Films 2019
JAN PALACH | Jan Palach CZ / SK / 2018 | Drama | 124 min
Czech Film Critics Award: 6
FESTIVALS: Denver FF, Rome FF, Terni IFF
The electrifying opening night feature Jan Palachby Robert Sedláček re-enacts a short period in Jan’s life, culminating in his protest against the Soviet occupation of Prague on the 16th of January, 1969. It is the story of an ordinary young student living in 1960s Czechoslovakia, full of the hopes and dreams of youth in spite of the mild persecution suffered by his family.
The film focuses on the last months of Jan’s life. It traces his path from an affectionate son, devoted friend and sensitive and thoughtful student, and tries to find the motives that led him to commit the radical act of becoming as he called it ‘Torch number 1’.
At the time, Palach’s actions aroused worldwide attention. At home, a staggering 600,000 people from all over the country attended his funeral.
SHORT FILM Poetika Anima/ Poetika Anima SK| 2018 | Animation 5:12 min
ENJOY A FREE BECHEROVKA COCKTAIL ON ARRIVAL
WED 27 MARCH 6:30 PM
DIRECTOR Robert Sedláček
LANGUAGE Czech
English subtitles
AGE 15+ or accompanied by an adult
CAST Viktor Zavadil
Zuzana Bydžovská
Denisa Barešová
Kristína Kanátová
Jan Vondráček
Michal Balcar
Simone Hrášková
Patrik Paušo
DUKLA 61 | Dukla 61 CZ 2018 | Drama / Thriller | 154 min
Czech Film Critics Award 2018 Winner
FESTIVALS: Plzeň FF, Karlovy Vary IFF
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
An incomprehensible disaster that resonates to this very day.
David Ondříček’s Dukla 61 is one of the most remarkable Czech television productions of recent times, focusing on the largest mining disaster of the 2nd half of the 20th century that occurred in former Czechoslovakia.
Falling safety standards, the pressure to produce results as well as an avalanche of critical errors caused a fire on July 7, 1961, during which 108 men suffocated in a Dukla mineshaft near Ostrava. This catastrophic event and the circumstances leading up to it are told through the eyes of a man working at the mine along with his son.
Award-winning director Ondříček has turned this half-forgotten tragedy into a compelling family drama which morphs into a thriller as we head towards a needless disaster.
THU 28 MARCH 6:00 PM
DIRECTOR David Ondříček LANGUAGE Czech
English subtitles
AGE 15+ or accompanied by an adult
CAST Marek Taclík
Martha Issová
Oskar Hess
Antonie Formanová
Petr Buchta,
Jiří Sedláček
and others
FREEDOM | Freiheit DE / SK | 2017 | Drama | 100 min
FESTIVALS: Locarno IFF, Warsaw, Haifa, Valladolid, Hof, Sao Paulo, Mannheim-Heidelberg
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
One person’s desire for freedom often becomes another person’s chains.
Nora leaves her husband and children without saying goodbye. Driven by an irresistible force she cannot ignore, she randomly hitchhikes to
Bratislava. Hiding her identity, she changes her appearance and befriends a young Slovakian stripper Etela and her husband Tamas, a cook.
While Nora struggles to build a new life, her German family in Berlin is left completely uncertain of her fate. The radical nature of her departure
appears to be both traumatic and an opportunity.
Jan Speckenbach’s film Freedomraises some fundamental questions: What is a freedom worth? What is the difference between living and surviving? Is it possible to erase your old life and to become someone else without losing yourself in the process? And above all – actually, what is freedom?
SHORT FILM I Love/I LoveCZ | 2016 | Documentary 13:44 min
FRI 29 MARCH 6:30 PM
DIRECTOR Jan Speckenbach
LANGUAGE German/Slovak/English
English subtitles
AGE 15+ or accompanied by an adult
CAST Johanna Wokalek
Hans-Jochen Wagner
Andrea Szabová
Ondrej Koval
Inga Birkenfeld
Georg Arms
INTIMATE ENEMY | Dôverný nepriateľ
SK / CZ 2018 | Mystery/Thriller/Sci-fi | 108 min
FESTIVALS: Art Film Fest Košice, Melbourne IFF
Is artificial intelligence our friend or enemy?
Karel Janák’s sci-fi mystery Intimate Enemy touches on today’s hot topic of our incorporation of AI in everyday life as well as our ever-increasing reliance on objects that could potentially harm us.
Andrej, a programmer, is working on a project for an intelligent home. In order to perfect his program, he decides to move into the bespoke house with his wife Zuzana to test it out. But he is also working on adding a bonus feature to the software – something that will take care of his wife and help her with her mundane, day to day chores.
Their idyllic, seemingly perfect life turns into a nightmare and a struggle for survival when someone else steps in and takes control of the software.
