25th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival
16 Sketches of Dialogue
director: Jan Jedlička
original title: 16 Sketches of Dialogue
country: Switzerland
year: 2002
running time: 16 min.
synopsis
At the beginning of the new millennium, Jan Jedlička received artistic support from the Swiss insurance company Swiss Re, for which he made the short film Air (2001) and also a portrait of its conference centre, the Centre for Global Dialogue near Zurich. The austere architecture springs to life in a dialogue with the landscape, guests, and staff; and thanks to Jedlička's perspective, it no longer seems so stiff and uneasy.
biography
Jan Jedlička was born in 1944 in Prague, where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts from 1962 to 1968. A year after the occupation, he emigrated to Switzerland where he ended up deviating from his usual direction of fantastic realism. He uses various techniques and mediums in his work – illustration, watercolor, photography, earth pigments, mezzotint, serigraphs, and film. His recurring cycles explore the landscape in terms of movement and time (southern Tuscany, Ireland, Wales, Prague and the surrounding area), but are able to capture – sharply and occasionally with a malicious joke – the shades of human nature and community.more about film
| director: | Jan Jedlička |
| photography: | Jan Jedlička |
| editing: | Lucie Haladová |
| sound: | Marek Musil |
other films in the section
Jedlička paid homage to the daily lives of three Italian sisters working in their family restaurant with his 1999 film Le Cuoche. While a generation of grandmothers – Milena, Morena, and Mari – rule the kitchen, their daughters Giovanna and Nicoletta cater to the restaurant’s guests. A knowledge of the region and strict formal concept are what give this “portrait” its authenticity.
Le Cuoche
Jan Jedlička
Switzerland, Italy, United Kingdom / 1999 / 36 min.
section: Fascinations: Jan Jedlička
In 2001, Jan Jedlička made a short film with Swiss aeronaut, psychiatrist, and solar energy promoter Bertrand Piccard. In his visually sober film, Jedlička treats the idea of heroism that accompanies human attempts to fly in with a bit of humour. As a result, Piccard's humanistic, environmental message comes across as lacking pathos.
Air
Jan Jedlička
Switzerland / 2001 / 6 min.
section: Fascinations: Jan Jedlička
