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Film klub a Artcam / “Duše”

4 měsíce, 3 týdny, 2 dny (r. Cristian Mungiu, Rumunsko 2007, 113min)

17. 2., 20:00

Kontroverzní snímek, který natočil rumunský režisér Cristian Mungui a za který si odvezl Zlatou palmu. Snímek pojednává o dvou vysokoškolských studentkách za éry rumunského totalismu, těsně před pádem železné opony, kdy během jednoho dne jedna z nich podstupuje tehdy zakázaný potrat. Film je drsnou výpovědí nejenom o těžké době, ale, a to především, o silném přátelství. Film získal nejvyšší ocenění, Zlatou Palmu, na MFF v Cannes v roce 2007.

projekce z dvd, v originálním znění s českými titulky

vstupné: 50,-

rezervace

Téma: Duše

Duchovní filmy jsou většinou synonymem pro rozvleklá dramat plná humanismu, intelektuálního poselství a pro většinového diváka je to spíše další z důvodů, proč se autorskému filmu vyhýbat. V našem výběru proto figurují hned dvě duchovní komedie, jeden pop film a výjimečné post-socialistické drama. Francouzská komedie Louise-Michel je pokračovatelem tradice surrealistického filmu a kombinuje ji s aktuálními metafyzickými otázkami o řešení finanční krize. Skafandr a motýl nás zavede do hlubin duše člověka, jenž pouze silou své osobnosti dokáže zůstat v kontaktu s ostatními, i když mu na těle po ochrnutí neslouží téměř jediný sval. 4 měsíce, 3 týdny, 2 dny jsou zachycením trýznivého okamžiku, který může nastat v životě každé ženy, ovšem zkomplikuje se díky nesvobodným poměrům, ve kterých hlavní hrdinka žije. Mám rád Huckabees je jednou z nejvkusnějších komedií poslední doby, která si dělá srandu jak z politiky nadnárodních firem, tak z věčného hledání receptu na spokojený duchovní život.

Film klub a Artcam / “Duše”

Skafandr a motýl (r. Julian Schnabel, Francie/USA 2007, 112 min)

10.2., 20:00

Jedno mrknutí znamená ano, dvojí mrknutí ne - tenhle jediný způsob komunikace zbyl Jean-Dominiquesovi Baubymu, šéfredaktorovi časopisu Elle a otci dvou dětí, poté co byl stižen mozkovou mrtvicí, kvůli níž ochrnul na celé tělo. S výjimkou jednoho očního víčka. Pomocí dvou specialistů a lidí z jeho blízkého okolí se učí opět integrovat do společnosti a rozhodne se prostřednictvím ojedinělé komunikační metody nadiktovat román. Film získal 4 nominace na Oscara.

projekce z dvd v původním znění s českými titulky

vstupné: 50,-

Téma: Duše

film klub / ARTCAM v MeetFactory “Tělo”

35 Rhums (France, Germany 2008, directed by Claire Denis, 100min)

A film about paternal love with compelling music by the British Tindersticks. Lionel drives an RER, a Parisian train connecting the center and suburbs of Paris and transporting people to work in inner Paris and then back to their homes in the commuter belt. Lionel himself lives in one of the flats with his daughter Joséphine whom he raised alone after his wife’s death. They live toghether in a silent harmony impenetrable by anyone including thein friends. They are left with each other, but Joséphine is growing up and wants to live her own life. Time runs nad Lionel is beginning to realize that a change may come that may result in their permanent separation. An intimate and emotionally strong drama about ordinary human things

Body

A body in contemporary movies is presented in a rather shallow fashion. Genres like horror, which deal with the transformation of a body are swirling with teenagers, scandalous films totally reveal the body and amateur-like pornography demasks it. However, there are films, which treat the body and carnality differently. Antichrist is a film which enters a watcher’s body and forces his reaction not only through explicit scenes it contains, but also through the the technique it was shot with. 35 Rhums reveals the paramount importace of touching a body as a way of communication in our everyday, ordinary lives. Old Boy is an example of a physical film, in which a body is only a box, good for nothing but destruction.

entrance: 50,-

film klub / ARTCAM v MeetFactory “Tělo”

Antikrist/Antichrist (Dánsko, Německo, Polsko 2009, rež. Lars von Trier, 104min)

6.1. 2010, 20:00

Film, který se stal jednoznačně nejskandálnějším snímkem letošního festivalu v Cannes.
Kultovní režisér Lars von Trier se po delší odmlce rozhodl přetavit své deprese do strhujícího filmu na pomezí hororu a psychologického thrilleru. Příběh manželského páru, který se musí vyrovnat s bolestnou ztrátou dítěte, má blízko k legendárnímu Shining Stanleyho Kubricka. Charlotte Gainsbourgová, jejíhož partnera si zahrál Willem Dafoe, získala za roli Cenu pro nejlepší ženskou herečku na festivalu v Cannes. Tělo -

Tělo je v současném filmu vnímáno spíše povrchně. V žánrech jako horor, které s proměnami těla přímo pracují, defilujá teenageři, skandální snímky tělo totálně odhalují a k amtérismu směřující pornografie ho demaskuje. Existují ovšem filmy, které tělo a tělesnost ukazují jinak. Antikrist je filmem, který do těla diváka vstupuje a vynutí si reakci a to nejen díky explicitním záběrům, které v něm jsou, ale především díky technice, jakou je natočen. 35 panáků rumu odhalují, že v našem každodením, obyčejném životě, jsou dotyky těla nad míru důležitým komunikačním prvkem. Hlad pak ukazuje tělo, které může sloužit jako zbraň, metaforu těla jako kriminálu. Old Boy je ukázkou fyzického filmu, kdy tělo je jen schránkou, hodnou ke zničení.
vstupné : 50,-

Jan Hus / Film klub

mše za tři mrtvé muže

16. 12., 20:00

scénář a režie: Miroslav Bambušek

Film Jan Hus - mše za tři mrtvé muže je výsostně politický v tom smyslu, že se zabývá lidmi, kterým běh věcí veřejných nebyl lhostejný.

prvníkamera: Jakub Halousek
druhá kamera: Martin Ježek
třetí kamera: Martin Klapper
zvuk: Michal Gábor
asistent zvuku: David Nagy
střih: Kateřina Krutská Vrbová
hudba: Petr Kofroň
výprava:Jana Preková, Zuzana Bambušek Krejzková, Tomáš Bambušek
producent:Radim Špaček, NFI
koproducenti: Hypermarket Film s.r.o., Mezery o.s.
distributor: AČFK

