Discoveries from Czech Republic World Cinema

Bedřich Smetana's famous opera based on Karel Sabina's libretto, as performed by a rural ensemble, occasionally interrupted by Antonín Dvořák's Jakobín and, above all, situations from the lives of the ensemble members. Recording of the Studio Ypsilon theater production filmed on November 30 and December 7, 2014.

In a complicated world, a woman with a wildly vivid imagination searches high and low for the perfect man.

A sad story about a young girl who is forced to move from one foster home to another.

The story is based on Operation Stone, during which State Security agents deliberately misled citizens of the Czechoslovak Republic who were attempting to leave the country illegally by creating fake borders and fake border patrols and interrogation teams from American, German, and French authorities. During interrogations, State Security officers convinced detainees that they had actually crossed the state border of our republic and obtained information from unsuspecting people, which was then used in criminal proceedings.

A seemingly complicated story about the search for the murderer of two dead people who are first found, only to disappear again shortly afterwards. No matter how hard Commissioner Baxter tries, his investigation is constantly disrupted by Mrs. Piper, whose interference stems not only from her sense of importance, but also from the fact that many, many years ago, she had an affair with the then-young Baxter.

A labyrinthine portrait of Czech culture on the brink of a new millennium. Egon Bondy prophesies a capitalist inferno, Jim Čert admits to collaborating with the secret police, Jaroslav Foglar can’t find a bottle-opener, and Ivan Diviš makes observations about his own funeral. This is the Czech Republic in the late 90s, as detailed in Karel Vachek’s documentary.

The nurse Helga meets Baltic nobleman Arno when he's wounded in the Russo-Finnish war. They have a short but passionate affair before Arno is called back to the front and dies. Helga has a daughter, Dorli, as a result of the affair and they have to struggle to survive after the Red Army wins the war.

Three friends, Péťa, Ríša, and Ivana, decide to secretly follow Richard's older brother Radek and his friend Tomáš on their adventurous trip to Colorado. They believe it is a mythical place where aliens are hidden, unaware that it is actually a picturesque hill in the Czech countryside. They look forward to experiencing an exciting adventure. And indeed, the journey of the little children and big "men" turns into a series of unexpected, funny, and exciting events and dangerous situations, in which, surprisingly, the "little ones" will save the "big ones."

There is a great deal of magic and enchantment in the glassworks. Motion capture with animation and real glass

Anyone who enjoys listening to fairy tales also knows that the wisdom contained in them can help change our world a little for the better. How? Well, by teaching us to be quiet and listen to the inner voice of the events that surround us, they teach us to discover the inner beauty of things and people. And anyone who can do this can never again maliciously destroy beauty and happiness, as the nine envious maidens in the fairy tale did.

Olga, a young and sensitive governess, comes to an impoverished aristocratic family full of ideals and determination to love the children entrusted to her. Lonely among people, she experiences the feeling of not belonging anywhere. Neither among the arrogant nobility nor among the servants. She experiences many situations that hurt and humiliate her, but at the same time teach her lessons for her future life.

Manipulation, coercion, humiliation, aggression. Hidden cameras captured the rough background of the seniors' demonstration events. What really happens on the popular free lunch tours? Practices that give you chills. Lies and deliberate manipulation, the sole purpose of which is to force defenseless old people to buy overpriced goods. Seniors pay exorbitant sums from their meager pensions for often low-quality products. Some of them worry that they will never go to any event again, others can't stand it and go again. What drives them? Curiosity? Loneliness? Or addiction?

A nuclear power plant worker obsessed with counting has set a maximum limit on how much electricity he wants to consume until the end of his life. In this grim but masterful 35mm film-poem with strong mathematical undercurrents, Marie-Magdalena Kochová presents to us a story of a man whose life is moving towards transformation. A loving acceptance of the fact that we are not just our bodies, but energy too.

A new pastor arrives as the mayor conspires to send Mrs. Horáčková and the other village gossips away on a seaside holiday in this sequel.

A troupe of clowns gather to perform a story about a priest and a refugee, but as their misguided tale unfolds, the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to fray.

