Jakub Hrůša versus Leoš Janáček’s The Makropulos Affair

Fifty years ago, they lived through the invasion of Czechoslovakia; now they revisit moments captured on film. Věra Křesadlová and her young sons quickly left to be with her husband Miloš Forman in Paris. Petr Semerád witnesses soldiers shooting into crowds of people by the main radio station in Prague. Czech Television’s documentary series on the 50th anniversary of the 1968 invasion was inspired by the popular Israeli series Capturing the Moment, which has been adapted in eight different countries.

This film is a portrayal of one of the leading Czech directors, Miloš Forman. Forman, a creator and filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning film, Amadeus, and Flying Over the Cuckoo's Nest, an adventurous man with great charisma who's not afraid to doubt himself. This documentary by directors Helena Třeštíková and Jakub Hejna summarizes Forman's life journey where both fame and the wounds of fate collide with personal discovery and uncertainty. It is a collage of often unseen, private and official archives, as well as an autobiographical recollection spoken by the director's son, Petr Forman.

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.

After fifteen years, Czech Television has filmed a sequel to its successful documentary cycle Infiltration. This time around, the filmmakers focused on psychosomatic medicine in the Czech Republic. Unhappy with the quality of medical care and with doctors’ lack of empathy and time, many patients have turned to “alternative” treatments. But if “alternative” treatment is offered by academically certified doctors and psychologists, are they just as responsible for their actions in non-medical facilities as they are in regular doctors’ offices and hospitals? The documentary uncovers the scandalous medical practices at one Prague facility, shot over the course of one year using a hidden camera.

The path of Petr Zuska to grand dance and choreography led from the Prague Chamber Ballet, the ballet ensemble of the National Theatre, the Bayerisches Staatsballett in Munich and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens to the post of the head of the National Theatre Ballet where he spent the last 15 years. This documentary maps his work during his last year as the head of the National Theatre Ballet.

Míla and Kamil could not have their own children so they decided to adopt. Eventually, they have adopted or fostered 8 children. Their daughter Petra who suffers from autism faces problems that are trying for the whole family. The 6-part documentary series chronicles six different pathways where parents meet with abandoned and wounded children who come from care centres and children’s homes to live with them temporarily.

Zdarsky’s ski binding, skiing style, a bivouac sack, a mountain in the Antarctic, a chalet in the Alps, a museum, several street names – this is the list of things and places that bear the name of Mathias Zdarsky, a native of Třebíč and a founder of Alpine skiing. Thanks to him the magic of snow covered slopes enchanted first crowds from Vienna and later skiing enthusiasts from all over the world.

What is the relationship between the independent Czech and Slovak Republics to the European Union? Do they have a "shared future"? A musical-opinion collage and fairy-tale show. Return of the Lost Treasure: a federal docu-duet by renowned Czech musician and director Petr Marek. A fortune-teller with red fingernails reads the future of both nations from cards full of symbolism – the "lighter" Czechs know how to fly, the Slovaks are more grounded.

This film compares the fates of two newborns, whose parents either could not or did not want to care for them. Whilst one is placed into a temporary guardian’s care immediately after birth, the other is sent to a residential care home for infants. The documentary explores the system in place for handling unwanted newborns. At the same time, it also raises several controversial issues.

Alois and Ladislav Rašín, who paid for their lives for their patriotic endeavors, did not get the recognition they deserved, and after the communist takeover in 1948 their names were erased from memory. Their forgotten lives are now recalled in a historical docudrama featuring Alois Rašín’s great-granddaughter Karolina Breitenmoser. 

In May 2013, Czech Television marked the 60th anniversary of its first broadcast. The journalistic block “Television Celebration” represents the joint efforts of several beginning documentary filmmakers – students from FAMU who, under the guidance of their instructor Vít Klusák, have attempted to capture the Czech Republic’s largest television institutions during its celebrations in a fresh manner, objectively and occasionally critically as well. The various segments were directed by Lumír Košař, Adéla Komrzýová, Karolína Peroutková, Zdeněk Chaloupka, Martina Ševčíková and Tereza Freyová. Produced by Czech Television in cooperation with FAMU.

Architect Josef Pleskot can be described as one of the best known and most respected contemporary Czech architects. Pleskot has earned many awards since the 1990s, and his designs regularly represent Czech architecture at international exhibitions.