Czech films at festivals

The hottest news involving Czech film came from Tallinn. Czech-Slovak Cook F**K Kill, directed by Mira Fornay (also a producer of the film along with Viktor Schwarcz from Cineart TV Prague), will premiere in Rebel with a Cause competition section at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.

This autumn is very busy for The Painted Bird by Václav Marhoul, as the film has already been selected for more than 20 festivals. In Chicago, Vladimír Smutný, the DOP of the film, was honored with Best Cinematography Award. Documentary Forman vs. Forman, directed by Helena Třeštíková and Jakub Hejna, also attends more than 20 festivals these months. In Frankfurt, it received the award for best directing, and Polish Camerimage prepares a retrospective of Helena Třeštíková. Slovak-Czech Let There Be Light won the main prize at Almaty Film Festival, and A Certain Kind of Silence by first time director Michal Hogenauer won the Audience Award in Milano, while Solo by Artemio Benki won Golden Leaf for Best World Documentary Film at Duhok IFF.

Oscars

In early autumn, Czech Film and Television Academy (ČFTA) selected The Painted Bird as this year's Czech Oscar candidate. Czech-Ukrainian-Slovak drama written, directed and produced by Václav Marhoul, represents the Czech Republic as the official submission for the 92nd Academy Awards in the category Best International Feature Film.

The film premiered in Venice earlier this fall, and was acquired the U.S. rights by IFC Films. Lisa Schwartz, co-president of the distributor, said: “IFC is committed to providing thought-provoking and challenging films, and this is a prime example of maintaining this core mission and continuing our legacy for nearly 20 years now.”

On October 17, Daria Kashcheeva was honored with the student Oscar, and became the third ever Czech author who achieved the prize. With her film Daughter, Kashcheeva dominated Annecy IAFF in early summer, winning two major awards, and also shined at Toronto IFF along with The Painted Bird. Since then, Daughter attended or was confirmed as a part of more than 30 festivals all over the world, including Denver IFF or Helsinki IFF.

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CZECH FEATURE FILMS AND CO-PRODUCTIONS IN AUTUMN:

A Certain Kind of Silence

directed by: Michal Hogenauer
produced by: Negativ
Czech Republic, Netherlands, Latvia 2019 / 96 min
Fiction

Raindance IFF (Great Britain) | Absurdities
CinEast (Luxembourg) | Cinéscope
Busan IFF (South Korea) | World Cinema
Pingyao IFF (China) | Competition
Milano Film Festival (Italy) | Competition (Audience Award)
Haifa IFF (Israel) | Golden Anchor – Competition for Debuts
Noordijk FF (Netherlands) | Noordse Focus
FIFIB Bordeaux (France) | Competition
Seminci – Valladolid IFF (Spain) | Meeting Point
Scanorama FF (Latvia)
Cairo IFF (Egypt) | International Competition

By a Sharp Knife

directed by: Teodor Kuhn
produced by: Nutprodukcia
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic 2019 / 89 min
Fiction

Cinematik Piešťany (Slovakia) | In the House
Tirana IFF (Albania) | Competition
CinEast (Luxembourg) | Cinéscope
Cottbus FF (Germany) | Competition

Forman vs. Forman

directed by: Helena Třeštíková, Jakub Hejna
produced by: Negativ
Czech Republic, France 2019 / 77 min
Documentary

If! Istanbul Independent Film Festival (Turkey)
Almaty Film Festival (Kazakhstan) | Documentary films
Message to Man (Rusko) | Panorama. Doc Programme
Batumi IFF (Georgia) | International Doc Films Competition
DMZ Docs (South Korea) | Close-up: Helena Třeštíková
CinEast (Luxembourg) | Cinédocs / A Tribute to Miloš Forman
IndieCork FF (Ireland) | Documentary Panorama
Jeden Svet SK (Slovakia) | Competition
Haifa International Film Festival (Israel)
Golden Tree IDFF Frankfurt (Germany) | Competition (award for best directing)
DocLisboa (Portugal) | Heart Beat
Chicago IFF (USA) | Documentary Films Competition
Ji.hlava IDFF (Czech Republic) | Dokument ČT
Denver IFF (USA) | Film Studies
Minsk IFF Listapad (Belarus) | Films about the Cinema
Leeds IFF (Great Britain)
The Classics Colombia (Colombia)
UK Jewish FF (Great Britain)
East by Southeast (Denmark)
IDFA | Masters (Netherlands)
Cairo IFF | Panorama Special (Egypt)
Havana FF (Cuba)