Osoby a obsazení:
Český reformní kazatel Jan Hus………………….. Milan Stehlík
Levoruký vrah……………………………………………. Tom Sorel
Hrobník……………………………………………………… M.C. Kohh
Polský ekonom Ryszard Siwiec……………………. Michal Pěchouček
Historik Maciej……………………………………………. Igor Chmela
Maria Siwiec……………………………………………….. Natálie Drabiščáková
Obsluha archivu č.1…………………………………….. Leoš Noha
Obsluha archivu č.2…………………………………….. Halka Třešňáková
Anglický automechanik Graham Bamford……….. Tomáš Jeřábek
Narkoman Joe…………………………………………….. Radim Špaček
Správce krematoria……………………………………… Passi Mökele
Východoněmecký kněz Oskar Brüsewitz………. Karel Dobrý
Novinář Jonathan………………………………………… Thomas Zielinski
Agent Stasi č. 1…………………………………………… Jiří Černý
Agent Stasi č. 2…………………………………………… Jan Kačena
Biskup Baumer……………………………………………. Miloslav Mejzlík
Taxikář………………………………………………………. Aleš Bambušek
Dětské role:
Carla Bamford……………………………………………… Mathias Schenker
Elžběta Siwiec………………………………………………. Mia Krejzková
Inocenta Siwiec…………………………………………….. Julie Štormová
Adam Siwiec…………………………………………………. František Drábek
Mariusz Siwiec……………………………………………… Vojtěch Drábek
Vit Siwiec…………………………………………………….. Kryštof Lepšík
Děti z evangelické obce Drossdorf-Rippicha….. žáci 1.stupně ZŠ Praha Slivenec-Ke Smíchovu 16

Film Jan Hus - mše za tři mrtvé muže je výsostně politický v tom smyslu, že se zabývá lidmi, kterým běh věcí veřejných nebyl lhostejný.
Ve filmu ovšem nepůjde o žádnou Husovu biografii. Chceme Jana Husa prezentovat spíše jako bolestivou otázku, která prostupuje ze středověku do naší současnosti. Jako otázku, která nás vybízí k aktivitě tím, že protestuje, útočí a trpí; jako otázku, která se dnes otvírá jako kudla.
Časově je film zakotven do druhé půle dvacátého století. Geograficky se vztahuje
k dějinám tzv. „východního bloku”. Hus k nám dnes přichází, aby byl znovu pochopen; přichází a otevírá osudy tří můžu - Angličana Grahama Bamforda, Němce Oskara Brüsewitze a Poláka Ryszarda Siwiece. Ti tři mají s postavou Jana Husa společné za prvé to, že jejich život byl završen nejvyšší obětí, za druhé to, že chtěli napravit režim, jenž prokazatelně páchal bezpráví nebo ho alespoň umožňoval a za třetí to, že jejich činy byly otázkou jejich svědomí, věcí souboje, boje moderní individuality s institucemi, které ji mají zastupovat a nikoli devastovat.
Druhá linie filmu spočívá v tom, že za zmíněnými třemi muži, respektive za jejich památkou, přicházejí tři lidé, každý ze svých vlastních pohnutek. Za Oskarem Brüsewitzem přichází západoněmecký novinář Jonathan, za Grahamem Bamfordem přichází bezdomovec Joe, za Ryszardem Siwiecem přichází historik Maciej. Příběhy mrtvých osob se kříží
s příběhy žijících jednotlivců, jakoby našich zástupců. V této rovině Jan Hus vystupuje jako průvodce živých a utěšitel mrtvých.
Náš film má tedy aktualizovat radostné poselství osobní obětavosti a důslednosti, které nám po Janovi Husovi zbylo, poselství nezabavené žádnou konfesí ani ideologií. Středověká pochodeň Jan Hus.
Na závěr důvod, proč film vznikl - žijeme v prostředí, které si bolestivé otázky snaží raději nepokládat, je to pohodlnější a za posledních šedesát let jsme si na to v našem prostředí příliš navykli.

Žánr: dokumentární thriller s prvky hororu a černé komedie. S hvězdičkou.
Projekt podpořili:
Státní fond pro podporu a rozvoj české kinematografie
Magistrát Hlavního města Prahy
Pražská agrární společnost
WD LUX
Reality Kapičák
Národní divadlo
Galerie Modrý hrozen
Anima
Mezzoforte

Film klub / Sedm jam a jedna mrtvola (Ch)

Seven Dumpsters and a Corpse

directed by: Thomas Haemmerli

28.10, 20:00

Thomas Haemmerli is about to celebrate his fortieth birthday when he learns of his mother’s death. A further shock follows when he and his brother Erik discover her apartment, which is filthy and full to bursting with junk. It takes the brothers an entire month to clean out the place. Among the chaos, they find films going back to the 1930s, photos and other memorabilia. Gradually they piece together a strange and unique family saga, in which baronesses and counts, Latin Lovers and Nazi officers play a role, and even the young Kofi Annan makes an appearance. A fast-paced and surprisingly funny story about an unusual legacy.

http://www.messiemother.com/film/

in original language with Englisch subtitles

entrance: 50,-

Film klub / Žaloudek

21.10.09, 20:00

Ther, Jiřička a jejich host Ondřej Brody promítají výběr krátkých filmů a reklam z čehož uvidíte například dokument Christine (1987) od anglického režiséra Alana Clarka, který byl natočen za podpory BBC.

Alan Clarke was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, on 28 October 1935,(+1990) the son of an insurance salesman. He directed only three films specifically for cinematic release, the bulk of his prolific output being made for television. A radical, uncompromising and innovative director, his best work concerned the exposure of injustice towards the most despised and neglected groups in society.After leaving grammar school and completing National Service he emigrated to Canada.He returned to England after graduating to work in television, moving to the BBC in 1969.
Konečná rozšířená část penisu, krytá předkožkou (prepuciem). Na jeho spodině jsou nervová zakončení, která se podílejí na vysoké citlivosti této části penisu. Je tím často přirovnáván k poštěváčku u ženy?
He died from cancer on 24 July 1990 in London.

vstupné: 50,-

Film klub / MeetFactory

7. 10., 20:00

Dokumentární úvaha o experimentálním prostoru pro umělce. Režie K. Mikulcová.

MeeFactory je projektem výtvarníka Davida Černého a jeho přátel. Původně byl projekt továrny na umění, kde by se umělci setkávali či scházeli k rezidenčním pobytům, svázán s budovou v pražských Holešovicích. Později byl přesunut na Smíchov. Režisérka Kateřina Mikulcová se ve svém dokumentárním filmu věnuje umělcům, kteří se v MeetFactory pobývají a také historii tohoto pozoruhodného projektu.
MeetFactory měla být místem průsečíků všech možných druhů umění - divadelního, hudebního a samozřejmě také výtvarného. Co vzniká na průsečících, hranách a v meziprostorech různých druhů uvažování? Jak se tento projekt zdařil či nezdařil, jaké překážky bylo nutno zdolat a jací lidé se vlastně v továrně na umění setkávají? A vědí vůbec smíchovští kolemjdoucí, co se kousek od nich odehrává?
To vše se dozvíme z vtipně a lehce se odvíjejícího filmu.
Kromě iniciátora Davida Černého v dokumentu uvidíme mimo jiné Zuzanu Blochovou, Jana Horáka, Jakuba Hoška, Davida Kollera, Miklóse Mécse, Michala Pěchoučka, Tomáše Pospiszyla nebo Jindru Zemanovou.

vstup volný

Film klub MeetFactory / České letní filmové večery VIII

David Jařab - Vaterland - lovecký deník (2004)
st 16. 9., 20:00

Fantastický thriller s prvky černé komedie o několika kulturních střetech a jednom lovu. Návrat na staré rodinné državy po půl století může být zábavný, dobrodružný, ale i nebezpečný. Původní svět má už jen svá torza a nový ještě neukázal jasné kontury. Hra ve starém stylu se tedy může stát spouštěcím mechanismem pasti, ve které nakonec uvíznou tak trochu všichni: lovci, domorodci i tajemná kořist. Ani koloniální atmosféra však nezakryje, že jsme v srdci Evropy a že je ošidné dělit svět na první, druhý, třetí, čtvrtý .

