WORKSHOP Gao Xingjian

A record of one of Zorka Ságlová’s last land-art actions in October 1972. In the abandoned Vřísek Castle in the village of Zahrádky near Česká Lípa, a group of invited participants released hundreds of inflated condoms. The action was one of Ságlová’s many land-art interventions such as Laying Napkins near Sudoměř (1970) and Throwing Balls into Bořín Pond (1969). Participants included the members of the Plastic People and their friends. The film concludes with several spontaneous events such as the recreation of the Stalin monument and an improvised concert by Milan Hlavsa in a nearby cave.

Jan Ságl (*1942) is considered the court photographer of the Czechoslovak underground of the 1960s and ’70s. He also shot a total of 12 short films in 1971-1974. With a Super-8 camera, he photographed and filmed scenes from the underground, including concerts and happenings. Because he was a past of this closed community, his camera and hand-held spotlight had direct access to people and events, allowing him to create a captivating record of the atmosphere of underground culture.---Kurátor programu a autor textů / Curator and author of the texts: Martin Blažíček, FAMU CAS

Traveler and director Dan Přibáň crisscrosses the world with his crew in yellow trabants and provides fresh information from around the world. His last trip will lead us to China, which will be topis of his workshop. We will talk about absurdities, which look comical for outside observers, but are a harsh reality for ordinary local people.

The wedding film of the Plastic People’s singer, Paul Wilson, shows the scene before and after the ceremony at the town hall in Prague 5, including the gathered friends and the final departure of the newlyweds.

It is the late 1980s. Petr Mička and Jirka Imlauf are friends at the Faculty of Education in Ústí nad Labem. Two years still remain before the Velvet Revolution. What could their random participation in an unpermitted protest possibly achieve? And what happens after a random look into the Cibulka List of supposed collaborators 20 years later?

A private concert by the Plastic People at their practice space in the now-demolished house (no. 1) on the corner of Dělnická and Argentinská Streets in Prague. Because of the cramped conditions, Ságl recorded the events in extreme close-up using his characteristic hand-held lighting. The close-ups are often on the border of being out of focus. This, combined with the bright light source, makes it one of the rawest and most original documentaries of its time.

In honor of Arnošt and Jaroslava Hanibal’s wedding in September 1974, Ivan M. Jirous held the “First Festival of Other Culture” in Postupice, with the passive presence of the police. Performers included Old Teenagers, Sen Noci Svatojánské Band, Goldberg Grass Band, DG 307, Svatopluk Karásek, Charlie Soukup, and the Plastic People. The evening also featured a screening of Jan Ságl’s earlier films. The documentary opens with people gathering by the Rudolfinum in Prague, and also captures a part of the various performances. From the footage, it is evident that there were other cameramen present with 16mm film, making this one of the best-documented underground events.

When a village mayor in the Shanxi province gets killed, one of the villagers is chosen by the police as a scapegoat. His drawings of the torture to which he was subjected to plead guilty to the murder he did not commit, yet for which he spent five years in prison, are a testament of police brutality in Shanxi.

This documentary film points out new challenges in the inner workings of university education face to face with massification and commercialism influencing both practical and symbolic meanings of education and schooling as such. Talks on these issues are given by a score of personalities, e.g. by sociologist Frank Furedi or linguist Noam Chomsky. The film will be co-screened with Open Fortress. A Q&A session with guests is planned after the screening.

What are the ideological concepts behind the emergence of documentary film as a separate field of study at FAMU? How is the documentary approach to film specific and unique? How can this specificity be reflected in the teaching and how does it differ from journalism? Documentarian Viola Ježková will try to answer these questions. The workshop will be supplemented with examples of student film exercises. Participant input and discussion will be welcomed.---Kurátorka programu a autorka textů / Curator and author of the texts: Viola Ježková

Part three of this documentary series sees the birth of Jonáš, the first child of aid worker Petra and her Ethiopian partner Abel, during one stormy night. Lucie is left alone and without money during her postpartum period, but goes in search of her father and his new family in Tábor. Businesswoman Věra goes to visit her boyfriend’s family in Canada to tell them about her pregnancy, and along the way learns about the latest medical trends. Miky feels the effects of the hard work on her family farm, and her doctors urgently warn her to work less. At the end of the episode, she gives premature birth to a son, Josífek.  

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