Discoveries from Czech Republic World Cinema

A Tale for Madmen begins as a fable. The wolf, the main character, first escapes from an imaginary animal republic in the Prague Zoo. He moves around the city in human form, disguised as a clown, in an animal mask and later as a decadent girl. In the process, he confronts the realities of late socialism: he visits the Spartakiad, an amusement park and a dance hall at the Exhibition Grounds. At the end of the film, he transforms into the form of a bird and, under the pressure of the hopeless environment, voluntarily dies. The film authentically reflects the hopeless atmosphere of the timelessness of the late 1980s, combining documentary approaches with stylized scenes. Using this method, it captures the romantic conflict between free individuality and resigned society. The film was shot using Pigi's usual method – by setting a fictional character in authentic contemporary realities.

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Memories of eyewitnesses, a portrait of a left-wing intellectual viewed from different angles and illustrated with archive materials and a theatre mis-en-scene. A man who used power to promote the Communist Party policy in Slovakia only to become its victim when sentenced to life. A story of a career politic who became a representative of the Prague Spring when released, and then ended up being a president of oblivion, an icon of normalization and decay of the Czechoslovak state.

Amidst the immense greenery of the Czech countryside, Pavel quietly tends spring meadows damaged by deforestation, preserving rare plant species, while Klára, who works with the Czech Ornithological Society, scours the land for illegal bait traps with the help of her loyal dogs, discovering threats to the local wildlife.

This satirical sketch follows a young couple on vacation, whose sunny afternoon at the beach is soon overshadowed by a cloud of conflict. A short reflection on self-confidence and the pursuit of perfection.

When was the New Testament, the founding text of Christianity, written? Who wrote it? Under what circumstances and with what objective? At first sight, the question should not be debated since it has been affirmed for more than 2000 years that it is the Evangelists and the Apostles who would have written the founding texts of this new religion, in a concern to transmit the extent of their knowledge on the person of Jesus, his teaching, and his fate. But did these famous authors of the New Testament really exist ? Who were they ? Did they really know Christ ? Where did they live ? What language did they speak ? To try to answer all these questions, the greatest specialists in the study of the holy text, historians, epigraphists, archaeologists, will be called upon to solve the mystery and find the trace of the real authors of the New Testament.

The Berounka River is flowing, a boat is sailing, Vladimir is driving the boat, before, Ota's uncle Prošek was driving the boat. The Berounka swims, nothing changes.

The phenomenon of negative manipulation is known to all of us, and very few of us can always defend ourselves and not have at least some remorse. And when the source of the manipulation is a supposed good, but it harms rather than helps and is part of a huge mental massage in a cult, we have a big problem. What effect can negative manipulation have on our lives? How to detect it and defend ourselves? We illustrate the topic with the story of Dusan Straus, a photographer and writer who got into the Chinmoy sect. Gradually, he left his job and started to devote himself only to the affairs of the sect. His wife hoped that it was only momentary, but he fell into the sect completely. The world outside the sect ceased to exist for him.

Six-year-old Viktorka tries to understand the complex relationships in her family. At the same time, she prepares for her sibling to be born and the first day of school. Her optimism, playfulness and imagination help her overcome all challenges. The camera also adheres to the child's perspective, in which every day is full of small miracles.

This documentary reconstruction of a heated conflict between mother and daughter is inspired by Lars von Trier's Dogville. The high level of audience alienation is contributed to by guided puppets and a set dismantled by cynical set designers. The tragedy of the replayed event stands out all the more as the actors seemingly lose interest in it over time.

Fragments of a daily routine – sleep, coffee, food, pills and shots of the inhospitable view from the window – are listed in the dictionary entry explaining the term “acedia”, a spiritual apathy manifested by a paralyzing indifference to oneself and one's surroundings. In this stop-motion animation, it takes the form of a blinking cursor on a blank computer screen, layers of reality that are peeling back, and a dying houseplant.

The tourist appeal of ethically problematic destinations is a phenomenon known as dark tourism. The filmmakers' itinerary for their tour of Norway included sites such as the robust sculptures of Gustav Vigeland, criticised for their proximity to Nazi aesthetics, wind farms making Sami pastures inaccessible, and the island of Utøya. Using performative and post-production gestures, they have attempted to come to terms with the plight of dark tourists.