Režisér David Jařab -”Vaterland - lovecký deník” je jeho filmový debut, pracuje jako režisér a autor divadelních her, od roku 2002 jako umělecký šéf Divadla Komedie

Výrazné role ve filmu ztvárnili zvláště Karel Roden, František Řehák a Petr Forman.
dvd projekce

vstup volný

16. 9./ Jařab - Vaterland - lovecký deník (04)

Film klub MeetFactory / České letní filmové večery VII

Fero Fenič - Zvláštní bytosti (1990)
st 2. 9., 20:00

Velkou většinu českých filmů z roku 1989 či z počátku roku 1990 postihla smůla, že vznikala před 17. listopadem. U některých z nich kritický tón, jenž byl tehdy na hranici únosnosti, bude teď znít jako z jiného světa. To však neplatí o druhém celovečerním filmu Fera Feniče, který po potížích s Džusovým románem [1984] natočil rovněž s nemalými potížemi snímek Zvláštní bytosti. Tvůrce ve svém podobenství “o moci a bezmoci jedné noci” pracoval s matérií, která je sice jednoznačnou kritikou padlého režimu, ale zároveň zevšeobecňuje marasmus moci, rozkládající jak ovladatele, tak ovládané. Trojice protagonistů, bezohledný a hysterický vysoký funkcionář, cítící svůj blízký konec, jeho poněkud ordinérní sekretářka a zároveň milenka, a náhodou najatý řidič služebního auta, jinak pohraničník, který dostal “opušťák” za zastřelení “narušitele hranic”, procházejí v podivné noci jakýmsi očistcem. Původní cesta na pohřeb funkcionářovy tety se mění v bizarní putování podivným (nám všem tak důvěrně známým) světem, na jehož konci je rakev s tělem funkcionářova nemanželského a zapíraného syna, pohraničníkovy oběti. Z kruté noci účtování vychází za světlem právě jen mladý voják, zanechávaje za sebou zvláštní bytosti. Vždyť on sám byl přece také obětí …
Fenič ve spolupráci s kameramanem Jaroslavem Brabcem a skladatelem Jiřím Bulisem zvolili náročnou formu, nabitou metaforami. Jejích snímek je originální a zvláštní.

dvd projekce

vstup volný

2. 9./ Fenič - Zvláštní bytosti (90)
9. 9./ Jařab - Vaterland - lovecký deník (04)

Film klub MeetFactory / České letní filmové večery VI

Věra Chytilová - Vlčí bouda (1987)

st 26. 8., 20:00

Do Vlčí boudy, staré horské chaty se symbolickým názvem, umístila režisérka a spoluautorka scénáře Věra Chytilová děj filmu, který natočila v roce 1986 na námět Daniely Fischerové. Jedenáct mladých, pečlivě vybraných účastníků lyžařského kursu prožívá pod taktovkou vedoucího a dvou instruktorů snad nejdramatičtější chvíle svého života. Skupina dospívajících, v níž je jeden od druhého záměrně vzdalován, je v atmosféře narůstajícího napětí a podezírání dováděna až do situace, v níž se bude muset rozhodnout, zda pro osobní záchranu obětuje jednoho ze svého středu. V tu chvíli bude záležet už jen na nich, jak “úspěšný” bude experiment, který se začal odvíjet ve chvíli, kdy je rodiče svěřili do péče vedoucích - tří podivných bytostí…

dvd projekce

vstup volny

26. 8./ Chytilová - Vlčí bouda (87)
2. 9./ Fenič - Zvláštní bytosti (90)
9. 9./ Jařab - Vaterland - lovecký deník (04)

Film klub MeetFactory / České letní filmové večery V

Jiří Svoboda - Zánik samoty Berhof (1983)
st 19. 8., 20:00

Umělecky pozoruhodný a divácky přitažlivý film ambiciózního režiséra vypráví o temnotě násilí a milosrdenství jako krajních polohách lidstva, mezi které je vtěsnané drama lidských životů, komponované na principu extrémní dramatičnosti, s gradováním napětí a vyhrocením antagonismů. Dějištěm je česko-polsko-německé pohraničí, kraj pod Jeseníky, kde ohrožují osamělé hospodářství esesáčtí záškodníci, hlásající nesmiřitelnou nenávist a krvavou
pomstu. Gotická atmosféra filmu (kamera umocňuje všeobjímající pocit nejistoty a strachu, z plátna cítit jarní vlhkost, ponurost barev, tušený zločin, ztracený v drápech mlhy a temnotě lesních samot) je ukázkou vzácného formálního perfekcionismu. Výtvarné reminiscence a expresívní inscenační styl posouvají vyznění filmu do roviny nadčasového poselství.

dvd projekce

vstup volny

19. 8./ Svoboda - Zánik samoty Berhof (83)
26. 8./ Chytilová - Vlčí bouda (87)
2. 9./ Fenič - Zvláštní bytosti (90)
9. 9./ Jařab - Vaterland - lovecký deník (04)

Film klub MeetFactory / České letní filmové večery

Pavel Juráček - Případ pro začínajícího kata (1969)
st 5. 8., 20:00

The protagonist, Swift’s Lemuel Gulliver of today, travels to a mysterious country Balnibarbi where its capital Laputa has been hanging over it for ages. It is - as the working title stated - ” a land of kind will-o’-the-wisps “. Here he meets strange people and experiences various adventures, with his life almost always at stake. To determine the genre of the movie is not a particularly easy thing. It has been referred to as ” a grotesque full of pitoresque adventures, chases and fist fights”. We could just as well consider it a tragicomedy, satire, utopia, absurd drama, fairy tale or political movie. It combines dreams and elements of real life, past and present, poetry and satire.

