19/09/2023 - The 36th edition of the annual gathering is poised to unfold under the leadership of its new artistic director, Lenka Tyrpáková

The annual spotlight on Czech cinema, Finále Plzeň, is gearing up for its 36th edition (22-27 September), under the fresh leadership of its new artistic director, Lenka Tyrpáková. Until recently, Tyrpáková had served as a programmer for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, in a variety of positions she had held since 2005. In 2021, she began her collaboration with Finále Plzeň, curating its short films. This year, she has selected Matěj Chlupáček's We Have Never Been Modern [+see also:
film review
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interview: Matěj Chlupáček and Miro Ši…
film profile] (Czech Republic/Slovakia) as the opening film. “Although it's a period drama,” Tyrpáková remarked, “its visual style and the themes it delves into are incredibly contemporary. Moreover, it's a film that stands up very well in international competition.”

Movies spread across five competition categories will be adjudicated by international juries, consisting solely of foreign film experts, and by student panels from the West Bohemia University in Pilsen. “Out of the 171 films in contention, 38 are vying for the Golden Kingfisher Award,” stated festival director Eva Veruňková Košařová. She further commented: “Yet, Finále isn't merely a platform for competition films. Dozens more will grace other segments, including a retrospective of the past year's standout audiovisual works in ‘In the Net’, a sample of premieres and previews in the ‘First Catch’ section, and a spotlight on films involving Czech film professionals, showcased under ‘Czech Traces’.”

Festival-goers will be captivated by the Czech premiere of the drama Green Border [+see also:
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film profile] (Poland/Czech Republic/France/Belgium), directed by three-time Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland. Fresh from its Venice Film Festival debut, where it clinched the Special Jury Prize, this feature is set to be a particular highlight. Additionally, the line-up will flaunt the sci-fi flick Restore Point [+see also:
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interview: Robert Hloz
film profile] (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Poland/Serbia) and the Annecy International Festival's award-winning animated feature Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light [+see also:
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film profile] by Filip Pošivač (Hungary/Slovakia/Czech Republic).

The competition of fiction and animation features includes Brutal Heat [+see also:
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interview: Albert Hospodářský
film profile] by Albert Hospodářský (Czech Republic/Slovakia), A Sensitive Person [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Tomáš Klein
film profile] by Tomáš Klein (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Snake Gas [+see also:
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film profile] by David Jařab (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Power [+see also:
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film profile] by Mátyás Prikler (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Hungary – see the news), Endless Borders [+see also:
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interview: Abbas Amini
film profile] by Abbas Amini (Czech Republic/Germany), She Came at Night [+see also:
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interview: Tomáš Pavlíček, Jan Vejnar
film profile] by Tomáš Pavlíček and Jan Vejnar (Czech Republic), and the aforementioned Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light and We Have Never Been Modern.

Meanwhile, the competition of documentary features comprises Adam Ondra: Pushing the Limits [+see also:
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film profile] by Jan Šimánek and Petr Záruba (Czech Republic/Italy), Generace A: Do What You Love by Kryštof Zvolánek (Czech Republic), Citizen Miko by Robin Kvapil (Czech Republic), The Visitors [+see also:
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film profile] by Veronika Lišková (Czech Republic/Norway/Slovakia), Happily Ever After by Jana Počtová (Czech Republic), Big Nothing by Vít Klusák and Marika Pecháčková (Czech Republic – see the news), Všechno dobře dopadne by Miroslav Janek (Czech Republic), All Men Become Brothers [+see also:
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film profile] by Robert Kirchhoff (Czech Republic/Slovakia) and The Investigator [+see also:
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interview: Viktor Portel
film profile] by Viktor Portel (Croatia/Czech Republic).

Finally, the “ZOOM” section, dedicated to Central and Eastern European cinema, will present a trio of Ukrainian gems: the semi-autobiographical comedy by Antonio Lukich Luxembourg, Luxembourg [+see also:
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interview: Antonio Lukich
film profile], Eastern Front [+see also:
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interview: Vitaly Mansky, Yevhen Titar…
film profile] by Vitaly Mansky and Yevhen Titarenko, and Kateryna Gornostai's Stop-Zemlia [+see also:
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interview: Kateryna Gornostai
film profile]. Alongside these Ukrainian offerings, the festival will spotlight contemporary German cinema, showcasing Sophie Linnenbaum's The Ordinaries [+see also:
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interview: Sophie Linnenbaum
film profile], Henning Beckhoff's Fossil and Andreas Dresen's courtroom dramedy Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush [+see also:
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interview: Andreas Dresen
interview: Meltem Kaptan
film profile].