8th

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1 8th tel aviv jerusalem haifa herzliya holon Why do I make movies? I m looking for terra incognita, a land on which no filmmaker has yet set foot, a planet where no director has planted his flag of conquest, a world that exists only in fairy tales. Karel Zeman Film director and animator

2 Dear friends of Czech film, It is August again and with it comes the annual Czech Film Week festival. We consistently introduce works by talented young directors and producers to the Israeli audience. This year we are featuring some of the output of the producer Jan Macola, who will be our guest. We are opening with WE ARE NEVER ALONE, a dark drama with elements of grotesque black humor by the helmer-writer Petr Vaclav, which became a sensation at the Berlin IFF (we are also showing Vaclav s other recent film, THE WAY OUT). If you need to restore your faith in humanity a little and challenge your perception of what is normal, then make sure not to miss the feature documentary NORMAL AUTISTIC FILM, a deeply compassionate, wonderfully funny and beautifully shot insight into the world of autistic children by Mira Janek. Deservedly rewarded with the Czech Academy Award for best documentary, it is one of my personal favorites. Olmo Omerzu s FAMILY FILM travelled to and collected prizes at festivals the world over, and I hope you too will enjoy this eccentric mix of the comic and serious. I, OLGA HEPNAROVA is a true story of a woman who mowed down eight strangers on a Prague sidewalk in Screened at the Haifa IFF, the film gains additional meanings in the Israeli context, so we decided to include it in the Czech Film Week as well. We are inching closer toward closing a coproduction agreement between the Czech Republic and Israel, so alongside our selection we are also showing THE MAN WITH AN IRON HEART, a Czech-themed story of the assassination of the brutal architect of the Final Solution, Reinhard Heydrich, in Prague in Not everyone was involved in the resistance though, as the fascinating documentary DOOMED BEAUTY about the most famous Czech actress of the WWII period, and her love affair with the Nazi propagandist Goebbels, shows. The Czech Centre has a close cooperation with the Train Theatre and the International Puppet Festival in Jerusalem. This year the festival celebrates the spirit of Karel Zeman s amazing, fantastic world of animation that inspired such filmmakers as Steven Spielberg or Terry Gilliam. It is therefore fitting we pay homage to his genius during Czech Film Week too. Get ready for a true cinematic gem you will surely be mesmerized by the beautifully restored THE FABULOUS WORLD OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, and will marvel at the unique mix of acting and animation and the elaborate tricks invented well before the time of computers. I believe the selection is wide enough to find a film to suit your taste, so now just lean back and enjoy the movies of Czech Film Week 2017! Lukas Pribyl Director Czech Centre Tel Aviv

3 day time film cinematheque :30 WE ARE NEVER ALONE tel aviv :00 FAMILY FILM tel aviv :00 WE ARE NEVER ALONE jerusalem :00 THE MAN WITH IRON HEART holon :00 WE ARE NEVER ALONE haifa :00 THE WAY OUT jerusalem :30 I, OLGA HEPNAROVA tel aviv :30 THE MAN WITH IRON HEART jerusalem :00 THE WAY OUT tel aviv :30 FAMILY FILM herzliya :45 WE ARE NEVER ALONE holon :00 NORMAL AUTISTIC FILM tel aviv :30 THE MAN WITH IRON HEART haifa :00 FAMILY FILM holon :30 THE MAN WITH IRON HEART herzliya :00 THE FABULUOUS WORLD OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN tel aviv :00 I, OLGA HEPNAROVA herzliya :00 THE MAN WITH IRON HEART jerusalem :30 NORMAL AUTISTIC FILM herzliya :30 THE MAN WITH IRON HEART haifa :00 NORMAL AUTISTIC FILM holon :00 DOOMED BEAUTY jerusalem :30 THE WAY OUT holon :00 DOOMED BEAUTY tel aviv :30 FAMILY FILM jerusalem :45 NORMAL AUTISTIC FILM jerusalem :30 THE MAN WITH IRON HEART tel aviv :30 THE MAN WITH IRON HEART tel aviv :00 NORMAL AUTISTIC FILM haifa :30 THE WAY OUT herzliya :30 I, OLGA HEPNAROVA holon :30 I, OLGA HEPNAROVA jerusalem :00 FAMILY FILM haifa :30 WE ARE NEVER ALONE herzliya :00 THE FABULUOUS WORLD OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN holon :00 DOOMED BEAUTY herzliya :30 THE WAY OUT haifa :00 I, OLGA HEPNAROVA haifa :00 DOOMED BEAUTY holon :00 THE FABULUOUS WORLD OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN haifa :00 DOOMED BEAUTY haifa :00 THE FABULUOUS WORLD OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN herzliya