5. 8./ Juráček - Případ pro začínajícího kata (69)
12. 8./ Vláčil - Stíny horkého léta (77)
19. 8./ Svoboda - Zánik samoty Berhof (83)
26. 8./ Chytilová - Vlčí bouda (87)
2. 9./ Fenič - Zvláštní bytosti (90)
9. 9./ Jařab - Vaterland - lovecký deník (04)

free entrance

Film klub / České letní večery

Věra Chytilová - Sedmikrásky
st. 22.7., 20:00

Provokativně moralizující groteska o dvou dívkách, které se rozhodly být zkažené, protože „se jim na tom světě všechno jenom kazí”. Podle slov samotné režisérky jsou zakleté „do bludného kruhu pseudovztahů a pseudohodnot, což nutně vede k prázdnotě životních forem, k pózování, ať už ve zkaženosti nebo ve štěstí.” Druhý celovečerní snímek Věry Chytilové se vyznačuje rafinovaně neobvyklou formou vyprávění, sžíravou ironií a nápady hýřícími
obrazy, které tehdejší puritáni považovali za skandální. Za husákovské normalizace se Sedmikrásky staly odstrašujícím příkladem dekadentní tvorby a pečlivě střeženým trezorovým titulem. Experimentálně pojatý snímek se stal nicméně filmovou klasikou, k níž se vrací stále nové generace diváků. Na výtvarné stránce filmu spolupracovala Ester Krumbachová, za kamerou stál Jaroslav Kučera.

dvd projekce v prostorách Galerie MeetFactory

vstup volný

29.7./ Menzel - Zločin v šantánu (68)
5. 8./ Juráček - Případ pro začínajícího kata (69)
12. 8./ Vláčil - Stíny horkého léta (77)
19. 8./ Svoboda - Zánik samoty Berhof (83)
26. 8./ Chytilová - Vlčí bouda (87)
2. 9./ Fenič - Zvláštní bytosti (90)
9. 9./ Jařab - Vaterland - lovecký deník (04)

Baštit sladkost z 1936 / film klub

10. 6., 20:00

Připravují MgA. Eva Jiřička, MgA. Mark Ther a jejich host Mgr. David Kořínek režisér pořadu Artmix, asistent v atelieru Federica Diaze na VŠUP a člen umělecké skupiny Rafani. Provedeme vás video-večerem plných laskominek. Například krátký dokument Evy Braun o jejím životě s Adlofem Hitlerem ( v sedmnácti letech pracovala jako asistentka ve fotoateliéru Heinricha Hoffmanna, oficiálního fotografa NSDAP, kde se v roce 1929 seznámila s Adolfem Hitlerem a později se stala jeho partnerkou). Plus několik dalších dobových příspěvků a videí k tématu.

vstupné: 50,-

Film klub / Cinematic Projection

6.5., 20:00

Curators: Lukasz Ronduda, Michal Wolinski
in association with Archfilm (CSW Zamek Ujazdowski) and Piktogram Magazine

Pawel Althamer - In a Real Time Movie, 2004
Pawel Kwiek - The Starting Numbers, 1971
Maurycy Gomulicki & Ilian Gonzalez - Mystic Dramatic Corporative, 2004
Zbigniew Libera - Film - The Commentary
Robert Szczerbowski - The End, 2006
Oskar Dawicki - Tribute to All People of Film, 2006

Cinematic Projection is the reconstruction of a film screening assembled into a single whole with separate components constitutive for the conventional cinema show. It consists of the following: a trailer (Pawel Althamer), the starting numbers (Pawel Kwiek), film studios” title sequences (Maurycy Gomulicki & Ilian Gonzalez), a film “story” (Zbigniew Libera reconstructing Pawel Kwiek’s performance project), the caption “The End” (Robert Szczerbowski), and the closing credits (Oskar Dawicki).

Cinematic Projection is an attempt to revitalise conceptual the “spoken” films made in Poland in the 1970s by Pawel Kwiek and Andrzej Dluzniewski whose goal was to provoke mental projections in the viewer”s imagination. “Films” whose tradition dates back to the first modern avant-garde, and especially its dadaist-surrealist variety represented, for instance, by the Belgrade-based Hypnists and their “radio-cinematographic poems”, but also by the futurist poets who saw writing as a kind of cinematographic practice

admission: 50,-

Film klub / Filmy Francizsky a Stefana Themersonových

The films of Franciszka and Stefan Themerson

8.4., 20:00

- The Adventure of a Good Citizen, 1937
- Calling Mr.Smith , 1943
- The Eye and the Ear , 1944/45

Stefan Thammerson was a writter, Franciszka Thammerson was a paintner. He was born in Plock, 1910, she was born in Warszawa, 1907. Stefan trained briefly in architecture and physics, Franciszka graduated in paintning from Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. They meet in 1930, married the next year and began a lifelong collaboration that started with making films and books.
The Themmersons moved to Paris in 1938 and then the outbreak of war to London. They maden two more films with the Polish Film Unit in London: a moving propaganda appeal Calling Mr.Smith their only use of colour, and The Eye and the Ear an imaginative experiment in visualising the sound.
In 1948, the founded Gaberbocchus Press, the leading avantgarde small press in post war Britain, which they ran untill 1979. During the same years, they ech followed remarkable and prolific careers, he with words, she with images. They boyh died in London in 1988.

admission 50,-

Film klub / Obraz/Text

1.4., 20:00

Image/Text is film programme of work by Polish artists that investigates the transition from the domination of the “pure visuality” of modernist art to post-modern “textual practices” that were so important for the emergence of contemporary art in the 1960s.Curated by Lukas Ronduda and Michal Wolinski in association with Piktogram Magazine and The Archive of Polish Experimental Film for Tate Modern in London
25 November 2006

1. - Paulina Olowska - Welcome to the Exchibition, 2005
2. - Ewa Partum - Poem by Ewa, 1973
3. - Jozef Robakowski - My Film, 1974
4. - Akademia Ruchu - Europe, 1976
5. - Willy Sasnal - Her Eyes, 1998
6. - Amatorski Klub Filmowy IKS Mikolow - Humbug, 1960’s
7. - Willy Sasnal - A Guide to Nowa Huta, 1997
8. - Marysia Lewandowska & Neil Cummings - Tearing, 2002
9. - Igor Krenz - Fire is better than Scissors, 1990
10. - Pawel Kwiek - Me and the telephone, 1972
11. - Willy Sasnal - Youth, 1999
12. - Jan Simon - Me/You, 2004
13. - Anna Niesterowicz - HH, 2002
14. - Jozef Robakowski - Exercise, 1972/73
15. - Andrzej Lachowicz - a part of the film Living Gallery by J.Robakowski, 1976
16. - Willy Sasnal - Anarchy, 2001
17. - Ryszard Wasko - Negation, 1973

admission: 50,-

Film klub / Kozy a Mazanec : 605037318 (videoart)

A projector in the MeetFactory screens videos which were chosen by Martin Mazanec, a guest, and supervised by Eva Jiřička, MARK THER and Koza is partial to an elegant appearance and likes to show off, she’s artistically gifted and loves nature. She could be the most charming being on Earth, if she wasn’t so unstable and pessimistic. She’s never content with her fate and her statements drive her fellow citizens nuts. She covers up her flaws and inner insecurities with strong arrogance.

