Stories of 20th Century - Frontier Guards

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.

An increasing number of people dream of an ideal life with a minimal environmental footprint. But what would such a life look like, and is it even possible to live such a life in modern civilization? Mira Ahimsa has been trying for nine years. He lives without money or modern amenities. He doesn’t cut his hair, beard, or fingernails, and doesn’t even start fires.

Although it is still a legal grey area, an increasing number of children in the Czech Republic are born to surrogate mothers who act as something like an incubator for the genetic material of other couples. But can you give birth to a child, hand it to someone else, and then go on with your life as if nothing has happened? What if the child “doesn’t turn out right” or if the couple has second thoughts about parenthood?

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.

One of the best Czech composers of film soundtracks is often described as a genius of film scores. He was not afraid to experiment and the timelessness of his work is proven by the admiration of the world, including the generation who came to know his music only after his death.

He's one of the longest-serving psychiatrists and psychotherapists in the world. At the age of eighty, he still actively works at three clinics, writes a respected blog and publishes popular bestselling books. His dream was to become a general practitioner in Šumava, instead he ended up in the “crazy house”. He was behind the creation of many bluebooks for Czech dissidents and he was the first person in our nation's history to begin devoting himself to psychosomatic medicine. Above all, he is a people person and puts his life in the service of humankind in all its bizarre forms.

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.

Martin Rajniš, the “enfant terrible” of Czech architecture, refuses to accept the current state of his field and of society in general. He is just as “terrible” as the French architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who designed Washington, D.C., for President Thomas Jefferson. According to one version, the expression “enfant terrible” was inspired by the fact that L’Enfant was extremely difficult to work with. Today, however, it often describes someone original, daring, and direct. The documentary captures Rajniš’s inspirational approach and his working process – both at his studio in Prague and at his country cottage in the village of Maxov in the Jizera Mountains.

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.

The life of Lída Baarová possesses all the features of a Greek tragedy. Beauty, love, fame, betrayal, rejection, punishment, escape, loss of home, and finally reconciliation at a wise old age. And all this is accompanied by the dramatic political events of the 20th century, which touched everyone, all the more so this women of exceptional beauty, ambition, and fame.

Mirka and Kuba met at a techno party, had a daughter together, and decided to get married. With a wedding begins seven years of happiness, love, and rough patches. The young couple are not only confronted with age-old challenges, but also with the temptations and intricacies of life in today's Czech Republic. Moving to the big city, having a second child, getting a mortgage, having a mid-life crisis. But can the family manage to overcome the biggest obstacle of all, together? Using her time-lapse method, Hana Třeštíková captures private dramas in a captivating way. It continues the work of her mother Helena, who made a name for herself with this format.

The film combines the personal story of famous actor Jan Potměšil with the historical events of 1989. Students and actors had a great influence on the origin and course of the Velvet Revolution. They participated in demonstrations, went on strikes, but mainly tried to inform even the remote regions of what was happening. One of them, Jan Potměšil, paid a high price for this activity – on his return home after meeting up with some miners in Ostrava, he got into a collision with another car. The others escaped unscathed, but he was paralyzed for life. With a strong willpower and positive attitude to life, he managed to return not only to everyday life, but also to his profession.