Balkan rocks with Adam Ondra

A few years ago, Michal Kody Kislicki left for Ukraine to search for his true self. Soon after his arrival he decided to help in the war-torn region of Donbass where he set up NGO Chuť pomáhat. Finally, he found much more than he had expected – the meaning of life, faith in God and his wife Ksushu.

Is it possible to share your life with someone who has a different faith than you? What are the pitfalls of such a relationship, and how can it be enriching? A new series about people who show that differences don’t have to be divisive. Festival audiences will see the third episode of the series.

Nicknamed “the Czech Locomotive,” Emil Zátopek held 18 world records and is best known for winning the 5 km, 10 km and marathon races at the Olympic Games in Helsinki. David Ondříček brings his grand successes back to life through interviews with his family, friends, and former competitors.

Painter, wood-carver, typesetter, printer, writer, and poet Josef Váchal was one of the most distinctive artists of the 20th century. He left behind an extensive body of work, in which his monumental book – a kind of modern codex devoted to his great love, the Bohemian Forest – holds a remarkable place. With The Bohemian Forest: Dying, Romantic, the inveterate wanderer and pilgrim Josef Váchal offers an enduring testemony of the ancient face of the Bohemian Forest and its inimitable and disappearing beauty. 

Lada, once the largest and best manufacturer of automobiles in the Soviet Union, is today a financial disaster. In comes a seasoned Swedish manager with the job of bringing back the company’s golden era. At a meeting in the town of Tolyatti, deep in the heart of Russia, everyone comes with their own vision of the future that they do not want to compromise. The Russian Job is the story of great plans and even greater absurdity.

A documentary look at this current political issue presents unique scenes of life in the annexed territory where foreign journalists and television crews are not allowed. The film is a mosaic portrait of several men and women, whose everyday lives have been affected by the political crisis between Ukraine and Russia. Just as international pressure and sanctions have made the Crimean peninsula a de facto island, so too are the supporters and opponents of Russian annexation isolated (pen)insulas in search of their identity within the sea of a divided society. 

Humans are the only living beings that consciously destroy the environment and landscape in which they live. Perhaps it is because we are incapable of nurturing our inner landscape, which we also often consciously destroy. The inner and outer landscapes are communicating vessels that reflect one another, and yoga can be one way of cultivating them.

The Second Republic was relatively short-lived. But those few months were one of the most dramatic and important periods in our history. In 1938 in Munich, all the ideals and values on which Czechoslovakia had been built came crumbling down. Czech society ceased to believe in democracy and began to admire authoritarian fascist governments. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of refugees fled the occupied Sudetenland for what remained of the country, but nobody wanted to take them in. The media was subjected to censorship, and an aggressive strain of anti-Semitism appeared among the Czech population. And on top of it all, there were further territorial demands by Germany, Poland, and Hungary, and separatist tendencies in Slovakia.

They like to travel and take pictures. But how to use a camera as a professional photographer and take photos that blow your mind? Jan Šmíd, who will be our guide in Budapest, asked his friend, photo reporter Jan Šibík, to help him. Together, they will explore Secessionist coffee houses as well as trendy bars and night clubs that spring up in the courtyards of old and abandoned burgher houses of the Hungarian capital.

We are all aware of the titles The Cassandra Cat, Diamonds of the Night, All My Compatriots or Dinner for Adele. But only few people know, that key aspect of their success lies behind the work of the cinematographer Jaroslav Kučera. The film portrait of one of the most talented filmmakers of 20th century, who had a significant role in the birth of the czechoslovak new wave, that helped rejuvanate world cinematography and get czechoslovakian cinema abroad.

Why does Russia lay claim to part of Ukraine and why do Ukrainians feel themselves to be the heirs of medieval Russia? The film does not address the current political situation in Ukraine, but tries to explain subjects about which many Czechs know very little: the historical and religious roots of the current conflict. The film was inspired by the award-winning and widely discussed book by literary historian M. C. Putna Scenes from the Cultural History of Russian Religiosity.

Vlasta Šrůtková has lived through many ups and down not just in her own life, but in the life of her country. She is exceptionally vital for her age, living on Prague’s Kampa Island, a perfect place for reflecting on Czech history, identity, the nation. Her life is an exceptionally strong story in which the central event of our country are also key moments in her own life.