Film Festival Galore - Fall 2009

Being a film festival junkie I was surprised to see the number of festivals going on in the Czech Republic this fall. Some are well known, some are new to me, so just to be able to keep a better track about these let me have a look at them here and recommend a few not to be missed.

Film festivals in Prague:

The 1st annual festival on camera Film Festival Ostrava, Der Film and Ekofilm fests are already gone for now so let me just wonder again over this year's Ekofilm winning picture directed by a 14-year old Tomáš Daněk called Marťan Spasitel (Martian Saviour) and the Garbage Warrior winning the grand prize. You can still catch echoes of the festival in theatres around the country.

The 7th annual Prague Indian Film Festival is on at the Světozor cinema 12 – 18 October and is showing films of various genres accompanied by an exhibition also at Světozor. Don't miss the Bollywood party at the PM Club (Trojická 10, Prague 2) on 17 October. Also, if you take part on the best photo competition, you might end up with more than just bollywood rhythms this year – you can win two flight tickets to Bombay!

Al Film on at Aero only 20 – 23 October will present films of an Egyptian director Youssef Chahine, films from the Slovak festival Far Near East, films capturing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the contemporary Arabic cinema.

If you're a fan of more commercial fun and love advertisement campaigns, you shouldn't miss the one-day event only happening in Palace Cinemas in Prague 23 October and Brno 30 October - Noc Reklamožroutů or night for the ad junkies.

After this night, you won't have to leave the comfy chairs of Palace Cinemas just yet. Stay tuned for the "best of blockbuster in 2009" at the Palace Cinemas Festival, so if you've missed any of the international film hits you can still catch it in Prague 5 – 11 November and Brno 12 – 18 November.

Mezipatra, a film festival whose name signifies a space "between floors", is a festival not only for gay, lesbian, trans- and bisexuals, but for everyone who does not agree with the given boundaries defining roles of genders and sexual orientation. At its 10th anniversary, the festival has lot to offer. For a special preview on the festival and comments by Aleš Rumpel, the festival director, be on the lookout for the 10th issue of the Prague Monitor Magazine available from 15 October on the newsstands in the Prague centre, or Prague Airport. You can catch the festival in Brno from 23 – 31 October, in Prague 2 – 8 November. Also don't miss online films of winning pictures from previous years and short films as well available online here. 

Tired of sitting at the cinema or looking for some inspiration for new dance moves? Then the Festival of dance rhythms is the right one for you this fall. From 13 till 15 November in Světozor, you can indulge in the world of the dance on the silver screen.

And what better could follow the dance spirit than some inspiration of the French. In Prague, Brno, České Budějovice, Hradec Králové, Olomouc, Ostrava, Pardubice, and Plzeň, the French Film Festival will launch on the 19th November and will go on until the 25th November.

Asia – exotic land for us Europeans and that's exactly where you can stop by before Xmas shopping in Aero or Světozor in Prague where you can let yourself be inspired by the Far and Near East at the Film Asia Festival going on between 3 – 6 December for the fifth time already.  

For those of you wanting to venture out of Prague or living out of the main capital, here is a selection of interesting film festivals:

Ota Hofman's film and television festival for children
13 – 16 October – Ostrov (near Karlovy Vary)
All screenings are in Czech and prepared with close cooperation with children and youth. The fest also offers theatre plays, workshops and other activities for kids.

Music in film
23 – 25 October – Bystřice pod Hostýnem

Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival
27 October – 1 November
Biggest documentary film event of the year. Program and films to be screened this year are already up here  

Femina Film – films made by women or about women
5th annual festival will focus on women professionals of various professions
5 – 9 November – Ústí nad Labem

Juniorfest 
2nd film festival for children and the youth
8 – 11 November – Horšovský Týn

Russian Film Seminar
13 – 15 November – Veselí nad Moravou 

British Film Seminar
3 – 6 December – Uherské Hradiště
 
Festival of Film Animation
10 – 13 December – Olomouc
 

Enjoy!

Ein Augenblick Freiheit

I was thrilled to see that this film has made it to theatres in the Czech Republic where more people will be able to see it apart from the KVIFF aficionados.

One of the rare films that is made only once in a while, a unique combination of human suffering under a dictatorial regime, hope to escape and live in freedom, struggle to remain courageous, meaning of family, desire to find love, but most of all, lack of understanding and desire of the world outside to help those who have managed to escape a cruel regime and their only desire is to live in freedom.

The story evolves around a family of an Iranian political activist, his young wife and their son, two children and two friends who are trying to take them to their parents already in Austria, and an older and younger man.

All these stories follow the same fate of refugees from Iran via the mountains to Ankara, Turkey, where they are waiting for a UN refugee status and a country that will accept them. While they wait they live at a filthy pension always beware of the Iranian secret police and trying to cling to their hope.

What distinguishes this film from others is the sensitive portrayal of the characters and the range of the things that drive them, wittingly knitted together by a plot that combines the most serious moments with those that make you smile, all time keeping the story believable.

At 110 minutes length the story will have your attention the whole time and will cling to you strongly long after you've left the cinema.

One of the best films this year that tells the story of so those who make it from Iran to freedom, and those who don't, and finally those, who do to enjoy it just for a moment.