4 WE ARE NEVER ALONE Czech Republic / France 2016, 105 min Eight people residing in rundown houses along a highway, the sound of traffic coming through the walls. Eight characters, none of whom we encounter at the peak of a satisfied life. The desire to survive and to give life meaning, however, might override everything else. But is it possible to break free of the influence of those hobbled by frustration? The worn-out salesclerk at a local shop is trying to provide for her family, but her unemployed hypochondriac of a husband is dragging her down. The unfortunate woman falls for a pimp who shops at her store, but he s trying to hook up with one of his girls. On top of it all, they re being watched by a grousy prison guard. Turning from the observational realism of his previous picture The Way Out, director Petr Václav here leans toward a more stylized drama, although one of his traditional themes remains: the characters desire to survive and give meaning to their lives. Once again, the strongest, most resolute characters are women, while men are the ones who blame everyone else for their problems except themselves. tel aviv :30 jerusalem :00 haifa :00 herzliya :30 holon :45 Art Cast: Petr Václav Petr Václav Štěpán Kučera Florent Mangeot Milan Plešinger Jan Macola Mimesis Film Česká televize, Cinéma Defacto, i/o post Karel Roden, Lenka Vlasáková, Zdeněk Godla, Klaudia Dudová, Miroslav Hanuš

5 NORMAL AUTISTIC FILM Czech Republic 2016, 90 min A foremost Czech documentarist with a unique authorial vision challenges us once and for all to stop perceiving autism as a medical diagnosis. Let s take hold of the surrounding chaos and overload our senses! In such a state one may understand autism as a fascinating way of thinking that s often maddeningly difficult to decipher. Direct and thoughtful, Lukáš has a distinctive sense of humor; he loves movies and he writes his own screenplays. Piano virtuoso Denis is able to play demanding classical pieces; he is also incredibly intelligent and well-read. He adores The Little Prince so much that he keeps rereading it. Majda likes to rap and isn t shy about it; her bold lyrics expose the surrounding world with disarming accuracy. Marjamka is able to tell long stories in English, while her tireless brother Ahmed is uncommonly friendly. Five remarkable children that society has consistently and unflatteringly labeled autistic. A foremost Czech documentarist with a unique authorial vision challenges us once and for all to stop perceiving autism as a medical diagnosis and try to understand it as a fascinating way of thinking that s often maddeningly difficult to decipher. Because who s to determine what s normal living in a constant rush while disregarding the absurdity of modern life, or wistfully seeking order, peace and tranquility in the world? tel aviv :00 jerusalem :45 haifa :00 herzliya :30 holon :00 Miroslav Janek Miroslav Janek Miroslav Janek Tonička Janková Jan Macola Mimesis Film Česká televize, Mat Film Resort

6 THE WAY OUT Czech Republic / France 2014, 103 min Žaneta wants her young daughter to receive an education, she hankers after peaceful summer holidays and hopes that her partner David will stop looking at other women. You can sort certain things out behind closed doors, but when they treat you with contempt because you re a Romany woman, there s nothing you can do about it. Young Romany Žaneta lives in a prefab housing block with her partner David, their daughter, and Žaneta s younger sister. Her mother died years ago and her destitute father is unlikely to find another job after ten years without work. The young couple hope to find employment themselves, but their options are limited, as are the intellectual horizons of the personnel at the local authorities. Without resorting to idealisation or gratuitous sensationalism, the film examines issues of social exclusion, presenting numerous contexts of which stereotypical or outright racist individuals know nothing. This is the story of a strong woman who is quite capable of looking after herself and her family, nevertheless, her unenviable situation is exacerbated by a neverending series of obstacles. This sober look at the protagonists predicament gives us an insight into the current social climate while also touching upon universal issues. Where do the limits of ordinary human support and solidarity begin and end? tel aviv :00 jerusalem :00 haifa :30 herzliya :30 holon :30 Cast: Petr Václav Petr Václav Štěpán Kučera Florent Mangeot Jan Macola, Miloš Lochman, Karel Chvojka moloko film Česká televize / Kateřina Ondřejková, Cinéma Defacto / Tom Dercourt, Sophie Erbs Klaudia Dudová, David Ištok, Natálie Hlaváčová, Mária Ferencová-Zajacová, Milan Cifra

