czech film week

Transcription

1 czech film week tel aviv jerusalem haifa holon herzliya "A director must be a policeman, a midwife, a psychoanalyst, a sycophant and a bastard." Billy Wilder

2 Dear cinema aficionados and friends of Czech movies in particular, Summer is here and Israel is simmering in the scorching sun. And as with every August, the annual Czech Film Week festival is here as well, hot as ever. Year after year we bring you a selection of the most interesting, gutsy, accomplished, provocative and ambitious Czech films from the past several months. One thing is clear. In Czech cinematography, something is brewing, there is a breeze of fresh air. A whole new generation of Czech filmmakers is starting to present their visions and ideas, seeing the world through different eyes, with new trends emerging. We therefore decided to devote this year s edition of Czech Film Week to debuts. Except for the opening film - the much awarded Snake Brothers - all movies are by first-time directors. Some went directly for the gold, collecting Czech Academy Awards, like the mysterious yet funny Schmitke, or Home Care, a comedy-drama which was also the Czech Republic s Oscar submission. Other ones show great promise, like the intriguing Laputa, or premiered at class A festivals, for example the modern retelling of the classic scary Czech fairy tale Noonday Witch and the cheeky flick Greedy Tiffany seemingly superficial and silly, until it grips you and does not let go Since we are working hard on closing a coproduction agreement between the Czech Republic and Israel, we are delighted that some such collaborations are already taking place. Thus our selection is complemented by another debut, Koudelka Shooting Holy Land, a documentary about the famous Czech photographer Josef Koudelka by the talented Israeli helmer Gilad Baram. It is up to you to judge whether Billy Wilder s definition of film directors is correct, but one thing is sure the works of these young filmmakers will not leave you indifferent. So take your family and friends and make sure to tell them to bring along their families friends as well and head to the nearest cinematheque. You will not regret it. Anyway, it is time for me to end this introduction and let the silver screen work its magic. Enjoy! Lukas Pribyl Director Czech Centre Tel Aviv

3 day time film cinematheque 15 21:00 SNAKE BROTHERS tel aviv 16 19:00 SNAKE BROTHERS haifa / rapapport 20:30 SNAKE BROTHERS holon 21:00 HOME CARE tel aviv 17 19:00 KOUDELKA SHOOTING HOLY LAND tel aviv 20:00 SNAKE BROTHERS jerusalem 18 20:30 SNAKE BROTHERS herzliya 21:00 KOUDELKA SHOOTING HOLY LAND haifa 22:00 GREEDY TIFFANY tel aviv 19 16:30 GREEDY TIFFANY haifa 21:30 HOME CARE herzliya 20 19:00 LAPUTA haifa 21 21:00 THE NOONDAY WITCH tel aviv 21:00 HOME CARE haifa / rapapport 21:30 GREEDY TIFFANY jerusalem 22 20:00 HOME CARE jerusalem 20:30 KOUDELKA SHOOTING HOLY LAND holon 21:00 LAPUTA tel aviv 23 20:30 HOME CARE holon 21:00 THE NOONDAY WITCH jerusalem 24 20:30 GREEDY TIFFANY holon 21:30 LAPUTA jerusalem 25 20:30 THE NOONDAY WITCH holon 21:00 SCHMITKE tel aviv 21:00 THE NOONDAY WITCH haifa 21:15 KOUDELKA SHOOTING HOLY LAND jerusalem 26 21:30 LAPUTA herzliya 27 18:00 SCHMITKE herzliya 28 19:00 SCHMITKE haifa / rapapport 29 19:00 SCHMITKE jerusalem 30 18:00 SCHMITKE holon 31 20:30 LAPUTA holon 20:30 THE NOONDAY WITCH herzliya