Let There Be Light

directed by: Marko Škop
produced by: Artileria, Negativ
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic 2019 / 93 min
Fiction

Almaty Film Festival (Kazakhstan) | Competition (The Grand Prix)
Batumi International Art Film Festival (Georgia) | International Competition
Bergen IFF (Norway)
Busan International Film Festival (South Korea) | World Cinema
Haifa International Film Festival (Israel)
Chicago FF (USA) | Global Current
Totifest (Poland)
Seminci – Valladolid International Film Festival (Spain) | Meeting Point
Catholic Film Festival Korea (South Korea)
Thessaloniki IFF (Greece)
Visegrad Cinema Days Kyiv (Ukraine)
Cork Film Festival (Ireland) | International Competition
Leeds IFF (Great Britain)
Noordelijk FF (Netherlands) | Trekvogels
Cottbus Film Festival (Germany) | U 18 Competition
Eastern Neighbours FF (Netherlands)
East by Southeast (Denmark)
Arras FF (France)
Les Arcs FF (France)

Na střeše / On the Roof

directed by: Jiří Mádl
produced by: Dawson Films
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic 2019 / 95 min
Fiction

Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia - Australian Film Critics' Award
Denver IFF | Contemporary World Cinema (USA)
East by Southeast (Denmark)
Leiden IFF | Panorama (Netherlands)
Mannheim-Heidelberg IFF | International Competition (Germany) - Grand Newcomer Award

Over the Hills

directed by: Martin Mareček
produced by: Negativ
Czech Republic 2019 / 78 min
Documentary

Jeden Svet SK (Slovakia) | Competition (Special Mention)
Minsk IFF Listapad (Belarus) | Documentary Films Competition

Solo

directed by: Artemio Benki
produced by: Artcam Films
Czech Republic, France, Argentina, Austria 2019 / 84 min
Documentary

DokuFest Prizren (Kosovo) | Main Selection
Makedox (Macedonia) | Main Selection (Onion for the Best Film)
États généraux du film documentaire de Lussas (France) | Closing Film
Duhok IFF (Iraq) | World Documentaries (Golden Leaf for Best World Documentary Film)
Les Écrans documentaires (France)
All About Freedom Festival (Poland)
MFDF Ji.hlava (Czech Republic) | Czech Joy (Best Czech Documentary)
Minsk IFF Listapad (Belarus) | Musicdoc
Gangneung International Film Festival (South Korea)
Festival FILMAR en América Latina (Switzerland)
Belfort International Film Festival (France)

The Painted Bird

directed by: Václav Marhoul
produced by: Silver Screen
Czech Republic, Ukraine, Slovak Republic 2019 / 169 min
Fiction

Venice IFF (Italy) | Venezia 76
Toronto IFF (Canada) | Special Presentations
Message to Man IFF (Russia)
Vancouver IFF (Canada)
BFI London IFF (Great Britain) | Love
CinEast (Luxembourg) | Cinéscope
Istanbul Filmekimi (Turkey)
Film Festival Cologne (Germany) | Look
Warsaw IFF (Poland) | Special Mention
Chicago IFF (USA) | International Competition (Best Cinematography Award)
Mostra de Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Totifest (Poland)
Tokyo IFF (Japan) | World Focus
Denver IFF (USA) | Special Mention
Thessaloniki IFF (Greece) | Main programme
Minsk IFF Listapad (Belarus) | Competition
Visegrad Cinema Days Kyiv (Ukraine)
Kolkata IFF (India)
Cork Film Festival (Ireland)
Camerimage (Poland)
Goa IFFI (India)
Berlin Around the World in 14 films (Germany)
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Estonia)