7 FAMILY FILM Czech Republic / Germany / Slovenia / France / Slovak Republic 2015, 95 min What are the various forms a family can take? The departure of the parents on an exotic holiday is the catalyst of events that chiefly impact their two teenage children, particularly when the parents suddenly break off all communication with Prague while sailing round the islands of Indonesia. This black-humoured drama ironises the family film genre and keeps the viewer guessing as to which way the plot will turn. There s no family film like Family Film. Taking this as the title of his work, Slovene director and FAMU graduate Olmo Omerzu offers an ironic take on the family idyll genre as his feature examines a wellsituated Prague family from different angles. The departure of the parents on an exotic holiday is the catalyst for the events that follow. They take the dog with them, leaving their two teenage children behind, but they keep in touch regularly. Then, while the parents are sailing round the islands of Indonesia, they suddenly break off all communication. The family in Family Film is thus reconstructed and redefined at various points, and its members find themselves changing roles. The very structure of this black-humoured drama is elusive, preventing the viewer from knowing precisely which motif to grasp or from whose perspective the story will develop and that perspective might well be the dog s. Without the classic disclosure of events, Family Film is essentially stating that the big and small things in life happen totally unexpectedly, and there is very little that we can actually influence ourselves. Music: Art Cast: tel aviv :00 jerusalem :30 haifa :00 herzliya :30 holon :00 Olmo Omerzu Olmo Omerzu, Nebojša Pop-Tasić Lukáš Milota Šimon Holý Jana Vlčková Iva Němcová Jiří Konečný endorfilm 42film, Česká televize, Arsmedia, Rouge International, Punkchart films Karel Roden, Vanda Hybnerová, Daniel Kadlec, Jenovéfa Boková, Martin Pechlát

8 THE FABULOUS WORLD OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN KAREL ZEMAN TRIBUTE Czechoslovakia 1961, 83 min Karel Zeman - a true successor to Georges Méliès, a wizard of the big screen, a brilliant pioneer of special effects in film - as he was often called, is still one of the few Czech directors to be universally recognized in the world of cinema. In this unique treatment of the famous book by Gottfried August Bürger, he was inspired by engravings used in the original edition from the hand of one of the most important illustrators of the 19th century, Gustave Doré. Filming the action in black and white, the director then used heavy tinting and different colors as symbols of the changing moods and surprising plot twists of the story. Tony, a modern astronaut, lands on the moon, where he meets a peculiar party of gentlemen. This includes Cyrano de Bergerac, the heroes of Jules Verne s Voyage to the Moon, but above all the blustering Baron Munchausen. All warmly welcome him with a glass of wine and want to know if this Moon-man knows of the magic of life on Earth. Baron Munchausen then takes Tony with him back to Turkey, where they free the charming princess Bianca from the captivity of the malicious sultan. The boastful baron tries to charm her and thus plunges them into crazy adventures; they find themselves in the belly of a whale; he flies in the claws of a Roc, swims underwater on a seahorse, and is taken into the midst of battle riding on a cannon ball... In the course of these fantastic adventures Bianca becomes enchanted by the boldness of the dreamer Tony and together they reach the end where the story began back on the pale Moon, which belongs not only to poets and fantasists, but also to lovers. tel aviv :00 jerusalem :00 haifa :00 herzliya :00 holon :00 Camera: Music: Starring: Karel Zeman Karel Zeman, Josef Kainar; based on the book by Gottfried August Bürger Jiří Tarantík Zdeněk Liška Miloš Kopecký, Jana Brejchová, Rudolf Jelínek, Karel Höger, Jan Werich, Rudolf Hrušínský Karel Zeman Museum

