Another Spy Movie

The joys and sorrows of artist František Skála is captured in this brightly colored film. Member of the Sklep theatre group, founding member of the Tvrdohlaví art group and the secret group B. K. S.  is renowned for his creations from found and natural objects, creating new works in his Prague atelier and at his rural farm, demonstrating against the government, and performing with Tros Sketos.

Under the surface of the modern state of Israel there lie stories that are largely hidden from European visitors. One of these is the fate of Palestinian Bedouins in underdeveloped areas living in unrecognized villages. A meditatively experimental film by an Israeli-Czech team captures the atmopshere of these places and the tragic fates of some of their inhabitants.

Documentary filmmaker Jan Šípek took over the workshop of first-year FAMU students at the Department of Documentary Film in Prague from Vít Klusák. Under his leadership, students created a series of works during a seminar, which are to be presented at this year's festival. Thus, the audience will have the opportunity to get a closer look at the work of young documentary filmmakers, since a part of their work is not normally presented outside of school. The workshop is led by Jan Šípek. Students: Anežka Fišárková, Širín Nafariehová, Kryštof Zvolánek, Michael Jiřinec, Juliana Moska, and Josef Švejda.

A mini-portrait, treading lightly on the fringe of a gently parodic self-portrait, of the collector/gynaecologist/animal breeder/honorary consul/Dutch/Czech gentleman Oldřich Uttendorfský. Through the panopticon of an ordinary day, we are introduced to a man in whom languages, times, and cultures blend in a way that is difficult to analyse and interpret.‬

Legendary Czech documentary filmmaker and head of FAMU’s documentary department Karel Vachek returns to painting after 35 years. On the way from his exhibition in Tišnov, he shares his memories and distinctive views on art and life.

In this highly personal film, the director returns to a French Christian community in order to relive thoughts and feelings from several years prior, and to see the woman whom he loved but from whom he had been forcibly separated. Literary journals blend with video, physical love with spiritual love.

A film about staging a theater performance 70 years after the events of 1948, as well as the real theater production that the whole communist coup was. Puppets seemingly without puppeteers, puppets moving about of their own free will - this is how communist comrades were and this is exactly how they’re presented in this film.  

With an international arrest warrant out on him, Russian artist Oleg Vorotnikov of the radical art group Vojna (Military Service), infamous for his politically engaged protest performances, is an alluring enigma for the young documentary filmmaking student. She attempts to learn more about him and his family through a series of (attempts at) meetings in Berlin and Prague.

A black and white portrait of cameraman and amateur radio operator Ladislav Prajsner who uses the popular OK2PAY American term on the airwaves. In this field, he is one of the best since he has managed to gradually establish radio contact with all the countries in the world. 

Lenka Benešová skillfully worked the creative process into her final project. The filmmaker’s documentary film Prostředek, about the colorful personality of Stanislav Lysák, is incorporated between episodes taken from the filmmaker’s family life and sources of inspiration. The path to a good film becomes the protagonist of this short film.

"As opposed to the usual trend to be a narrowly defined specialist, in an attempt at understanding the world as a whole, biologist Daniel Frynta spans the fields of zoology, ethology, psychology, anthropology, ethnography, evolution, history, religion, and culture. However, there are so many things that it slowly becomes difficult to find time for his own life." (Andran Abramjan)

The first-year workshop of the Documentary Film Studies at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague is led by Vít Klusák. Together with his students, he will present the workshop concept and the films made during the school year of 2017/18. Each of the six students will present two films made for their final exams and film exercises that are not usually screened outside the school.  This year, viewers will take part in a friendly trip, which is about finding a way to one’s self, look behind the scenes of this year’s Klimakemp, and jump into the world of puddles with a 16mm Bolex camera.Discussion welcome!The worskhop is led by: Vít Klusák