Documentary about the dam failure at Cicov in June 1965.    

Like the director's other films, this one was also created during the filming of an event in public space, specifically capturing fragments of the celebrations of the anniversary of the Czechoslovak Velvet Revolution. The film, ostensibly a reportage, transforms the event into a vortex that pays homage to avant-garde films from the first half of the 1920s. Q&A with the director Vladimír Turner:

At the beginning of the new millennium, Jan Jedlička received artistic support from the Swiss insurance company Swiss Re, for which he made the short film Air (2001) and also a portrait of its conference centre, the Centre for Global Dialogue near Zurich. The austere architecture springs to life in a dialogue with the landscape, guests, and staff; and thanks to Jedlička's perspective, it no longer seems so stiff and uneasy.  

A dynamic mosaic with monumental orchestra accompaniment shows the South Korea of the 1970s as one of the strongest economies of the region. Images of progress of the civilization and modern lifestyle interspersed with strong cultural and religious tradition make an appeal to the divided nation to unite.

3/60 Trees in Autumn is made up of static shots of treetops that Kren took while walking through the park. As in his other work, the length of the shots is controlled based on a carefully pre-arranged scheme, which sets the film’s rhythm and evokes its overall atmosphere, which is also supported by the effect of the dark tree crowns placed in contrast against the light sky.     “Kren views trees as an optical experiment and observes them with respect to their abstract value.” T. Trummer

In 1984, Álvaro Ulcué Chocué, a Colombian Catholic priest and indigenous rights activist, was shot dead. The incident looms against the backdrop of a collage of two archive images from the same year. Documentary footage and fictional gangsters capture the state of a country dominated by drug cartels and social unrest.     „In the current conjuncture, It is urgent that indifference be shown as the strength of permanent violence, as a gesture that makes us silent accomplices without realizing it.“ D. Santiago Cortés     Watch Short Joy films for free on DAFilms now and decide who will win the Audience Award. Voting ends on 29 October.

Stories of objects that can be found while walking your dog around the Jihlava housing estate. The film reflects our society and seeks to find the answer to a question “At what point does an object become worthless to us?”.  

This compelling portrait of a racehorse consists of the precisely defined coordinates of its horizon: landscapes imbued with rich greenery, palms with sugar, an obstacle, a bridle, a leap, and a fall. The atmospheric film, shot at the Velká Pardubická cross-country steeplechase run, tells its tragic story through a changing colour spectrum and depth.

The documentary presents all of Milan Kundera’s major works and their themes. In the West, little is known about his early poetry and plays. Until recently, none of his novels written in French were published in the Czech Republic. In addition, Kundera is shrouded in a number of myths. Why has he refused to give interviews or appear in the media since 1985? Why has he avoided public life, and is even said to have very few friends? These myths make him an oddity, and the documentary gradually confirms or refutes them while emphasizing Kundera's views on artistic creation. The film is framed by the "story of a student" who gets it into his head that he wants to try to get an interview with Milan Kundera. He gradually familiarizes himself with Kundera's texts and opinions, with his friends and co-workers, until he finally understands that what is important and what remains is one’s work, not the vicissitudes of life. Miloslav Šmídmajer   You can watch the presentation here:     The live discussion with the director will be streamed on November 1 via our YouTube and Facebook

Describing the daily lives of three Black American families in the late 1970s, the film A Dream is What You Wake Up From, which we would now refer to as a docudrama, combines documentary footage with staged scenes. It develops on a wide range of historical, political, and social contexts that determine the relational dynamics inside and outside basic social units, all in confrontation with a world determined by the values, stereotypes, and ideals of a white majority. It is not only race that defines the protagonists of the film, but also the social roles and economic standards that they adopt.

In the port city of Ulsan, fishermen once worshiped the whale as an exalted deity. Today, the port is occupied by Hyundai's steelworks and shipyards. This captivating essay shows how metal colossi are born in the mechanical bowels of factories. Shafts, beams, and cranes of superhuman size form the graceful curves of the mechanical gods of the industrial age. In his second feature film, based on a video installation, Park recontextualizes industrial production. The levitating iron masses transform into artistic and religious artifacts against a backdrop of Mahler, Tibetan songs, and the sound of whales.   "I compose films rather than edit them - to me, it's like creating a piece of music."   Kelvin Kyung Kun Park

An observational documentary that focuses on the Tentative Association, which helps young people with autism develop independence and socialization skills. Seven autistic people live in a big house and, together with their helpers, they fill their days with household tasks. Community coexistence offers a way for the inhabitants of the house to achieve their desired goals and the sharing of everyday work becomes the primary source of narrative. The film is a careful observation of life in this house. Actions and behaviors speak for themselves, giving space to the primary figures, not to those who make decisions about their lives.   "Thanks to the camera, I was able to get close to the inhabitants of the house. It acted as a kind of a screen between us, a way to avoid direct contact - which is problematic for some autistic people. When I looked at the LCD screen or directly into the optical viewfinder, I was able to really get close to them, which would be impossible with a direct gaze.” J. Auffray, FID interview