9 I, OLGA HEPNAROVA Czech Republic / Poland / Slovak Republic / France 2016, 105 min This is my verdict. I, Olga Hepnarová, a victim of your brutality, sentence you to death by vehicle. Thus wrote the 22-year-old woman in 1973 before using a truck to kill eight people in Prague. This restrained and chilling period drama investigates a lonely murderer whose actions are just as inexplicable as Hepnarová herself. Normalization-era Prague, July 10, A 22-year-old woman by the name of Olga Hepnarová borrows a Praga truck and heads for the tram stop at Strossmayer Square. Once there, she steps on the gas and slams into a group of 30 people, killing eight. She later admits to the mass murder, explaining that she was punishing a heartless society for tormenting her. Two years later she was hanged, the last woman to be executed in Czechoslovakia. Just as she had wanted. In their debut picture, without glossing over the guilt for a brutal crime, directors Tomáš Weinreb and Petr Kazda focus in on several key years and moments in the life of a lonely person. The dark and dispassionate drama, composed in part from long, carefully constructed shots, features a powerful performance by Polish actress Michalina Olszańska, whose Hepnarová is just as inscrutable as her act. Premiered at Berlin, this black-and-white film is one of the strongest Czech entries of the year. Directors: Music: Art Cast: tel aviv :30 jerusalem :30 haifa :00 herzliya :00 holon :30 Tomáš Weinreb, Petr Kazda Tomáš Weinreb, Petr Kazda, story by Roman Cílek Adam Sikora Marian Varga Vojtěch Frič Alexander Kozák Tomáš Weinreb, Petr Kazda, Vojtěch Frič Black Balance Mediabrigade, Frame100R, Alef Film, Arizona Productions Michalina Olszańska, Martin Pechlát, Klára Melíšková, Marika Šoposká, Juraj Nvota, Ondřej Malý

10 DOOMED BEAUTY Czech Republic 2016, 90 min Lída Baarová dazzled filmgoers with her beauty for a few short years before the clouds began to darken her career as a result of her affair with Goebbels. In her own reminiscences the actress sees herself as a victim, but the film, while listening with reverence, suggests that the tragedy of her fate holds a certain ambiguity. It s no surprise that the story of Czech film star Lída Baarová was taken up by editor Jakub Hejna and Helena Třeštíková, a documentary filmmaker who, pursuing one of her thematic lines, examines the ways in which individuals come up against History itself. In the case of the actress whose success led her to the big studios in Berlin, embarking on an affair with Goebbels proved ill-fated: it cast a dark shadow, from which she could not escape, even after death. After being banned from acting, she was taken into custody on suspicion of collaboration and was then forced into exile for the remainder of her life. Doomed Beauty, like the television documentary from the mid-1990s, is based on reminiscences captured on camera when director Třeštíková went to visit her in Salzburg; in this case, however, Baarová s subjective perspective is juxtaposed with archive newsreels as well as numerous excerpts from the movies in which she appeared. The image of the sufferer is thus partly overlaid with a vision of an egoistical star who is clearly incapable of critical self-reflection, still living out her final years under a veil of false illusions. tel aviv :00 jerusalem :00 haifa :00 herzliya :00 holon :00 Music: Helena Třeštíková, Jakub Hejna Helena Třeštíková Jiří Chod, Martin Kubala, Jan Malíř, Jaromír Nekuda Tadeáš Věrčák Jakub Hejna Hana Třeštíková Produkce Třeštíková Česká televize

11 THE MAN WITH AN IRON HEART France / UK / Belgium / USA 2017, 120 min English with Hebrew subtitles 1942: The Third Reich is at its peak. The Czech resistance in London decides to plan the most ambitious military operation of WWII: Anthropoid. Two young recruits in their late twenties, Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis, are sent to Prague to assassinate the most ruthless Nazi leader - Reich-protector Reinhard Heydrich, Head of the SS, the Gestapo, and the architect of the Final Solution. tel aviv :30 jerusalem :30 haifa :30 herzliya :30 holon :00 Music: Costume designer: Producers: Production company: Cast: Cédric Jimenez David Farr, Audrey Diwan, Cedric Jimenez; based on the book by Laurent Binet Laurent Tangy Guillaume Roussel Chris Dickens Olivier Beriot Ilan Goldman, Daniel Crown Legende Films Rosamund Pike, Mia Wasikowska, Jack O Connell, Jason Clarke, Jack Reynor The Producer