The life of Marcela, an ordinary Czech woman is explored throughout several decades of her life. We are engaged to struggle and fight back with Marcela as her tragic life unfolds before our eyes especially when dealing with her daughter’s unexpected death, which almost drives her to suicide. The film was initially part of a series about the fate of six married couples, but the events that happened throughout Marcela’s life were the reason why the director decided to focus solely on a documentary about her.

A sensual summer comedy for discerning audiences. In a small town with a nostalgic swimming pool, a variety bar, and a pink pastry shop, a couple in love, an aging playboy, a lifeguard, and a variety artist named Marčélo and his much younger wife Eliška are constantly fighting. Their encounters are full of jealousy and sensual love. Their relationship is disrupted by Marčélo's son Mican and, in particular, the sensual barmaid Hedvika. However, there is also the strange director Motýlek, who is in town to shoot a film.

We live our lives together. A new relationship series that will not lack emotions

The young poet Frederik confides in his shadow about his love for Princess Claudia. After all, who could be a more loyal and discreet friend? Frederik trusts his shadow implicitly, so one day he asks it to visit the castle in his place and see how the princess is doing. But the shadow also falls in love with Claudia, and from that moment on, he is obsessed with the idea of taking everything away from the poet. He already has his voice, he has stolen his verses, and even his appearance! All he needs to do now is take away his beloved girl. He almost succeeds.

The documentary film uncovers the story of Mašín brothers, which is of the greatest stories of the Cold War. A group of five young men decided to leave the then-communist Czechoslovakia with guns in hand to join the fighting in the then expected war between the West and the East. The year was 1953, and today, through the last witnesses, we follow the 30-day dramatic journey to West Berlin and the subsequent fateful events that happened to her loved ones at home.

Two friends, Mireček and Vilém, make a living growing weed and receive an offer they can't refuse: to sell their entire stock of weed in one night. But when they close the deal with a dangerous Bulgarian and his right-hand man, they discover that someone has robbed their grow house. They have a few hours to save not only the deal of the year, but also their own little fingers.

Antonín Maděra receives an offer to leave prison because a review of sentences from the 1950s has found that he was unjustly convicted. However, there is a catch to this release. The official proceedings could be protracted, so his former judge suggests that he sign a petition for clemency. Maděra naturally refuses.

This comedy starring Miroslav Donutil tells the story of an American of Czech origin who returns to his homeland in the 1990s. At his parents' request, he is supposed to take over the family hotel in Prague and find a Czech bride. However, he has no idea what he will have to endure in the atmosphere of the 1990s, what condition he will find the property in, or what tragicomic situations he will have to go through before someone deprives him of his property. But in the end, he finds a girl who, unbeknownst to her, comes from the same background as him.

When misfortune befalls the prince and the fairy, what will happen to their love? What will happen if misfortune befalls us...? But what exactly is luck and what is misfortune? Who knows? Prince Lukáš is convinced that luck is beauty. The beauty of images, the beauty of words, the beauty of a face. So it's no surprise that when he catches sight of the lovely fairy Oxana, the most beautiful creature in the forest, he falls in love. He falls in love with her beauty. But how will the young prince react when, later on, Oxana sacrifices her beauty for him...?

The secret that has been hidden for eighteen years in an old tower deep in the woods is known only to the fairy Daphne. Only she knows that, thanks to her help, a small child who was supposed to die at the will of an evil queen grew up to become a prince and heir to the throne. What will the current Queen Groselis do about the threat posed by her unexpected rival? How will the prince deal with his love for the girl Johana, and will he even be able to live in the human world without the magical protection of the miraculous shell? These questions are answered in a fairy tale called The Sorceress.

Petr and Simona have been living together for twenty-five years. They have nine children, with whom they live in caravans on a meadow in Šumava – without television, computers, or running water. The authoritarian Petr calls himself a "professional father." He guides his offspring toward freedom and harmony with nature, while trying to protect them from the harmful influence of consumer society. The children only go to school for exams—their college-educated parents teach them at home. At first glance, the family cohesion, which is practically unparalleled in today's Western world, seems idyllic. Upon closer inspection, however, doubts begin to arise. The film Still Together explores the price of a free life outside of society and asks: is there a recipe for the ideal family?

