08/07/2005

Documentaries are often a mirror of disturbing social realities. Young Czech filmmakers Vit Klusak and Filip Remunda appear totally aware of that, but in Czech Dream, their first feature, they have the arrogance (and the intelligence also) to ally their social commitment to a rather unexpected boldness. The final result is a daring piece of work on capitalism in post communist Czech society, which will certainly divide the public at the Brussels European Film Festival, where film is in competion.

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It is a great challenge to show how people become obssessional and unconscient consumers. But it is precisely Klusak and Remunda's goal in filming a fake event, idealised, manipulated and implemented by them. Czech Dream refers to the dream hypermarket for all the Czechs, who were bombarded with a massively effective campaign including TV spots, billboards and leaflets featuring unexpected slogans such as "Don't come" or "Don't spend". On the 31st of May 2003, over 4.000 eager consumers went to the fake hypermarket, where hope turned to disappointment, where dream turned to controlled rage. In the air remains a disturbing question about the perverse effects of advertising: would the country blindly adhere to the European Union as they did to the supermarket?

Despite the uncontrolled desire for manipulation, the film never adopts a moralising tone. The "life lesson" message is never present and people never seem to be judge, though, paradoxically, they are being mocked. Czech Dream - A film about the hypermarket that didn't exist was produced by the two directors who created the production company Hypermarket film Ltd especially for the project. Czech television (Česká televize), Mirage and Famu co-produced in co-operation with Spi International and Taskovski Films Ltd (UK), which also handles international sales.