Jan Merta (1952) is currently one of the most important Czech visual artists. In his painting work, shaped by the postmodernism of the 1980s, he leans towards abstract abbreviation and symbolic depiction of reality through everyday objects. The film is a snapshot of his life filled with painting, working in his garden and cohabitation with his partner. The civilian camera follows Merta as he prepares an exhibition for which he attempts to create new works. However, his engagement with the current geopolitical situation enters into the work, as well as the discovery of new compositional principles and creative otherworldliness that co-create his enchanted personal world.

A Prague resident wanders through his city, questioning the freedom it provides. This documentary essay depicts the polyphony of urban life, exploring its contrasts through a poetic narration.

Marie Kudeříková was a student who was active in the communist domestic resistance during World War II. In 1941, she was arrested by the Gestapo. In November 1942, she was sentenced to death and executed in March 1943. She was 22 years old. Her personality was highlighted by the communist regime primarily for propaganda purposes, which is why, after the November coup, she was perceived as a representative of its ideology and rejected. Her true significance in the fight against Nazism remains a secondary topic today.

A 16-year-old Ema goes on a ballet audition and plans a pitch-perfect first time sex, but needs to overcome her insecurities first.

New documentary about the Russian Memorial society, the history of its liquidation and the extremely difficult situation in which its employees found themselves after the start of full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine. Many of them were forced to leave Russia, some ended up in the Czech Republic.

This short mockumentary film provides unique insight into the life of Jonáš Vdoleček of Prague, a member of the mostly unknown baroquesexual minority. To baroquesexuals, Baroque art is an object of desire, love, and sensuality – and Jonáš is the first to open up about the topic on camera.

During a routine journey, a lonely vampire ticket checker finds the woman of his dreams, only to realise she is traveling with a group of vampire hunters.

A romantic comedy that tells the story of a teenage girl navigating the modern dating world. Emma pours out her frustrations into her diary about the challenges of finding true love in a world where bad dates follow worse ones, and dating apps bring more despair than hope. But what if what Emma really needs is not what she's been so desperately searching for? The film reveals that love can come unexpectedly.

Having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and suffered two strokes, Ms. Oldriska lives with her dog in an apartement with a lovely view of Brno. Using a simple digital camera she records a few days of her life – an everyday struggle with body and brain, a visit by her friend and son, the reconstruction of her apartment. With no previous experience filming, she uses the camera in a very spontaneous way, sometimes fighting with the technical limits of the device, sometimes even forgetting about the shooting itself. The film deals with ageing, pain, solitude, and also love, for people and animals, in a very raw and non-aestheticized manner.

An experimental look out of the mirror shows a man’s evening routine, until he looks out of the window and experiences a shock.

A dream of the anarchy of nerves, muscles and tissues, gripped by the shell of institutions and prejudices, but also by the remedies used by contemporary medicine, materializes in a demonstration of the possibilities of controlling the robust machine of a motorcycle.

On February 25, 2022, Antonina Romana and her partner joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Before the full-scale Russian invasion to Ukraine, she lived a life as a director, performer and actress. The film follows her personal journey of resistance to Russian occupation policies.

A disturbing story set in the near future. People are holed up in their small dwellings and live in a virtual world. Everyone films and streams various videos. They don’t have a clue that they’re not free until one of them goes outside. But the discovery of the outer reality is something their virtual masters aren’t happy to see.

George Radojčič tells the story of his friend, an average soldier named Dominik Fryč. Dominik’s life is full of unexpected adventures. He loses his beloved wife, sails at sea, endures imprisonment and escapes from the advances of his enemies. Finally, he starts a large family clan with a beautiful witch and becomes the emperor. The short animated film “Dominik’s Tales” is a collaboration between George Radojcic, an artist working at the Joyful Creation Studio, and animator Magdalena Hejzlar.

