Discoveries from Czech Republic World Cinema

A film driven by the chaotic energy of Prague streets. Comprising several direct survey probes, they collectively present a picture of societal apathy and the values ​​of contemporary Czech youth. In addition to the author herself, this is represented by more or less sober young people who unashamedly confide in the camera their attitudes towards the climate crisis, feminism or the war in Ukraine. But they also talk about the meaning of life, the secret of good sex or love, the search for which (and not finding) is one of the central themes of the film.

Underpass is located at the intersection of material deformations and the genre tropes of horrors and thrillers. The defining event of the second half of the 20th century – the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, is in the film combined with the creative decomposition of grainy 8mm film. The dread of the initial shock is conveyed by non-figurative scratches and omnipresent eye-like perforations. The internal rhythm was set to recording from a police dictabelt, which captured the global encounter with the real in a similarly unstable vein.

It’s night. Anette, Kristina and Yann are lost in a city. Yann is filming a planet that none else can see... or maybe it's a divinity.

The current system of care allowances is inadequate for people with the most severe disabilities. The highest level, level 4, corresponds to about 5 hours of personal assistance per day. In that time, it is possible to get up in the morning, take care of basic hygiene, get dressed, prepare food, eat and go to bed at night with the help of an assistant. That's all. For one year, Assistance o.p.s. has provided five selected people with physical disabilities with the so-called "fifth" level of support, thus ensuring that they receive the care they really need. How did they survive that year and what was it like getting back to normal life?

The story is set in communist Prague of 1950s, a banal coincidence sends a math student Adam on a quest to find the famous Prague Golem and bring it back to life. In an old anatomy book, he finds an old photograph, which shows a group of people standing with a tall dark figure in the back. He also meets mysterious Mr. Moller, who pretends to know the secret of bringing Golem to life. In the ruins of an old hotel, he finds an enormous figure, but the Golem that awakes is not the obedient servant of Rabbi Löwe – it is an ever-growing shapeless figure of clay can even defeat human ingenuity. Adam has to stand up against the person behind and stop the hidden machine of the hotel.

Night lovestory of two outsiders, who meet in closed swimming pool in the middle of big city.

The drama of a poet in a political thriller set during the rise of the communists to power, loosely inspired by the fate of B. Laušman, a leading social democratic politician who was kidnapped and murdered by the communists.

An animated documentary that explores the phenomenon of bodybuilding and examines the relationship fitness-oriented men have with their own bodies. Through interviews inspired by journalistic techniques, the film presents the stories of three men who use exercise as a way to cope with inner traumas that have often resulted in low self-esteem. Each protagonist started working out for different reasons: one was bullied by classmates for being too skinny, another was pressured by his father to go to the gym to lose weight, and the third experienced domestic violence. All three started working out. All three built muscles.

Discovery of the Strahov stadium, the largest stadium in the world, where thousands of gymnasts gathered during the communist era. A wordless film that connects the past and the present of a grandiose location.

The famous composition by Jakub Jan Ryba and illustrations by painter Josef Lada in an animated film celebrating the birth of Jesus. Among the villagers and shepherds rushing to Bethlehem are Mikeš the cat, Kmotra Liška, Mulisákův Bubáček, the mayor, the shoemaker, the chimney sweep, and other well-known characters by Josef Lada.

Little Natalie has a dream of becoming an artist, but she has many obstacles standing in her way - most notably, a vicious art teacher and his dreaded red whistle. One day, Natalie breaks into her school and tries to show everyone what it means to be a real artist.

Isabela, a retired woman, floods her drug-addicted neighbor's apartment with her washing machine. A repairman must be called. The handyman arrives at the apartment, which does not look like the home of a lonely senior citizen, but rather like a clinic for deranged individuals... Isabella's neighbor is unable to fulfill his late wife's last wish, the flooded junkie hates pensioners, refugees, and the government, and Isabella is visited by her offended husband, who has been dead for years and complicates her life and the repair of the washing machine... During this bizarre visit, the illusion of one happy marriage falls apart, one old misunderstanding is cleared up, and several others arise. The second half features the short film Barcarole, also produced by Divadlo Verze.

The joyful celebrations at the royal festivities are suddenly interrupted by a juggler's attempt to kill King Gregory. The astronomer Petr, who saves the king, is accepted into service for his deed. He teaches the beautiful princess Korunka to read the stars, but the monarch is not particularly fond of their budding love due to the young man's lowly origins. Three musicians try to help the two lovers with magic, and when Petr manages to save the king from death a second time, it seems that the astrologer's dream will come true and he will finally win the princess's hand. Instead of the expected reward, however, he is banished...

In an effort to secure his new family, an insurance agent undertakes an effective raid on clients, unaware that elsewhere, a scam is being hatched against him, and apparently not just one. The speed with which problems begin to pile up relentlessly rises vertiginously, and the fall becomes uncontrollable.

Twenty-three-year-old Aneta committed suicide with 13 knife wounds. No, this is not the subject of a horror science fiction, but the official conclusion of the Czech police. It is also the story of perhaps the most controversial criminal case in modern history, the background to which the filmmakers have been documenting for five long years. What role did a love triangle, the mafia, drugs and a mysterious Lebanese man play in the case? To answer these questions, years later, both Aneta's mother and the public have built an exact replica of the crime scene in the studio. A reconstruction of the site was carried out with the participation of the world's leading experts in psychology, toxicology, pathology and biomechanics. Will the conclusions of the British, Canadian, American and French experts match those reached by the Czech police? Will the victim's mother at least get the truth after ten years?