Entrance fee: 50 Kč

Film klub / Proč potřebujeme demokracii? - Krátké filmy

11. 3., 20:00

13 krátkých filmů, 109 min

vstupné 50,-

Filmy v originálním znění s anglickými titulky

Coming of Age (Kenya)

Producer: Ruby Kangethe
Director: Judy Kibinge
Editors: Ronelle Loots and Kyalo Thomas
Country: Kenya
Length: 9 min.
Co-producers: Vikes Foundation, Jan Vrijman Fund, Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

From de-colonization to dictatorship to a multi-party system: one woman’s account of Kenya’s route to democracy and her memories of growing up during this time.

This coming-of-age story depicts the three eras and stages leading to democracy as seen through the eyes of a girl growing up. The Kenyatta era, a time of great optimism and post-independence euphoria is reflected in the innocence and naivety of the young girl. As Kenya enters its next era of dictatorship under Daniel arap Moi, the gloom and confusion of oppression is reflected by teenage turmoil. Finally, our girl is all grown up and we find ourselves in Kenya’s third stage of democracy under Mwai Kibaki, wondering if democracy has managed to develop as much as the little girl.

About the director

Judy Kibinge is a writer and director. She began her career as an advertising copywriter, subsequently leaving her position as Creative Director at McCann Erickson Kenya in 1999 to pursue a career in film.
Her film credits include:
The Aftermath (MNET New Directions 2002)
Dangerous Affair (Baraka Films 2002)
Project Daddy (Baraka Films 2004)
She has directed numerous documentaries, including “A Voice in the Dark (The Story of a Whistleblower)” in 2005 and “Bless this Land” in 2005. She shot a countrywide cinematic study exploring Kenya’s land policy issues for the Kenya Human Rights Commission and has also produced numerous television adverts.
Don’t Shoot (South Africa)

Producer: Lederle Bosch
Director: Lucilla Blankenberg
Editor: Jari Heikkinen
Country: South Africa
Length: 11 min.
Co-producers: Vikes Foundation, Jan Vrijman Fund, Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

Apartheid is a thing of the past. Thirty years after starting his career on South African television, newsreader Riaan Cruywagen is still doing his job today. What has changed for him and what has stayed the same?

Riaan Cruywagen has been reading the news on television since South Africa broadcast its first evening news show in 1976. He is the longest serving Afrikaans newsreader in the world and takes great pride in his nickname, “The face of news in South Africa”. Against the backdrop of South Africa’s spectacular transformation to democracy, Riaan explains how his professional ethics have helped keep him in the news reader’s seat through all these years of upheaval.

About the Director

Lucilla Blankenberg is a Cape Town-based filmmaker and partner in the production company Idol Pictures. Over the past six years she has worked as producer, director and editor on many documentaries such as “Casa De La Musica”, which won two South African awards, and “Through My Eyes: Blanche La Guma”, “Home is Where the Music is”, “A Truly Wonderful Adventure”, “The Devil Breaks My Heart” and “Brothers in Arms”. She has also produced and directed the youth magazine show “Sex, Drugs & HIV”. Lucilla is currently developing a female boxing series called “JAB”, and has a few other drama projects in the pipeline.
Kinshasa 2.0 (DRC = Democratic Republic of Congo)

Producer: Don Edkins
Director: Teboho Edkins
Editor: Netti Kurtzbach
Country: Democratic Republic of Congo
Length: 11 min.
Co-producers: Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus, Danida, Ford Foundation
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

A strong military presence looms over the streets of Congo’s capital city. Opponents to the government live a dangerous existence. Maire-Thérèse Nlandu and her niece communicate via the virtual world of “Second Life”.

Kinshasa 2.0 tells the story of how word about the arrest of Marie-Thérèse Nlandu, a woman from a prominent political family in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was spread via the Internet. Filmmaker Teboho Edkins visited Kinshasa to see how Marie-Thérèse’s arrest has affected the family.

His film depicts a tense Kinshasa, where the military is omnipresent, making it extremely difficult to film. He also watches his friend Carine use Second Life, a 3D virtual chat program, as a means of communicating with her aunt Marie-Thérèse, who is in exile in Belgium after being released from custody.
The film moves between the real city and the larger-than-life virtual world of Second Life accompanied by a silent observer - a wooden soldier who appears on the edge of most scenes, observing, waiting, watching…

About the Director

Teboho Edkins was born in the USA in 1980. While he was growing up, he spent most of his time in Lethoso, but he has also lived in Germany, South Africa and France. He is currently living in Berlin. He studied Art in Cape Town before going on to do a 2-year post-graduate residency at Le Fresnoy Studio National des Arts Contemporains in Lille, France. He is currently completing his studies with a post-graduate degree in Film Direction and Film Production at the dffb Film Academy in Berlin.
Famous Last Words (United Kingdom)

Producer: Bebe Evwaraye
Director: Avril Evans
Editor: Simon Thorne
Country: United Kingdom
Length: 7 min.
Co-producers: Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus, Danida, Ford Foundation
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

Shortly after the terrorist attacks in London, a young Muslim woman is travelling on the underground, constantly watched by CCTV cameras. It is not long before everything starts to look suspicious, not only to her but to the on-lookers as well.

The director’s comment on the film: “My motivation for writing this film is to evoke debate and get viewers to face up to the assumptions they may have about Muslims especially after the 7/7 bombings in London.

The then Secretary of State, John Reid, revealed that there were thirty terror plots under surveillance in the UK. This reinforced everyone’s insecurities and helped fuel the media’s pre-occupation with terrorism. The question - if we are living in a nanny state where we as citizens of Britain are being monitored… will this help create a peaceful environment or does everyone become a suspect?

The central theme of the film is of hope. What British people know of other cultures tends to be negative especially with the media and politicians focusing on the increasing number of asylum seekers and immigrants coming to Britain.

This film therefore unravels the complex attitudes people have towards ethnic minorities and their fears of travelling on public transport since the bombings of 7/7.

It also looks at the constant surveillance that civilians accept which manifests itself into a general unease where everyone, in particularly those of Muslim descent who travel on public transport, is a suspected terrorist.”

About the Director

Avril Evans currently works as a Senior Promotions Director at Red Bee Media, formerly BBC Broadcast Ltd, where she has directed and edited a diverse range of award-winning promos for the BBC channels including BBC1, BBC2, BBC4 and CBBC/Cbeebies.

In her spare time she’s made two short films: (a) “Lip Service” - Winner of Best Short Film at IBW (Images of Black Women) Film Festival and judged by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Amma Asante, and (b) “Ralph Rules”, a 20-min. film commissioned by Southwark Council & London Development Agency, which gained her a place at the Berlinale Talent Campus.

Avril is currently working on her first feature film.
Feminin - Masculin (Iran)

Producer: Sadaf Foroughi
Director: Sadaf Foroughi
Editor: Erez Laufer and Sadaf Foroughi
Country: Iran
Length: 9 min.
Co-producers: Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus, Danida Ford Foundation
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

A female bus driver in Tehran has got people puzzled. On her bus men have to get on at the back while women get on at the front. They start to discuss the change.

