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FESTIVALS Czech Republic

A heavy presence at Karlovy Vary for Czech and Slovak cinema

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- This year, Karlovy Vary boasts a huge range of domestic and Slovak films along with works in development

A heavy presence at Karlovy Vary for Czech and Slovak cinema
Nowhere in Moravia by Miroslav Krobot

Slovak and Czech productions are certainly not lacking this year at the Czech Republic’s biggest international festival, Karlovy Vary (4-12 July). The main competition includes Nowhere in Moravia [+see also:
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, the feature debut by actor and theatre director Miroslav Krobot; the Czech-Slovak-German co-production directed by Andrea Sedláčková, Fair Play [+see also:
film review
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; and the eagerly awaited Corn Island [+see also:
film review
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interview: George Ovashvili
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by George Ovashvili, a Georgian-German-French-Czech-Kazakh co-production. Meanwhile, in the East of the West competition, intended for films from Central and Eastern Europe, Czech director Jitka Rudolfová is competing with her obsession-infused drama, Delight [+see also:
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One Czech film and one domestic co-production have secured a place in the section for independent films, The Forum of Independents. The Burmese-Czech co-production A Monk, directed by Maw Naing Aung, follows Zawana, who “enters a Burmese monastery filled with the misgivings and uncertainty that come with the inexperience of youth. When the superior, U Dahma, falls ill, the youngster takes up an unexpected challenge.” Negativ s.r.o. is handling sales. Young director Tomáš Pavlíček is presenting his feature debut, Totally Talking [+see also:
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, as a world premiere. The tragicomedy revolves around Štěpán, who, despite having “sufficient energy, doesn’t really know where to direct it – or his life. Nevertheless, he is unexpectedly goaded into action by a girl’s voice on the telephone and by a world-weary man he meets while staying at a country cottage.” The film is currently seeking international sales.

Rudolf Havlík’s All My Tomorrows, another world premiere in search of sales at Karlovy Vary, is being screened in the Official Selection – Out of Competition. It “tells the story of globetrotter and businessman Petr, his close friend Tereza and myriad other women the fickle adventurer likes to surround himself with. His latest deal, however, doesn’t go well at all, and apart from a gang of thugs, he’s also hounded by his own conscience.“ Zdeněk Jiráský will introduce his latest feature, In Silence, also as a world premiere. The Czech and Slovak co-production depicts “the emotional journey of Jewish musicians and performers whose successful entry into the world of music was interrupted by World War II and their dramatic experiences of the Holocaust.”

The platform for Czech and Slovak projects at the development stage that are looking for international co-production presented seven titles: the Czech-Polish Binderiana, examining the communist regime from an unusual angle; an absurd drama about domestic violence, Cook, F**k, Kill (Frogs with No Tongues) by Mira Fornay; Slovak project Erik by Juraj Lehotský, portraying a divorce through the eyes of a small child; the new project by Zdeněk Jiráský, Hannah and Marie; a Czech adaptation of a novel, Hastrman; Slovak drama The Tattooist; and the directorial debut by Czech filmmaker Jan Kobler, The Beauteous.

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