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Steam on the River

director: Robert Kirchhoff, Filip Remunda

original title: Pára nad řekou

country: Slovakia, Czech Republic

year: 2015

running time: 90 min.

synopsis

Trumpet player Laco Déczi, saxophonist Ľubomír Tamaškovič and double bassist Ján Jankeje fled Bolshevik Czechoslovakia to pursue their common passion – jazz music. Their remarkable journeys and often turbulent fates are followed in this documentary triple-portrait, which combines recollections of a memorable past with a sometimes almost bleak present. Because fame is, in the words of one of the actors, “so much like a vapour that appears silently and disappears again over a flowing river”. But what remains is the love of music, which set the rhythm of the musicians‘ life and often the direction of their steps, wherever they took them.

“In a world with a billion musicians, these three come to the fore. They appear in the absurdity, humour, tragedy and paradox of their lives as if they were swimming in a great river.”

Source: Dok.revue

biography

Filip Remunda (1973) is a Czech director and producer. The duo he forms with Vít Klusák has significantly influenced the local documentary landscape and the shape of public debate. His films include Czech Dream (2004), Czech Peace (2010), and especially the series Czech Journal (2013–2020), which was broadcast by Czech Television.

Robert Kirchhoff (1968) is a film director, screenwriter, producer and cinematographer. He graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. During his professional career, he has directed and produced a number of films that have received recognition at many domestic and international festivals. His work focuses on current social phenomena and the theme of coping with the "traumatic" legacy of historical events in Central Europe in the 20th century.

more about film

director:	Robert Kirchhoff, Filip Remunda
producer:	Vít Klusák, Filip Remunda, Robert Kirchhoff
script:	Filip Remunda, Robert Kirchhoff
photography:	Martin Matiášek, Jakub Halousek, Tomáš Staněk
editing:	Jana Vlčková
sound:	Michal Gábor, Václav Flegl

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