In the male-dominated society of Iran, Farahnaz Shiri, the first female bus driver in Tehran, has created her own little society on her bus. Public buses in Iran are divided into different sections for men and women. While men go through a separate entrance at the front, women have to enter the bus through the back door, and then have to sit within a restricted zone at the back of the bus, separated from the men. But in Mrs. Shiri’s bus all this is reversed. She is the governor and sole lawmaker in her little society. In her bus, men must enter through the rear entrance and sit in a restricted zone at the back of the bus. However, Mrs. Shiri struggles to prove herself in this society and must fight against a series of injustices that accompany her status as a woman in Iranian society.

About the director

Sadaf Foroughi was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1976.
She graduated with a Bachelor Degree in French Literature and continued her studies with a Masters Degree in Film Studies. She is currently studying for a PhD in Film Philosophy.
In 2004, she became a member of the Iranian Short Film Association (ISFA). In the course of her career in the film industry, she has made nine short films and worked as editor on a further four short films.

She has also worked extensively in the fields of photography and choreography. Her recent work includes the documentary produced by the Documentary and Experimental Film Centre in Iran. In 2008 she made two video installations produced by the New York Film Academy. She is currently presenting her new documentary produced by STEPS International.
Interferenze (Italy)

Producer: Amber Bordewijk
Director: Zoe D’Amaro
Editor: Marco Della Coletta
Country: Italy
Length: 12 min.
Co-producers: Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus, Danida Produced by: Steps International

About the film

When media mogul Berlusconi became Prime Minister in 2002, the people of Italy feared that control over the country’s television network would fall into the hands of a small group of people. As a result, pirate TV channels started appearing throughout Italy.

The right to freedom of speech is a fundamental aspect of democracy. In the countries we label democratic, is there really enough freedom to fully exercise this inviolable right? Or has this right, enshrined in our constitutions, become an unattainable, utopian ideal?

In 2002, local pirate TV stations started to emerge across Italy in response to the lack of access to public television and as a statement against the oligarchic control over the most influential medium in Italy.

INTERFERENZE explores the intriguing story of what became known as the Telestreet network, developed on the basis of the personal experience of the members of Orfeo TV, the pirate station that initiated the movement.

About the director

Zoe D’Amaro is an Italian filmmaker based in Amsterdam and a partner in the production company Godmother Films.

Over the past 8 years she has worked as writer and director on several short films and documentaries.
She took part in the Script Development Program and the Directors Coaching Program at the Binger FilmLab in Amsterdam, where she developed her first feature script, “Il Dilettante”.
Maria and Osmey (Cuba)

Producer: Diego Arrendondo
Director: Diego Arrendondo
Editor: Diego Arrendondo
Country: Cuba
Length: 8 min.
Co-producers: Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus, Ford Foundation, Danida
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

Maria has to fight her brother and the other boys in her neighbourhood to earn her place on the baseball pitch. The game is much more exciting than the news in the special announcement on the radio.

This short film tells the story of a group of Cuban kids who gather together to play a baseball game in their local neighbourhood.
Osmey and Maria make a baseball using an old deodorant can and some tape. Carlos, “the big kid”, turns up at the park with his bat and ball. He takes Osmey’s ball and hits it toward the benches. He is in charge and gets to choose the teams. Carlos decides that Maria cannot play. In the course of the match, several problems arise, which are resolved using methods that would only occur to children: Carlos’ ball breaks; Osmey finds a radio. Maria finds the original home-made ball and, as she is now the only one in possession of a ball, she is able to take charge. As she gets ready to bat, the radio at the side of the field plays a serious, official announcement, an announcement that would stop all Cubans in their tracks. But the kids, unaware of this, play on…

About the director

Diego Arredondo
Born in Mexico in 1979
Graduated with a Masters Degree from the London Film School in 2004.
In 2004, his short film “Heel” won first prize in the Straight 8 competition at Cannes. In 2005 “Tequila Chamuco” won second prize in the Straight 8 competition at Cannes and 1st prize at Cork Super 8 Fringe Festival.
He is currently working on a feature film project with a London-based production company.
He lives and works in Mexico City, directing short films, music videos and commercials.
Miss Democracy (Spain)

Producer: Virginia Romero
Director: Virginia Romero
Editor: Jaime Natche
Country: Spain
Length: 9 min.
Co-producers: Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus, Ford Foundation Danida
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

A Miss Democracy contest: the search to find the most democratic woman from the world’s most democratic countries. And who better to judge this contest than a Greek philosopher, a famous football player, a well-known gigolo and a celebrity stylist. Democracy, good looks, money and power all come into play.

About the director

Virginia Romero comes from Madrid, took part in Talent Campus in 2005 and has directed around 20 short films, short documentaries and music videos.
My Body My Weapon (India)

Producer: Kavita Joshi
Director: Kavita Joshi
Editor: SaiKat S. Ray
Country: India
Length: 9 min.
Co-producers: VIKES Foundation, Embassy of Finland in India, Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

Irom Shamila has been on a hunger strike for the last seven years. She is protesting against the military emergency ruling in the Indian region of Manipur. Will her voice be heard?

Irom Sharmila is a young woman from Manipur who has been on a fast-unto-death for nearly seven years now, demanding the repeal of emergency law. For decades the state of Manipur in north-eastern India (bordering Myanmar) has been torn apart by riots and armed separatist movements. The Indian government has attempted to control the situation using military means, granting drastic emergency powers to the security forces. The army’s Special Forces, deployed to the region, are allowed to arrest, shoot or even kill people, based on suspicion alone. But Sharmila is willing to stake everything - even her life - to restore justice and dignity to her people.

About the director:

Kavita Joshi is an independent filmmaker based in Delhi. Her recent projects have focused on women and their struggles for justice and rights.

Her films include:
• Some Roots Grow Upwards
• Untitled: 3 Narratives
• Tales from the Margins

Her films have been awarded numerous accolades, including the Silver Remi at the World Fest in Houston in 2007, Best Film on Human Rights at the UGC CEC Awards India, as well a range of other awards at national level. Her work has been screened at the Munich DokFest, Bilbao International Festival of Documentary and Short Film in Spain, Medias Nord Sud in Geneva, Festival Dei Popoli in Florence, Vikalp and by broadcasters such as NRK Norway.

Kavita also works as a media trainer, designing and conducting workshops in audio-visual media. She is involved in the Delhi Film Archive and the anti-censorship movement, comprising independent filmmakers from across India.

Old Peter (Russia)
Producer: Andrei Golovnev
Director: Ivan Golovnev
Editor: Yuri Yatsencko
Country: Russia
Length: 8 min.
Co-producers: Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus, Ford Foundation, Danida
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

The traditions and ways of life of the Siberian Khanty people are under threat due to the massive extraction of oil in their area. To make a stand against this, the Khanty’s last Shaman takes it upon himself to embark on the long journey to go and cast his vote.

