraid of almost everything, doesn't want to get married, and spends most of his life hanging around the sumptuous castle and adjacent fields. The wise King Radomil therefore prepares an unexpected gift for him - the prince wakes up one morning in the forest in ordinary clothes and, accompanied by the rough knight Hudroval, he is to go out into the world to learn what life is all about and perhaps finally grow up. On his great journey of adventure, he will encounter things he has only read about in books. He will meet a powerful wizard, evil witches, a ghost, and the Lady Death herself... and maybe even find the love of his life. What will Mummy say about all this? And will Father King be happy?

Quido, a boy made of acorns, appears in Resinland, a village hidden deep in the forest, created and ruled by children's imaginations. Everyone here seems to have a predefined purpose, except for Quido. Suddenly, the village's vital resource, resin, comes under attack from an unknown ring of thieves. So, Quido declares himself the hero and sets off on an epic mission to save the village.

Life is not easy for Laika, a dog on the outskirts of a big Russian city. She is caught and forcibly retrained to become a pioneer in astronautics. Soon after her lift-off into space, a number of animals follow that are hurriedly launched from Houston and Baikonur. The animals travel astray, but finally manage, with the help of a black hole, to colonize a faraway planet. After a short period of harmonious, undisturbed co-existence with indigenous life forms, however, first human cosmonaut run ashore on their planet, and their harmonious life, indeed their very survival, are suddenly in jeopardy.

The third installment in a loose series featuring the character Renáta Soukupová. Renáta is on the threshold of her thirties and is determined to conquer Bohemia back, to find her permanent and certainly beautiful existence here. And, of course, love, because she left France partly due to a failed romantic relationship. However, things do not turn out as the young woman imagines.

The Sykora family are only four people out of millions of Venezuelans that have recently escaped their collapsing country. They land in the Czech Republic, the country where Grandpa Jan was born, but also a place utterly strange to them. In a matter of months their savings have almost gone and job seeking becomes a nightmare. Again, the dream of just having a normal life starts to vanish. Will the family manage not to crumble along the way?

During his routine work, Martin Urmann, employee of an advertising agency, discovers a series of cryptic messages inscribed by the architect into his structures, and sets out to decipher them. His way is lined with mysterious murders which are obviously connected with his search. The fascinating power of the world into which he is gradually descending makes it impossible for him to give up his intention. He has to reach the end, where he anticipates a revelation which will totally change his entrenched view of the world.

We meet Veronica shortly before her high-school graduation exams. She lives with her mother, an alcoholic, and her mother's partner. One day when he is drunk, he chases Veronica to the roof of a house and falls off, killing himself. He was in debt as he was addicted to gambling. His creditor wants the money back and starts to threaten Veronica. Her mother will not protect her since she is always drunk. Thus, the young girl must leave home and hide far away. On her journey she meets many characters. Some of them are comic, others are rather tragicomic. And Veronica tries to find good people with whom she would feel comfortable and happy, thus giving her life meaning. - Czech film center

Carefree Jindřiška (23) discovers that her father owes a lot of money when debt collectors arrive to confiscate their house. In a single day, Jindřiška's world falls apart, forcing her to choose between helping her father or saving herself before it's too late.

Frantisek Soukenický is a psychiatrist with an apparent life in order ... until the appearance of a former lover scorned. She ends her career and Frantisek ends without a job, his wife (who left him for another man) and homeless. He doesn´t have choice but to start from scratch, and know that everything that happened was his fault. Abandonment, reunions, commitment and the suffering caused certain relationships when they reach their final part of this film that combines drama with dry humor.

Former classmates meet after sixty years at a school reunion, undoubtedly their last, face to face with their classmate Miluška Bínová. Bínová, once the most popular classmate, returns to her hometown after many years, determined to find out which of her classmates ruined her life back then.

A fairy tale based on motifs taken from Josephine tales. Like Josef II, the fictitious emperor Maxmilián often disappears from the castle in disguise in order to find out how his vassals live. On one of these 'trips' he meets a drummer returning home from his stint in the army. They live through various adventures together, meeting bandits as well as human foolishness and perfidiousness which almost leads them to the scaffold.

The story of a barely grown man who lives as a fresh postulant before vows in a community of monks. He not only shares with his brothers their world of contemplation, but also, as a link in a long chain, he takes those persecuted by the communist regime across the border to Germany. On one night's return, he witnesses a ruthless crackdown on a group of students fleeing from a nearby village where they had been on compulsory work experience. And not only that: that night, a community of monks is also liquidated in Action K (April 1950), and the returning Christopher witnesses their transport without being able to help his comrades.