4 tel aviv > > 21:00 jerusalem > > 20:00 haifa > > 19:00 holon > > 20:30 herzliya > > 20:30 SNAKE BROTHERS minutes Czech with English and Hebrew subtitles 6 Czech Academy Awards Guests: Lucie Žáčková and David Máj, actors This is a drama about people who, out of desperation, make one mistake after another while still helplessly grasping at illusion of a beautiful life. Grass Snake is a lost case. He is almost forty, he is single and unemployed and feels that now may be his last chance to change the course of his life. He is given an opportunity he is not going to miss. His brother, Cobra, is a nutcase, an irresponsible, childish junkie who still lives with their drunkard mother. His plans are magnificent in theory, but to make a living, he robs vacation cabins. When Grass seems to be finally reaching a point of happiness, Cobra appears. Grass wants to give his brother a lesson, but quite fast the situation gets out of hand. Director: Jan Prušinovský Story and screenplay: Jaroslav Žváček Cinematography: Petr Koblovský Sound: Matěj Matuška, Michal Čech Script editing: Petr Jarchovský Producer: Ondřej Zima, Jan Prušinovský (OFFSIDE MEN) Cast: Matěj Hádek, Kryštof Hádek, Jan Hájek, Lucie Polišenská, Lucie Žáčková, Jana Šulcová, David Máj

5 tel aviv > > 21:00 jerusalem > > 20:00 haifa > > 21:00 holon > > 20:30 herzliya > > 21:30 HOME CARE minutes Czech with English and Hebrew subtitles Czech nominee for Oscars, Czech Academy Award Guest: Slávek Horák, the film s director and producer In this dramatic story with comedy features, Vlasta, a nurse, is forced to realize it is her who needs to be taken care of now as she is seriously ill. Vlasta is a dedicated selfless nurse, who has been taking care of many peculiar patients within her job in South Moravia. When she learns it is her turn to get some help, she has to look outside her familiar environment. A daughter of one of her patients and her esoteric mentor help Vlasta discover the world of alternative health care and maybe even her own self. Yet Vlasta s husband, Lada, is not very happy, as he does not believe in this nonsense. Vlasta thus has to face both her own illness and her husband s common sense. Story, screenplay, director: Slávek Horák Cinematography: Jan Šťastný Sound: Juraj Baláž, Peter Surový Script editing: Jan Gogola Costumes: Natálie Steklová Producer: Slávek Horák (TVORBA films) Co-production: Michal Kollár (Sokol Kollár), Viktor Tauš (Fog n desire Films), Prokop Svoboda (Svoboda&Williams), Česká televize, RTVS, Fond kinematografie, AVF, Nadace RWE Cast: Alena Mihulová, Bolek Polívka, Tatiana Vilhelmová, Zuzana Krónerová

6 tel aviv > > 21:00 jerusalem > > 19:00 haifa > > 19:00 holon > > 18:00 herzliya > > 18:00 SCHMITKE min German and Czech with English and Hebrew subtitles 2 Czech Academy Awards Guest: Tomáš Vach, producer Reticent engineer Julius Schmitke is a whizz at anything wind turbine-related. He sets off with his verbose colleague for the Czech side of the Ore Mountains in order to fix a creaking old wind turbine. Out there in the remote woodlands Schmitke senses something is calling out to him, something mysterious that has started to permeate his very being. Strangers come to a small town where some sort of system is already in place and the locals aren t very keen on the idea of intruders sticking their nose in their affairs. In Schmitke Altrichter concocts an absurd Nordic atmosphere, taking his heroes into the barren mountains and observing their actions in statically depersonalised shots chilled with cold hues. Director: Štěpán Altrichter Cinematography: Cristian Pîrjol Script: Jan Fusek, Tomáš Končinský, Štěpán Altrichter Story: Tomáš Končinský Edition: Phillip Wenning, Andrea Schumacher Music: Johannes Repka Sound: Christoph de la Chevallerie, Philipp Schneider Producers: Tomáš Vach, Jörg Trentmann, Radim Procházka Cast: Peter Kurth, Johann Jürgens, Helena Dvořková, Jakub Žáček, Petr Vršek, Lana Cooper, Johana Schmidtmajerová

7 tel aviv > > 21:00 jerusalem > > 21:00 haifa > > 21:00 holon > > 20:30 herzliya > > 20:30 THE NOONDAY WITCH min Czech with English and Hebrew subtitles A story of Eliska and her daughter, starting a new life in a remote house with the 'father away on business', as the mother claims. After the lie is disclosed, their relationship begins to wither. At that time, the mythical Noonday Witch begins to materialize. She is coming closer and closer and the question is poised: is the danger real or is it all in the mother's crumbling head? Director: Jiří Sádek Story: Michal Samir Cinematography: Alexander Šurkala Music: Ben Corrigan Producer: Matěj Chlupáček (BARLETTA) Cast: Aňa Geislerová, Karolína Lipowská, Daniela Kolářová, Zdeněk Mucha, Jiří Štrébl, Marie Ludvíková, Tomáš Bambušek, Halka Třešňáková