A tale of Prokop and Magdalena's journey to see a solar eclipse. Along the way, they experience unexpected adventures, ponder life, and, thanks to their confused nature, find themselves in danger. At the same time, it is a poetic reflection on transportation between places and communication between people. Above all, however, it is a portrait of two real people and the world around them in an unexpected situation—a feature film!

Young artist Dan dreams of success, but for now he is serving community service cleaning the city. His boss is Kristián Hovorka, who works with Ota in the Technical Services Department at the Pilsen City Hall, where they are responsible for cleaning the city. Dan meets Betka at a disco, and Kristián is attracted to Dan's pretty sister Danka, who is always cleaning up after her brother. But not everything goes according to plan. Betka's jealous friend and her boyfriend Robert decide to complicate everything with an unfair game. And while Danka and Kristián are looking for a way to finally settle down in the "turbulent waters of life," Kristián's father Láďa and Betka's charming aunt prove to the whole world that age is just a number. In addition, Kristián is waiting to right an old wrong, as advised by his best friend Lenka, and to find a "way" to his daughter Jitka.

Andrej has a secret plan – to see no one, meet no one, only talk to his grandma and not climb high trees while being drunk. Then he unexpectedly encounters Miša, at whom he previously tried to smile 17 times while being drunk at parties. He never remembered the outcome as he was always too drunk, but not today. Today he is sober. Andrej and Miša start to talk and over the glass of Fanta find an interest in each other. The fight for their young and tender love begins.

The popularity of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage continues to grow. Four Czech pilgrimage stories also inspired a new pilgrim, who has just embarked on his long journey. He steps out of his comfort zone to not only discover the magic of the pilgrimage, but also to find himself. When a pilgrim meets a pilgrim on the way to Santiago de Compostela, their first question is clear: “Where are you coming from?” Because every step counts. This is evidenced by four pilgrims’ stories: Kvakin, who came from Boskovice; Olga, who managed her own pilgrimage at an older age; Mario, whose journey summoned him on its own accord; and Peter, who was paralyzed in half his body but got up from his wheelchair and hit the road. We also follow the pilgrimage of Kamil Bartošek, better known as the entertainer and mystifier Kazma Kazmitch.

A personal account of trauma processing. Feelings of loss and worthlessness are part of the reality of our everyday lives. Unprocessed emotions that need to be given space and meaning. How does a work become political from personal? What depoliticizes it? What is our relationship to pain and to our own bodies in terms of accepting ourselves?

The documentary is a loose continuation of the Czechs Rescue series from 2018. This time it will touch on ethical and practical issues of our relationship to the landscape that is physically closest to us. It will therefore look at its current state, modern conservation, the position of wildlife in our value ranking and visions of sustainable landscapes that relate both to traditional farming methods and the need to respond to contemporary changes.

Through the imagination of its young characters, Barbora Halířová’s humorous film uses a game of hide-and-seek to pull the viewer into the surreal world of the human subconscious.

Jordan Rhoades is the 11-year-old son of American ex-pats living in the Czech Republic, whose life is forever changed by the sudden death of his parents.

A fairy tale about a queen-witch who used magic to get rid of her royal husband and carefully guards her throne so that the marriage of her stepson, Prince Christopher, does not threaten it. Although she has him guarded, Christopher meets Princess Christina from a neighboring kingdom, and the young people fall in love.

The Mole takes home a fish that was threatened by a large pike. He catches it and throws it behind the dam so that the fish can return to its pond.

The Song of the Gallows is based on a medieval, seventeenth-century story about a magic violin that saves the life of a Roma man from the gallows. The Polish princess Katarina Jagellonica arrives in Finland in order to get married to Duke Juhana; after listening to the Romani musician playing his instrument she agrees to his request that all the gallows should be torn down in the country to save the Roma from execution.

In the world of timid water sprites who do all they can to keep out of sight of all people, a courageous and rather unconventional girl sprite, Pearl. Her dream is to become a secret agent, cross into the human world and find a key there to unlock a magic shell. According to legend, this Shell will save her people. And it’s high time for this! Destruction is fast approaching the last underwater town where the last remaining water sprites in the world have come together… Will this cowardly people place its fate in the hands of this crazy daredevil? And will Pearl and her sarcastic friend, Oliver, succeed in saving the world?

When a woman is trapped in her best friend's apartment during a heated lovers' quarrel, she must decide whether to step in or let her friend take care of business.

Grandma is an inventor, grandpa is a DIY enthusiast, and their dog is a rascal. This summer is going to be fun.

The documentary follows in the footsteps of the controversial personality of František Kriegel, M.D., who was born into a Jewish family in Halych, saved lives as a frontline doctor in Spain, China, Burma and India, and after World War II joined the service of the Communist Party and the People's Militia. In 1968, he became one of the main representatives of our state and was the only member of the kidnapped delegation to save face and not officially condemn "fraternal aid," which had significant professional and social consequences for him.