Due to suspicion of BSE (mad cow disease), a herd of cows from a small farmstead is sentenced to be killed. The animals' revolt and try to escape. People try to hunt them down but the herd, led by Bella, manages to protect itself. Further failures of people increase their aggressiveness. The escalating battle has little in common with the original veterinary prevention. However, there are also people who try to help the cows, who desire nothing more than free life in the great outdoors, even if they are also forced to learn how to live and survive without anybody to feed them, milk them or fill them up with medicine. They learn all about hunger, cold, deprivation and pain. And the loss of loved ones...

A dark comedy about humankind’s desire to love and to be loved. Centred around neediness, intimacy and romance. Told through a series of loosely connected, tender and absurd scenes, the film follows people who are searching for closeness and acceptance. In a world that preaches self-control, the film explores the sides we try to hide, such as feeling needy and pathetic. The stories overlap and reappear, gradually forming a portrait of collective longing.

Markéta and Honza are a loving and beloved royal couple. The cunning princess Eufrozína beguiles Lucifer with her charm and, with the help of seven-league boots, flees from hell with her father to reunite with King Brambas and deprive Honza of his throne. Honza's evil sister Dora also takes advantage of his absence on a campaign against the enemy and sneaks into the castle, where she almost kills Markýta and her newborn son, just so she can win Honza for herself. This time, however, the lovers are supported by Kujbaba, Hnipírka, Valihrach, the wise godmother, a pair of devils, Lucifer himself, a three-headed dragon with a little dragon, and other characters.

A balladic fairy tale about the underground kingdom of goblins, based on Irish fairy tales. When darkness and rainy clouds gathering low in the sky increase, when October turns into November, everyone in Ireland celebrates Halloween. The eve of All Saints' Day is a time when children run around outside in picturesque masks, adults raise their mugs by the light of flickering torches in hollowed-out turnips, and the world of goblins comes to life underground. It is the only day when these creatures, no bigger than a grown mouse, can enter the human world, and also when mortals can enter their realm. And so Paddy, a young innkeeper generally considered a fool and a child, finds himself in the Moss Hall through a magical well and, in his kindness and desire for love, breaks the laws of the underworld.

After his mother's death, a man tries to sort out his declining relationship, live-in best friend, a career opportunity and a potential new romance.

With Zdenek Troška following the filming of the most infamous Czech comedies.

Pavel may be in his forties, but he still hasn't fully matured. He lives with his mother and lacks the courage to do what would truly fulfill him in life. He only gets this when he meets his childhood sweetheart, Tereza, and spends an adventurous night with her. However, Tereza is not ready to leave her current life for someone who, according to her, is not a real man. So Pavel decides to become exactly that kind of guy. He signs up for a training camp in the Tatras led by Weisner, who teaches everything from chopping wood to seducing women. Will Pavlo manage to overcome himself and become the man Tereza longs for?

The dark crime comedy is set in the present day. The story is inspired by the two biggest and still unsolved robberies that have taken place in our country in recent years. The main characters are three friends who were dramatically separated by fate years ago. Now they meet again in the backdrop of today's Prague. Why are these modern-day musketeers getting together? To make millions together! The robberies are successful, but what next? How can they enjoy their stolen money without attracting attention? Our three heroes discover that this is much more difficult than they originally thought. And they couldn't do it without the backing of international crime. The film is set in Prague and the attractive exteriors of Sri Lanka and Tunisia.

A cheerful fairy tale about how two young people who initially didn't even want to meet fall in love. The classic theme of searching not only for love but also for happiness in life is interesting for its modern approach and completely contemporary dialogue, which is very relatable to today's children. Princess Róza and Prince Philip II are to be married for the sake of their fathers' higher political interests, without ever having met before. Róza is a gentle girl who, despite her father forcing her to fence and shoot, prefers to play the transverse flute. Philip II, on the other hand, has no interest in ruling, but loves to go, secretly of course, to cook ordinary pub food at the local inn. And that is where they meet completely by chance...

Thirty-something Jonas is not doing well at the moment. He has been taking antibiotics for a long time, so he is out of shape, and the trainer does not nominate him for the upcoming boxing match, he had a fight with a homosexual customer at work and is facing criminal charges because of that, and he also got a little involved with his colleague Silva, which logically does not please Jonas's friend Klařá. But Jonas hides the biggest problem by far from everyone. Although the suspicion of rectal cancer is fortunately not confirmed, the method of treatment of the damaged colon nevertheless shocks him - he has to regularly insert a dilator into his ass!

On the eve of Christmas, successful expatriate Karel returns to his quiet mountain village, and suddenly every marriageable girl in town vies for his hand, even storming his cottage. Determined to avoid marriage and instead sell the family farm and leave with his younger brother, he sets his would-be brides impossible tasks, and the very first challenge whittles the contenders down to just one: his stepsister Květa.