Solo, a documentary debut of the director and producer Artemio Benki (Artcam Films), will have its world premiere in L’ACID. Czech-French-Argentinian-Austrian co-production film tells a story about a young Argentinian piano virtuoso and composer, who has been since his breakdown a patient in the largest psychiatric hospital in Latin America. Martin P., the most promising talent of his generation, is now trying to find a way how to overcome his mental disease and come back on the concert stages.

Cannes Film Festival continues to pay the tribute to Miloš Forman. After last year’s screening of The Firemen’s Ball at Cinema de la Plage, another of his early films, and an important representative of the Czechoslovak New Wave, Loves of a Blonde will be presented in Cannes Classics. The film was digitally restored by the Czech National Film Archive. This marks the third time a Czech classic has appeared in this prestigious section in recent years, following Diamonds of the Night, in 2018, and Ikarie XB 1, in 2016.

From the Czechoslovak New Wave to Hollywood. Through the remarkable life of Miloš Forman will guide the audience Helena Třeštíková and Jakub Hejna. A Czech-French documentary (produced by Negativ and Czech Television on the Czech side) Forman vs. Forman will be screened as a world premiere in Cannes.

Ondřej Erban’s short film One Hundred and Twenty-eight Thousand about debt and its impact on people’s everyday lives has been selected for the Cinéfondation section, which supports the up and coming generation filmmakers. Earlier this year, the film won the Magnesia Award for Best Student Film at the Czech Lion Awards 2018.

Czech films have a rich tradition of participation in the Cinéfondation section at Cannes, the most recent example being Atlantis, 2003, by director Michal Blaško, whose feature-length debut project, Victim, appears this year in the Cinéfondation’s Atelier 2019.

Other Czech films presented in the Cinéfondation section in recent years are the drama Retriever (dir. Tomáš Klein and Tomáš Merta, 2015), the fantasy comedy Ham Story (dir. Eliška Chytková, 2013), the environmentally engagé Pandas (dir. Matúš Vizár, 2013), the drama Tambylles (dir. Michal Hogenauer, 2012), the tragicomedy Cagey Tigers (dir. Aramisova, 2011), and the psychological drama Bába (dir. Zuzana Špidlová), which won the Cinéfondation main prize in 2009.

Czechs also participated in Finish-Latvian drama Dogs Don’t Wear Pants, selected for the Director’s Fortnight. Vratislav Šlajer and Danny Holman from Bionaut were involved in the production of the film, in which Czech actress Ester Geislerová plays one of the main roles. Greta Stocklassa’s documentary debut Kiruna - A Brand New World is nominated for the Doc Alliance Selection Award.