Kapralova

synopsis

Czech composer Vítězslava Kaprálová was 22 years old when she left to study music in Paris in 1937. Three years later, she died of illness. This documentary, conceived as a dialogue across time and generations, follows in her footsteps. The short but intense period of the composer's life is reconstructed using archival footage and letters full of immediate impressions that the young artist shared with her family in Czechoslovakia. Her legacy is brought to life in parallel thanks to a new generation of conductors, such as Bianca Maretti, who rehearses some of her predecessor's compositions with an orchestra. Kaprálová's portrait thus becomes a tribute to all women who, despite language barriers, prejudices, and their origins, have managed to make their mark in the world of classical music.

“In Paris, they are preparing for war. We are waiting anxiously to hear what Hitler will say today. We believe it will be decisive for the entire development of the situation.” — quote from the film

biography

Director and cinematographer Petr Záruba (born 1972) graduated from the Faculty of Science and studied documentary filmmaking at FAMU. He is the co-creator of the series Report on the Great War (2014) and the author of two documentary portraits that competed at Ji.hlava IDFF – Jan Jedlička: Traces of a Landscape (2020) and Adam Ondra: Pushing the Limit (2022).

film details

director:	Petr Záruba
producer:	Alice Tabery
photography:	Nina Bernfeld
editing:	Josef Krajbich
sound:	Martin Stýblo
script dramaturgy:	Eliška Cílková

contact

Alice Tabery / CINEPOINT
tabery.alice@gmail.com