Olga, a spirited 90-year-old gulag survivor, lives with her daughter Hana in a modest, aging home, their relationship marked by unspoken scars from the past. As Olga gains attention through her memoirs and public talks about her wartime ordeal, investigative reporter Dastychová, who appears to know more about Olga’s history than anyone else, prepares to expose a long-held secret.

During a fishing trip, detective Vašátko and his friend, painter Horác, casually track down the murderer of a young hitchhiker.

A magical wizard visits a poor royal family. In exchange for food and kind treatment, he gives King Matyáš, Queen Elíza, and Princess Sylvie a magic telescope, a magic whistle, and a magic pouch that knows everything best. The princess uses the purse to pressure her parents during the courtship, when her beloved, Prince Zbyšek, arrives with his father, King Vladislav. However, the purse does not approve of the marriage, and so the courtship ends with a rift between the two royal families. But it wouldn't be a fairy tale if everything didn't turn out well in the end...

After he dies in a car crash, a policeman's ghost observes as his family grieves and learns more about his life and death than they ever knew.

Three young actresses go to the Karlovy Vary Film Festival together. The successful Adéla will present her new film. The burnt-out Ema goes to support Adéla. And carefree Soňa just wants to enjoy movies and parties. But the days at the festival don't go as expected and the three women's friendships and careers are put to the test. Can they still manage to outwardly act like they're happy and at ease? Šimon Holý's comedy shows the harsh truths about the film industry and the acting profession. It describes authenticity as a goal that is hard to achieve.

A young poet, lost in his work, faces his own creation.

The head of the family has died – Hubert Osvald, a hugely successful author of horror stories. In addition to dozens of award-winning books, he left behind a substantial sum of money, his beloved publishing house, and most importantly, a rotten family. They came to terms with daddy’s death faster than you can say “exitus,” and are now trying to quietly profit from his passing.

A psychological study of scenes from married and unmarried life, verging on the grotesque. A play about mutual attraction and insurmountable resistance between the sexes, about infidelity, emotional exaltation and hostile aridity, false self-images and ambitions, and wounded vanity. TV recording of a theatrical performance by Prague's Činoherní klub.

Ninth-grader Nikola, along with her younger sister Aneta and their father, are moving to a new city. This means changing schools and finding new friends. Nikola is starting ninth grade in an unfamiliar environment where she has to earn her place. However, it is not easy for her, because the girls are led by Majda, who resents the fact that the class idol Šimon has begun to discreetly eye the new student.

This bittersweet film was Roman Vávra's feature debut. The film consists of three independent stories, all connected through the motif of a field of grain. In 'Awn' a young couple takes a summer stroll in the country, in 'The Haystack' a gang of boys have an adventure with an older girl, and 'The Journey' recounts the tragicomic homecoming of a pair of aging newlyweds. For only the second time in the nineties Czech star Iva Janzurová appeared on the silver screen.

An original portrayal of a small Czech village where – as the locals put it – an UFO has landed in the form of a kilometre-long silverish factory: a Korean Hyundai automobile plant. The village, hitherto famous mostly for its sauerkraut and the “Radegast” beer was thus turned into an industrial zone – the largest greenfield investment project in the Czech Republic’s history. Nonetheless, for a long time many farmers resisted selling the land upon which the factory was now standing. Eventually, they all succumbed under the pressure from the neighbours, and even the anonymous death threats. The filmmakers returned to Nošovice two years after the dramatic property buyouts, at the time when the factory has just started churning out cheap cars. Combining the perspectives of seven characters, they have composed a portrayal of a place suddenly changed beyond recognition that is playful and chilling at the same time: a politically engaged absurd flick about a field that yields cars.

“Echo Equinox” is an experimental Swedish queer sci-fi romance that explores love across time and space. The film follows Echo Equinox, an astronaut marooned at the edge of the universe as their love for their partner, Nova transcends space and time. We watch both lovers recollect their relationship in a surreal journey that blurs the lines between reality, memory, and imagination.

Cimrman's play about Czech expedition to north pole.

Bedřich Smetana's famous opera based on Karel Sabina's libretto, as performed by a rural ensemble, occasionally interrupted by Antonín Dvořák's Jakobín and, above all, situations from the lives of the ensemble members. Recording of the Studio Ypsilon theater production filmed on November 30 and December 7, 2014.

