The biopic Zatopek, directed by David Ondříček, will open Czech Film Focus on Saturday 2 July in Bozar at 19:30. The screening of the winner of 8 Czech Lion Awards 2021 will present the fascinating life story of Czech Olympic champions and spouses Emil Zátopek and Dana Zátopková, who would have celebrated their 100th birthday in 2022. The film will be screened in Belgian premiere, and it will be followed by a Q&A with the film delegation: David Ondříček (director), Václav Neužil (Emil Zátopek) and Martha Issová (Dana Zátopková). The afternoon will be enriched by a run in honor of Emil Zátopek.

The second film to be presented to the Brussels audience will be Shadow Country by Bohdan Sláma. The black-and-white drama depicting the difficult fate of a village in Czech borderlands in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s was awarded 6 Czech Lions 2020 and it will be screened on the 8th of September. In October, the emerging generation of Czech filmmakers will be given a platform, with Šimon Holý's formally distinctive debut Mirrors in the Dark (6 October), which impressed with its authentic look at the relationships of the young generation during its premiere in Karlovy Vary last year. Petr Vaclav's long-awaited historical piece Il Boemo will be screened within the Czech Film Focus on the 16th of November, right before the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution (17 November), as a hot new release. The showcase of contemporary Czech cinema will conclude with a portrait of the first Czech president. Havel will reveal bits and pieces of his personal life in the presence of the director Slávek Horák on 8 December.

You can find more information about Czech Film Focus HERE.