SHORT FILM Bloody Fairy Tales / Krvavé pohádky CZ | 2018 | Fiction 7:38 min
FRI 29 MARCH 9:00 PM
DIRECTOR Karel Janák LANGUAGE Slovak
English subtitles
AGE 15+ or accompanied by an adult
CAST Gabriela Marcinková
Vojtěch Dyk
Zuzana Porubjaková
Ondřej Malý
Ady Hajdu
Roman Luknár
THE SECRET OF THE TWO HEADED DRAGON | Když draka bolí hlava CZ / SK 2018 | Fairy Tale/ Fantasy / Family | 99 min
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
What happens when a dragon has a headache?
Barborka and Tomik by chance stumble upon a two-headed dragon in Čmoudík’s cave and this leads to unexpected adventures during their
summer holidays at grandma and grandpa’s in the countryside.
Together with Barborka and Tomik, discover the Dragon’s Kingdom, the deeply in love Princess Adelka and Prince Janko and the curse which has
been placed on them as well as the evil elf Blivajz and the mystery of the Forgotten Meadow.
Kids, have you ever wondered if dragons dance hip hop, how Christmas is celebrated in a dragon cave, what magic power a hundred-year-old dragon
tooth has and why the dragon has a headache? Don’t miss this wonderful fairy tale mystery and all will be revealed.
Three lucky children will each receive a beautiful handmade toy in our special prize draw following the screening.
SHORT FILM Fruits of Clouds/Plody mraků CZ| 2017 | 10 min | CINEKID Best EU Short Animation
Happy Go Ducky are proud sponsors of this fairytale.
SAT 30 MARCH 1:30 PM
DIRECTOR Dušan Rapoš LANGUAGE Czech / Slovak
English subtitles
AGE No restriction
CAST Karel Gott
Kamila Magálová
Kateřina Brožová
Miroslav Šimůnek
Zuzana Mauréry
Jan Koleník
THE MEDAL | Signum Laudis CZECHOSLOVAKIA 1980 | Psychological WW I Drama | 85 min
FILM AWARDS: KV IFF 1980 Jury Special Award, Pilsen FF 1990 Winner
FESTIVALS: Karlovy Vary IFF, Pilsen FF
A gripping portrait of an insane war.
A look at the absurdity of war and a piercing account of false ideal, Martin Hollý’s masterpiece with its carefully constructed script gives an
excellent portrait of the final years of World War I and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The trenches of the Eastern Front provide the backdrop to the drama of Corporal Hoferik. In his devotion to the Habsburg Empire, he
fanatically carries out his military orders.
Hoferik, brilliantly played by Vlado Mülleris a genuine tragic hero hoping for a different world, but strictly adhering to the codes of duty and
obedience which are ultimately his undoing.
The Embassy of the Slovak Republic is the proud sponsor of this screening.
SHORT FILM Just a Note from the Field Post/ Len lístok poľnej pošty SK | 1977 | Document 15 min
SAT 30 MARCH 4:00 PM
DIRECTOR Martin Hollý LANGUAGE Slovak
English subtitles
AGE 15+ or accompanied by an adult
CAST Vlado Müller
Josef Bláha
Ilja Prachař
Radovan Lukavský
Jiří Kodet
Oldřich Velen
Ladislav Frej
Pavel Zedníček
Miroslav Zounar
THE FIREMENS’ BALL | Hoří má panenko
CZECHOSLOVAKIA / ITALY 1967 | Comedy/Satire
71 min
AWARDS: Cannes IFF 1968 – Miloš Forman
1969 Oscars Nomination: Best Foreign Language Film
FESTIVALS: Cannes, Kerala
‘If you don’t steal, you’re robbing your family.’ (a common Czech saying in communist times)
Miloš Forman’s last movie filmed in Czechoslovakia before he emigrated to the US, the legendary tragicomedy Firemen’s Ball is one of the gems of Czech cinematography. This unforgiving portrayal of an ill-fated rural ball is today regarded as a masterpiece of Czechoslovak New Wave cinema. But at the time of its release, it was rejected by the state-run film industry.
Domestic audiences had scant opportunity to enjoy Forman’s movie at the cinema: It was only screened for a few weeks after its December 1967
premiere before the film was accused of gross distortion and denigration of socialist life and it was pulled from distribution. Media at the time even suppressed the fact that it received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. The film then disappeared into the censor’s vaults.
Domestic audiences did not get to see the Firemen’s Ball until perestroika arrived in the country in 1988.
SHORT FILM Yellow / Žltá SK | 2017 | Animation 6:24 min
SAT 30 MARCH 6:30 PM
DIRECTOR Miloš Forman LANGUAGE Czech
English Subtitles
AGE 15+ or accompanied by an adult
CAST Jan Vostrčil
Josef Šebánek
Ladislav Adam
Vratislav Čermák
Josef Řehořek
Josef Valnoha
Milada Ježková
František Svět
Alena Květová
THE CELLAR | Pivnica SK / RU / CZ 2018 | Drama/Crime/Thriller| 114 min
FESTIVALS: Busan IFF
FILM AWARDS: Busan IFF Nomination
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
The question of crime and punishment is never an easy one.