On the night it happened, Aleš Berka was celebrating his 50th birthday. A successful, mature man at the peak of his powers. Congratulations, gifts, a happy mistress, a healthy son. The fact that one of the guests had an accident at an intersection on his way home from the party was just a minor blemish on an otherwise perfect evening. The local underworld boss, Radek Máša, immediately called Aleš and asked him to cover up the accident, as always. The district police chief, Aleš Berka, promised to do so, as always. But in the morning, he learned that Marta, the girl who was driving the car, was lying in agony in the hospital and that she was the love of his son Ríša. Ríša believes unconditionally that his father, the district police chief, will do everything in his power to find and punish the culprit of the traffic accident who fled the scene...

In a complicated world, a woman with a wildly vivid imagination searches high and low for the perfect man.

In a desolate landscape process strange creatures. The foreman of the group picks a suitable spot and the whole multiplying colony starts excavating a pit. They encounter various natural disasters that ruin their efforts – but the colonists always rise from the ruins and continue their work. We do unequivocally sympathise… till the moment when we return to the people’s daily lives.

The story is based on Operation Stone, during which State Security agents deliberately misled citizens of the Czechoslovak Republic who were attempting to leave the country illegally by creating fake borders and fake border patrols and interrogation teams from American, German, and French authorities. During interrogations, State Security officers convinced detainees that they had actually crossed the state border of our republic and obtained information from unsuspecting people, which was then used in criminal proceedings.

A seemingly complicated story about the search for the murderer of two dead people who are first found, only to disappear again shortly afterwards. No matter how hard Commissioner Baxter tries, his investigation is constantly disrupted by Mrs. Piper, whose interference stems not only from her sense of importance, but also from the fact that many, many years ago, she had an affair with the then-young Baxter.

A labyrinthine portrait of Czech culture on the brink of a new millennium. Egon Bondy prophesies a capitalist inferno, Jim Čert admits to collaborating with the secret police, Jaroslav Foglar can’t find a bottle-opener, and Ivan Diviš makes observations about his own funeral. This is the Czech Republic in the late 90s, as detailed in Karel Vachek’s documentary.

There is a great deal of magic and enchantment in the glassworks. Motion capture with animation and real glass

Anyone who enjoys listening to fairy tales also knows that the wisdom contained in them can help change our world a little for the better. How? Well, by teaching us to be quiet and listen to the inner voice of the events that surround us, they teach us to discover the inner beauty of things and people. And anyone who can do this can never again maliciously destroy beauty and happiness, as the nine envious maidens in the fairy tale did.

Olga, a young and sensitive governess, comes to an impoverished aristocratic family full of ideals and determination to love the children entrusted to her. Lonely among people, she experiences the feeling of not belonging anywhere. Neither among the arrogant nobility nor among the servants. She experiences many situations that hurt and humiliate her, but at the same time teach her lessons for her future life.

Manipulation, coercion, humiliation, aggression. Hidden cameras captured the rough background of the seniors' demonstration events. What really happens on the popular free lunch tours? Practices that give you chills. Lies and deliberate manipulation, the sole purpose of which is to force defenseless old people to buy overpriced goods. Seniors pay exorbitant sums from their meager pensions for often low-quality products. Some of them worry that they will never go to any event again, others can't stand it and go again. What drives them? Curiosity? Loneliness? Or addiction?

A nuclear power plant worker obsessed with counting has set a maximum limit on how much electricity he wants to consume until the end of his life. In this grim but masterful 35mm film-poem with strong mathematical undercurrents, Marie-Magdalena Kochová presents to us a story of a man whose life is moving towards transformation. A loving acceptance of the fact that we are not just our bodies, but energy too.

A new pastor arrives as the mayor conspires to send Mrs. Horáčková and the other village gossips away on a seaside holiday in this sequel.

A troupe of clowns gather to perform a story about a priest and a refugee, but as their misguided tale unfolds, the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to fray.

The life of Marcela, an ordinary Czech woman is explored throughout several decades of her life. We are engaged to struggle and fight back with Marcela as her tragic life unfolds before our eyes especially when dealing with her daughter’s unexpected death, which almost drives her to suicide. The film was initially part of a series about the fate of six married couples, but the events that happened throughout Marcela’s life were the reason why the director decided to focus solely on a documentary about her.