Steam on the River

synopsis

Like the steam that silently appears and then disappears over a flowing river, the life of every human is just as fleeting, and this particularly applies in the case of artists. The transience of their fame is the main topic of this documentary, which provides a glimpse into the lives of three ageing jazzmen: trumpeter Laco Deczi, saxophonist Ľubomír Tamaškovič, and contrabass player Ján Jankeje, who fled from the Soviet-occupied Czechoslovakia to the West, where their stars shone alongside those of the world’s famous musicians. The reflective melancholy mood of the film, capturing the mist of fame just before it dissipates, is reflected in the overall relaxed, contemplative rhythm of the narrative.

DETAIL:
“Worldly fame – empty name... When the mist rises off the water, it exists only briefly and then disappears. The same applies to us humans. Each one of us spends some time here... and it is a bad idea to be in a hurry.”

biography

Robert Kirchhoff, who is also the author of the documentary Normalization (2013), is the founder of the Slovak project atelier.doc, which is involved in the independent production and distribution of films, and the publishing of books and CDs. Filip Remunda is the co-founder of the Institute of Documentary Film. In addition, he heads the Hypermarket Film production company with Vít Klusák, and together they filmed Czech Dream (2004) and Czech Peace (2010).

more about film

director:	Robert Kirchhoff, Filip Remunda
producer:	Robert Kirchhoff, Filip Remunda, Kamila Zlatušková
script:	Filip Remunda, Robert Kirchhoff
photography:	Martin Matiášek, Jakub Halousek, Tomáš Staněk
editing:	Jana Vlčková
sound:	Michal Gábor

contact

Hypermarket Film / Filip Remunda / Kubelíkova 27 / Praha / Czech Republic / 130 00 / +420 603 180 312 / email@hypermarketfilm.cz / www.hypermarketfilm.cz /