Igor Voloshin's film The Cellar is not an easy story - it invites serious moral judgement. Throughout the film, you are never sure of what you would
do in the same circumstances.
The film shows the dilemma of a parent caught between allowing their child to enjoy herself at a party and protecting her in case the party goes
wrong. Should you blame yourself if something does go wrong? Did you even have a choice as to whether she stayed at home or went out?
And if something does go wrong, can you really take justice into your own hands? Both Olga Simonova and Jean-Marc Barr as mother and father are completely convincing, brilliantly displaying the range of emotions one would expect from their characters.
SHORT FILM Chase/ Štvanice CZ | 2017 | Document/Animation 12 min
SAT 30 MARCH 9:00 PM
DIRECTOR Igor Voloshin LANGUAGE Slovak
English Subtitles
AGE 15+ or accompanied by an adult
CAST Jean-Marc Barr,
Olga Simonová
Dalibor Štofan
Milan Ondrík
Simonetta Hladká
Jana Oľhová
ROBERT VANO: THE STORY OF A MAN | Robert Vano – příběh člověka
CZECH REPUBLIC 2018 | Documentary | 80 Min
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Photographer Robert Vano: “I never wanted a Porsche or a cottage in the country. I wanted to take pictures.”
Robert Vano worked with the most famous men and the most beautiful women in the world. He met the biggest icons of show business yet he isn’t
world famous. He made thousands of dollars a day and never got rich. The little he did plan never worked out and yet he has never given much thought to all he had accomplished.
He wanted recognition, but in America, he got only ‘success’. He went further afield in search of it to Italy, Spain, Germany and France but none gave it to him. And when he didn’t care for it anymore, he found recognition, success and the media attention to go with it on his return to his former homeland.
Zika’s film deviates from the format of biographical documentaries on important personalities because Vano’s attitude to life has never been
driven by the dogged determination we tend to see in important people. As a result, we can relate to Robert Vano and his life story far more than we might have otherwise expected.
SHORT FILM The Last Bus / Posledný autobus SK | 2011 | Drama/feature 15 min
SUN 31 MARCH 1:30 PM
DIRECTOR Adolf Zika LANGUAGE Czech
English Subtitles
AGE 15+ or accompanied by an adult
CAST Robert Vano,
Iva Janžurová
Adolf Zika
Filip Jančík
BEAR WITH US | Chata na prodej
Czech Republic 2018 | Comedy/Drama | 77 min
FESTIVALS: Karlovy Vary IFF
A family, a country cottage and one last opportunity to reminisce.
Tomáš Pavlíček´s comedy/drama tells the story of a family, who decides to sell their beloved cottage as none of them has visited it for some time. But it holds so many nostalgic memories that their mother decides that before the sale is finalised, the whole family must come and spend one last weekend at the cottage, despite everyone’s objections.
Her husband doesn't like the idea. While grandma hates the cottage, grandpa isn´t really aware of reality anymore. Their daughter now lives in
Germany with her boyfriend and their son was recently dumped by his girlfriend. But mum insists, so on a foggy morning, they all set off for the
cottage.
This well-paced comedy about the Czech phenomenon of weekending in the country was a hit with critics and public alike at the
2018 Karlovy Vary IFF.
SHORT FILM Journey / Journey SK | 2018 | Animation 9 min
SUN 31 MARCH 4:00 PM
DIRECTOR Tomáš Pavlíček LANGUAGE Czech
English Subtitles
AGE 15+ or accompanied by an adult
CAST Ivana Chýlková
David Vávra
Tereza Voříšková
Judit Bárdos
Jan Kačer
Jan Strejcovský
Michael Pitthan
Václav Kopta
WHAT MEN LONG FOR / Po čem muži touží
Czech Republic 2018 | Comedy/Fantasy
95 min
2018 BOX OFFICE HIT
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
Do women really have it easier than men?
Karel, the protagonist of this clever comedy will literally find out the answer to this question on himself. And yes, we did say ‘on’ himself.
Without spoiling the fun, suffice to say that the world of this charming but chauvinist ladies’ man will be turned upside down following a
sequence of unexpected events. The unforeseen consequences make Karel wish he could hit the rewind button faster than you can say
‘lipstick’.
Rudolf Havlík’s hilarious comedy about What Men Long For was the biggest box office hit of 2018 despite only being released in September. A laugh out loud comedy that’s a genuinely fun night out at the movies.
SHORT FILM Blueberry Hunt/ Hurá na borůvky CZ | 2017 | Animation 7 min
SUN 31 MARCH 6:30 PM
DIRECTOR Rudolf Havlík
LANGUAGE Czech
English Subtitles
AGE 15+ or accompanied by an adult
CAST Jiří Langmajer
Anna Polívková
Matěj Hádek
Táňa Pauhofová
Jiří Havelka
Lenka Vlasáková
Sara Sandeva
Lucie Polišenská