Bye Bye Children's Home

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.

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.

Leave your mark. Write your name. Be seen. Quickly disappear. Find an escape. To travel the world, go against stereotypes, be a women, do graffiti, don’t let yourself get caught. An autobiographical film about the life of Sana and other women graffiti artists from fifteen cities throughout the world who live a dangerous life risking all for their controversial passion – graffiti.

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.

Rock legend Vladimír Mišík has his own little planet. It was discovered in 1995 by Czech astronomers from Kleť Observatory who named it in Mišík’s honour. And it is mostly on this very planet that Jitka Němcová’s new documentary about Vladimír Mišík and his beautiful songs takes place, reminiscing on all the weird things that happened in his life and recounting a rather thrilling search.

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. 

A pictorial "féerie" (fairy play) documentary evoking the long-gone landscape of the Prague periphery around Botič. Becoming a model for confrontation with its modern appearance is this unfinished screenplay by director Jiří Lehovec, photographs by Josef Sudek and pictures by Kamil Lhoták.

Věra Bílá was once one of the largest celebrities on the Czech music scene. Together with the band Kale, she went on numerous tours of Europe, the USA, and Japan. But after leaving the band in 2006 she no longer performs in public, and her passion for gambling machines caused her to fall into debt. In 2013, her only (adopted) son passed away, followed soon after by her husband. She spent Christmas 2016 all alone in a small room. Nobody gave her any gifts. She remembers her grandmother, who survived Auschwitz, and the many downturns and insults she has had to suffer. And yet she looks forward, with faith in a new project, new energy, hope…

A film about people with multiple handicaps who attend school at the Jedlička Institute, a secondary school that offers students a universal course of study along with practical education for everyday life. After school, the students transition into a halfway program that forms the main focus of the film.

Traveler and explorer Dan Přibáň and his unconventional team set out on their most demanding trek to date, which takes them across Australia, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The crews of the yellow two-stroke cars spend half a year testing their abilities, interpersonal skills, and friendships under extreme conditions.

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.