Four outstanding works by world-renowned Czech dancer and choreographer Jiří Kylián performed for the first time by the National Theatre Ballet. The National Theatre Ballet has prepared a special premiere entitled Kylián – Bridges of Time for this year's celebrations of the founding of the republic. This project will not only dignifiedly support this important anniversary, but also pay tribute to the famous Czech native, choreographer Jiří Kylián, who has undoubtedly become an icon of world dance. The evening will present four works to the audience – Psalm Symphony, Bella Figura, Petite Mort, and Six Dances.

The unmistakable voice of the eleven-time Anděl Award winner, first-class musicians, and songs that flow across musical genres in a concert experience from Brno's Sono Music Club... The concert, recorded on November 28, 2022, at the SONO Music Club in Brno, is the culmination of Dan Bárta & Illustratosphere's concert tour for their joint fifth studio album, Kráska a zvířený prach (Beauty and Stirred Dust). This mutually inspiring and authentically creative community of musicians included not only new songs in the program, but also a selection of some older atmospheric hits from their more than twenty-year musical career. Enjoy Bárta's refined vocal performance and a fusion of virtuosically played original compositions on the domestic scene, combining pop rock, jazz, soul, and funk with intimate poetry in the lyrics, just like hundreds of fans in one of the most acoustically perfect halls in the country.

There is no functioning democratic society without NGOs. They operate where the state cannot reach. At the same time, trust in the non-profit sector is consistently low in our country - according to a recent survey, 60 percent of adults do not trust them. Using the stories of several non-profit organizations as a backdrop, the documentary explores the current attitude of Czechs towards donations and the paradox resulting from the constant distrust of the non-profit sector on the one hand and the growing generosity of Czechs on the other.

Media experiment in which a smorgasbord of catastrophic images is occupied by an auditory mindfulness exercise.

The diary of a grandmother from the Prague neighbourhood of Zbraslav as a diary of eternity. Using informal language, for five years grandmother Alena Němcová from Zbraslav has been writing down weather forecasts, dreams, her morning exercises, cooking, everyday house bustle, global events as well as notes concerning relationships, religion and the general spirit of the times – matters of a private, family, social, real and also surreal nature. The film captures the life in her house as a place that could represent a slice of the world and merge various events and connections, both of a daily and timeless nature. It points out that banality can indeed be part of our perception but not of the world itself. The device is just a change of banality to singularity. This film is part of the "Breathless – Dominance of The Moment" documentary film project.

Theatre director Jan Kačena poisoned himself in 2019 by inhaling fumes and suffered irreversible brain damage. While his partner makes a film as a declaration of love, he lies unconscious. In the film, the director follows moments in the everyday lives of three people close to him: Czech rapper Tyler Durden, painter Tadeáš Pochman and film director Helena Papírníková. In a naturalistic way, it captures drug addiction, self-destructive tendencies and family problems, which are the subject of intimate, often uncomfortable conversations. The result is a diary-style probe into the fate of the artistic bohemia of late capitalism.

Singer and musician Petr Ulrych celebrated his 70th birthday in February this year, his sister Hana celebrated her 65th birthday a month later, and together they have been playing and singing for an incredible fifty years. Add to that forty years since the birth of their band Javory and the fifth anniversary of the younger Javory Beat, and there is reason to celebrate several significant anniversaries of a unique musical legend! The Ulrych siblings will commemorate all these anniversaries with a concert by Javory and Javory Beat at the Mahen Theater in Brno, which will be broadcast by Czech Television.

Approximately 250 photographs by Roman Sejkot of a mentally handicapped swimmer which are wonderfully animated by the film's director. A selection of these photographs came third in the Sports Stories category in the 1993 World Press Photo competition.

A film journey through places near and far, real and dreamy, on the border between reality and fiction, where it is possible to learn how close the realm of the invisible lies and to contemplate whether it is possible to approach the invisible through film. Guides on this journey are various explorers who present their elusive experiences with researching and capturing imprints of the invisible – former filmmakers, a forgotten film movement, a local history expert, a mountaineer, a professor, and the director, Lea Petříková, herself. But the more they reveal, the more complicated it gets.

Performed by pianist Kirill Gerstein and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Tomáš Netopil, the concert will feature compositions by Smetana, Rachmaninoff, and Dvořák. Due to the renovation of Litomyšl Castle, the concert will take place in the Festival Hall, which was nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award in 2007.