The dialogue between people, nature and gods is based upon sacred knowledge and mythology. Only a few cultures based on myth survive in the modern world. This film takes us into the word of Old Peter, the last surviving Shaman of the Kazym River. We watch how Old Peter survives on the Siberian taiga and follow him on his journey to cast his vote.
The region of the Khanty people is the principal source of oil recovery in Russia. Some 70 percent of all Russian oil is extracted here. The oil companies actively buy huge territories in northern Siberia. Indigenous people are compelled to leave these places, which are their patrimonial territories, and thus a modern civilization gradually absorbs an ancient culture.

Old Peter votes in every election, but this has not helped halt the destruction of his culture through massive oil extraction.

About the director

Ivan graduated from the history department of Omsk State University. In 2002 he completed his undergraduate studies at Sverdlovsk Film Studio and went on to take a post-graduate course for film writers and directors in Moscow in 2002.

Filmography
2004 Tiny Katerina
2004 Guest
2006 Crossroads
On The Square (Croatia)

Producer: Vanja Jambrovic
Director: Vanja Juranic
Editor: Vanja Juranic
Country: Croatia
Length: 4 min.
Co-producers: Goethe Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus, Ford Foundation, Danida
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

Just a normal day in Ban-jelacic Square in Zagreb. That is, until a man appears with a ladder and a placard and passers-by are forced to remember their country’s past.

Croatia is a small country and a favourite holiday destination for many people. Everyone wants to forget that Croatia was once part of Yugoslavia. But someone on the town square in Zagreb reminds them.

About the director

Vanja Juranic is an independent filmmaker from Zagreb, Croatia. She is currently in the pre-production stage of her first full-length documentary, “God save Croatia”. Vanja took part in the Berlinale Talent Campus in 2007 and is a member of the European Documentary Network.
Three Blind Men (India)

Producer: Brian Tilley
Director: Kanu Behl
Editor: Narata Rao
Country: India
Length: 7 min.
Co-producers: Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus, Danida, Ford Foundation
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

The use of Parliament Street in Delhi is reserved solely for political rallies. Various groups assemble at this spot and hold protests. On this particular day, three blind men are also taking a stroll down the street.

India is the largest democracy in the world and its capital, Delhi, has a whole street set aside for permanent protests. Each day people converge on Parliament Street to make all sorts of grand demands. In the midst of the crowds on this particular day, three blind men come across an elephant and, while the crowds rush around them shouting their demands, the men try to decide what the elephant is. They each have different ideas - one thinks it’s a buffalo, another a wall, or is it a camel? The mahout has another point of view…

About the director

Kanu Behl lives in Mumbai and has completed extensive studies in the field of film. He has a Post Graduate Diploma in Direction, Screenplay and Writing from SRFTI (Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata) in India, and a Masters in English Literature from Punjabi University in Patiala, India.

His first documentary was entitled “An Actor Prepares”. It was produced by SRFTI and selected for screening in the International Competition Section at the prestigious festival Cinema du Reel in 2007.
In 2007 he was selected as one of India’s up-and-coming filmmakers to participate in the Berlinale Talent Campus, part of Berlin Film Festival.
He also produced and directed a one-hour film entitled “Mila Kya?”, commissioned by the NHK in Japan. Over the past ten years, Kanu has worked as a researcher, writer and associate director on numerous fiction and non-fiction projects for reputed national channels.
For the last three years he has also worked as a DJ for Gold FM and Rainbow FM in Delhi and Kolkata.
You Cannot Hide from Allah

Producer: Petr Lom
Director: Petr Lom
Editor: Petr Lom
Country: Pakistan
Length: 12 min.
Co-producers: Goethe-Institut, Berlinale Talent Campus, Danida, Ford Foundation
Produced by: Steps International

About the film

After a huge lottery win in America, taxi driver Ihsan Khan returns to his home town in Pakistan and becomes mayor. However, the inhabitants’ opinions are divided on the “do-gooder”.

This is the story of Mr Ihsan Khan, an immigrant from a small town in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province. Mr Khan was a taxi driver in Washington DC for over 20 years, and then in 2001 he won the lottery: 54 million dollars, to be exact. Four years later, he decided to put his money to good use, returned to his hometown in Pakistan and ran for mayor. And he won. This film tells the story of our lottery-winning mayor, how he deals with the never-ending complaints of corruption and his constituents’ demands that he personally solve all their problems. What is the relation between money and politics in a democracy? That is the underlying question in this film. Some allege that Mr Khan has only used his wealth in order to gain political power. His defenders say he works for free and has donated more than a million dollars of his fortune for post-earthquake disaster relief (the town was devastated by an enormous earthquake that hit Pakistan in 2005). And he says his number one aim is to fight corruption. Who is right? Democratic politics is, after all, a very messy business where everyone has the right to raise their voice, to file a complaint, to make demands, or to offer up lavish praise…

About the director
Petr Lom was born in Prague in 1968 and grew up in Canada. He has a PhD in political philosophy from Harvard and was an academic for seven years before he decided to become a full-time filmmaker in 2004. His first two films, “Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan” (2004) and “On a Tightrope” (2007), have each been broadcast in more than 20 countries and shown at many festivals around the world.
Each one of these films opens the doors for discussion on the topic of democracy, looking at it from a specific and unusual perspective. The films closely observe each country’s particular relationship with democracy, but never lose sight of the global picture. Each film connects the local with the global using a variety of methods, from investigating issues of global proportions to employing Brechtian-style parables to accentuate a point. Each film has its own place in a precisely identifiable cultural and historical environment, but at the same time remains interesting and relevant far beyond its specific setting.

Film klub / Proč potřebujeme demokracii? - Asie / Dálný východ

18.2., 20:00

MeetFactory Film Club in cooperation with Goethe Institut Prague.

(with English subtitles)

Please Vote for Me
Weijun Chen /Dánsko/Čína/ 2007/ 52 min.

Wuhan is a city in central China about the size of London, and it is here that director Weijun Chen has conducted an experiment in democracy. A year 3 class at Evergreen Primary School has their first encounter with democracy, by holding an election to select a Class Monitor. Eight-year olds compete against each other for the coveted position, abetted and egged on by teachers and doting parents. Elections in China take place only within the Communist Party, but recently millions of Chinese voted in their version of Pop Idol. The purpose of Weijun Chen’s experiment is to determine how, if democracy came to China, it would be received. Is democracy a universal value that fits human nature? Do elections inevitably lead to manipulation? Please Vote for Me is a portrait of a society and a town through a school, its children and its families.

Campaign! The Kawasaki Candidate
Kazuhiro Soda / Japan, USA / 2007 / 53 min.