8 tel aviv > > 22:00 jerusalem > > 21:30 haifa > > 16:30 holon > > 20:30 GREEDY TIFFANY minutes Czech with English and Hebrew subtitles A horror comedy about a petty thief whose rather uneventful life changes due to the discovery of an old video camera, his curiosity and the desire to find a treasure. Pepa spends most of his time in pubs. To earn a living, he breaks into cottages and sells the loot in pawn shops. He is once almost caught red handed and when escaping, he happens to find an old video camera. The last recording seems to be showing a path to a dreamy treasure. Pepa is immediately caught - he needs to find it. Yet he soon realizes that it will cost him much more than many hours of digging, as the price is higher than he thought. Story, screenplay, director: Andy Fehu Cinematography: Jakub Ševčík Music: Mojmír Měchura Editing: Michal Böhm, Andy Fehu Sound: Jan Kalužný Costumes: Jana Jurčová Producer: Filip Brouk, Filip Čermák (Company F) Production: Company F Cast: Leoš Noha, Jiří Panzner, Pjeer van Eck, Petr Čtvrtníček, Jitka Pavlišová, Vojtěch Johaník

9 tel aviv > > 21:00 jerusalem > > 21:30 haifa > > 19:00 holon > > 20:30 herzliya > > 21:30 LAPUTA minutes Czech with English and Hebrew subtitles Laputa is a love drama, taking place in the eponymous café, where Johanka, the main character, spends all her free time. For her, Laputa is the island she both does and doesn t want to leave. While her friends come and then go to live their own lives, Johanka stays, surrounded by beer glasses as silent witnesses of the vanity of it all. She built this café for people who know how to live fully; each of them has an idea, a need, or their own selfishness. Johanka is there for and with them all, yet she is alone and insecure. She is all lost in the big scary adult life. Will she be able to feel complete on her own? And feel happy? Director: Jakub Šmíd Screenplay: Lucie Bokšteflová Cinematography: Vidu Gunaratna Music: Pavel Kopecký Editing: Tomáš Vrána Sound: Jiří Gráf Production design: David Dubenský Costumes: Marie Mukařovská Producer: Viktor Schwarcz, Veronika Schwarczová (CineArt TV Prague) Co-producer: Česká televize Production: CineArt TV Prague Cast: Tereza Voříšková, Igor Orozovič, Petr Stach, Luboš Veselý, Pavel Gajdoš, Ivana Chýlková, Klára Melíšková

10 tel aviv > > 19:00 jerusalem > > 21:15 haifa > > 21:00 holon > > 20:30 KOUDELKA SHOOTING HOLY LAND min English, Hebrew and Arabic with Hebrew and English subtitles The film follows Czech photographer Josef Koudelka on his journey photographing Israel and Palestine from one enigmatic and visually spectacular location to the next. In each location - soon to become a new Koudelka Photo - a scene unfolds, gradually introducing us to Koudelka s method of working, his perception of the world he is documenting and the people he encounters. A fascinating dialogue emerges between the moving images Baram films and Koudelka s still photographs, as Baram places the photographer in his own breathtaking compositions. Austere images of landscape divided by concrete walls and barbed wire reveal the tragic absurdity of the infamous conflict. Gilad Baram is a Berlin based Israeli photographer, visual artists, and documentary filmmaker. His work, focusing primarily on the changes in photography in the era of Internet and meta data, has won scholarships and prizes and has been exhibited in art venues worldwide. From 2009 to 2012, Baram worked as assistant to photographer Josef Koudelka. In the past he worked in Israeli film and TV production. His film, Koudelka Shooting Holy Land is his directorial debut. Writer, director and cinematographer: Gilad Baram Co-writer and editor: Elisa Purfürst Co-producer: Radim Procházka Music: Tobias Purfürst Soun: Sebastian Morsch Production: Esther Niemeier

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