14/04/2005

Fans of the popular fim Snowboardáci (Snowboarders) are bemused. Director Karel Janák did not agree terms with the production company behind last year’s huge Czech box office success (600 000 tickets since November 2004) and he will not be behind the camera for the sequel, Snowboarders 2. While producers Whisconti and Ceská Produkce have stated that they will be making the film with another director, Janak is already working on a sequel version of his own: Raftáci (Rafters). "We weren’t pleased with the co-operation with the producers in Snowboarders, so we decided to shoot this new film alone" explains Janák. "We" is because most other things very much remind of Snowboarders. Janák will work with the same crew while the film’s two main actors, Jirí Mádl and Vojtech Kotek are again the main characters. And, like in Snowboarders, Janák’s target audience is again aged 12 to 45.

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Producer Adam Dvorák is adamant that the film has all the right ingredients to be another success in the box office."It’s a film about humor and friendship, adrenaline sports and the (unavoidable) sexual attraction" adds Dvorák. Moreover, just like with snowboard, the script is constructed around yet another favorite Czech past time: rafting. The budget is set at 30 million CZK (1 million Euro) and Cinemania’s co-producers are commercial TV network Nova. The script, mostly written by Janak, is already in place and casting has started for the remaining female roles. Janak has even looked at the Miss Czech Republic competition for suitable faces to add to those of Mádl and Kotek. Shooting will commence this summer, during the rafting season between July 1 and August 15. The locations are not finalized yet but according to Dvorák will be "90 percent in the Czech Republic". Distribution and international distribution too remain open issues while the film’s premiere is scheduled for March next year.