Can a candidate with no political experience and no charisma win an election? Perhaps - if he is backed by political giant, Prime Minister Koizumi and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). In the fall of 2005, 40-year-old, self-employed Kazuhiko “Yama-san” Yamauchi’s peaceful, humdrum life was turned upside-down when Koizumi’s LDP party chose him at the last moment as its official candidate to run for a vacant seat on the Kawasaki City Council. With zero experience in politics, no charisma, no supporters, and no constituency, Yama-San has one week to prepare for an election critical to the future of the LDP. Adhering to the campaign tactic of “bowing to everybody, even to telephone poles,” Yama-san visits local festivals, senior gatherings, commuter train stations, and even bus stops to offer his hand to everyone he sees. Can he win this heated race? “Campaign! The Kawasaki Candidate” offers up a microcosm of Japanese democracy.

Admission: 50kč

Film klub / Proč potřebujeme demokracii? - Asie / Střední východ

MeetFactory Film Club in cooperation with Goethe Institut Prague

(with English subtitles)

11.2,20:00

Dinner with the President
Sabiha Sumar / Sachithanandam Sathananthan, Pákistán/ 2006/ 52 min.

What are the implications for democracy in Pakistan when secular political parties have succumbed to the Islamic agenda? What does it mean when the army appears to be the only force able to contain the opponents of democracy, the armed Islamists? President Musharraf agrees to explore this apparent contradiction over dinner at his official residence, the Army House. As the discussion moves in and out of the different worlds in Pakistan a complex tapestry emerges revealing a society unique yet universal. The filmmaker talks to diverse individuals, from labourers to intellectuals, from street vendors to religious right wing political party members and from journalists to industrialists. What is their idea of democracy in Pakistan? What is their idea of President Musharraf’s vision of a modern Pakistan? Dinner With the President questions the role a military leader can play in guiding a state towards modern democracy.

In Search of Gandhi
Lalit Vachani / Indie/ 2007/ 52 min.

In the early decades of the twentieth century Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy of non-violent revolution, or Satyagraha, inspired a mass movement of millions of Indians to rise up against the British colonial state and successfully agitate for the establishment of a democratic and free India. In 2007, the country is preparing to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of its existence as an independent nation. But what kind of a democracy does India have today? What does it actually mean to live in the world’s largest democracy? In road-movie style the film crew travel down the famous trail of Gandhi’s salt march, the remarkable mass campaign that galvanized ordinary Indians to join the non-violent struggle for democracy and freedom almost a century ago. Stopping at the same villages and cities where Gandhi and his followers had raised their call for independence, the film documents the stories of ordinary citizens in India today. Although inspired by a historical event, “In Search of Gandhi” is not a journey back in time. Instead it is a search for the present and future of democracy in India.

admission: 50kč

Film klub / Proč potřebujeme demokracii? - Evropa

Film club MeetFactory in cooperation with Goethe Institut Prague

(with English subtitles)

Why Democracy? - Bloody cartoons
Director: Karsten Kjaer, Denmark, colour, 52 min., 2007

The director travels across the globe to meet activists protesting against the cartoons. He investigates whether they really are true believers in what they are fighting for, people simply pretending to be outraged, or campaigners being controlled from elsewhere. In fact, many of the people protesting against the cartoons have never even seen them. The film also tries to pinpoint inconsistencies in the West’s own values and taboos. What is a taboo these days in the West? The Danish newspaper, the Jyllands Posten, tries to claim that Western Europe’s refusal to deny the Holocaust is one such taboo. The newspaper even intended to print a series of satirical holocaust cartoons which appeared in an Iranian exhibition. But can the strategic denial of something which has been historically proven really be compared with satirical interpretations of something from the present?

Why Democracy? - For God, Tsar and the Fatherland
Director: Nino Kirtardze, Russia, colour, 52 min., 2007

“Durakovo” is the name of a village situated 100 kilometres south west of Moscow. The film’s director, Nino Kirtadze, paid a visit to the village and discovered a small community, mainly consisting of men who have travelled from all over Russia in search of a life which satisfies their yearning for authority, leadership and a clear hierarchy.

Mikhail Fjodorovitsch Morozov is a Russian patriot, Christian and businessman, and the sole ruler of Durakovo. His residents come to him in the hope that his regime of hard work, regular prayer sessions and promises of political salvation will set them on the right path. Many of them - like Oleg, a lawyer from Moscow - are brought to Durakovo by their desperate parents; worried about their children’s futures, the parents hope that Morozov will teach them to be respectful and submissive. As soon as they join the village community, they surrender all their rights and promise to follow its strict rules unconditionally. From that point on their days are filled with practising military drills, building and cleaning their leader’s magnificent home or collecting firewood for his sessions in the sauna.

Morozov is very well-connected within Russian politics. One of his confidantes is Sergey Baburin, former Vice President of the Russian State Duma. His party, “People’s Will”, is firmly committed to the Orthodox Church and they believe that Russia must work harder to assert its position as a major player on the international arena. In addition to day-to-day life in the village, the film documents how Baburin presents his policies to foreign delegations and the Russian press, thereby launching the village of Durakovo and its ideals onto the stage of world politics.

In Durakovo they consider “democracy” to be the very antithesis of the Russian mentality. They believe that the introduction of democratic processes marked the beginning of Russia’s downfall. A secret society comprising the village elite; detailed investigations into the lives of the students and adolescents who want to join the system; surveillance of young boys; soul-cleansing by means of hard labour in the fields; anti-intellectualism; men who strut around making undemocratic decisions that are agreed upon long in advance but later made to look like democratic choices; arrogance; nostalgia for the old imperial Russia; spreading simplistic propaganda about the USA and the West; mockery of Western Europe… a village of fools trying to freeze time.

admission: 50kč

Vetřelci a volavky / film klub

Aliens and Hens
directed by Rozálie Kohoutová

28th January, 8 pm

(opening lecture by Pavel Karous: Plastic arts during „The Normalisation”/ Plastic arts in pubic space in 1970s and 1980s)

1970s and 1980s saw extraordinary progress of the Czech statuary. Sculptures and plastics became a mandatory facility of new residential areas, health centres, shopping centres, factories and administrative buildings. The amount of competitions held for enrichment and aesthetical improvement of the public space is unparalleled in the Czech history. The state wanted both to secure sculptors‘ loyalty and to use them for propaganda purposes by providing them with profitable commissions.
In what condition are sculptures and plastics from „The Normalisation” era today and how have their surroundings changed? A documentary film Aliens and Hens explores the history of individual works and the fates of their authors. It appears that in the deluge of tasteless sculptures and kitshy works, we can also find high-quality realisations by renowned authors, who managed to win a state held competition occasionally. Are we able to distinguish and appreciate these art works today? And how has our notion of public space changed during the past twenty years?

Film klub – Večer Zbigniewa Libery

Boaz Arad
21.1., 20:00

Úvodní přednáška - Zbigniew Libera

Patnáct krátkých filmů (od 27 vteřin po 15 minut) vytvořených izraelskými umělci pod hlavičkou Boaz Arad mezi lety 1999 a 2006.
Těžko uchopitelná díla s rozličným obsahem (např. remake Andaluzkého psa, zavraždění Y. Rabina…)

The Confession of Roee Rosen (2008)
Film “Zpověd z Roee Rosen” byl vytvořen pro festival Manifesta 2008.