FIRST THINGS FIRST - PROGRAMME

Thursday | 5.10. 2006 | 20:00
Requiem for a Maiden | Requiem pro panenku | 1991

Czech Republic ׀ 1991 ׀99 minutes ׀ director: Filip Renč ׀ screenplay: Filip Renč, Igor Chaun (based on a report by Josef Klíma) ׀ cinematography: Juraj Fándli ׀ editing: Jan Mattlach ׀ music: Ondřej Soukup ׀ cast: Anna Geislerová (Marika), Barbora Hrzánová (Johanka), Soňa Valentová (Volfová), Eva Holubová (Krocová) ׀

For his debut,director Filip Renč chose a report from the book "Brutality" by Josef Klíma,in which the author depicts a story of thirteen-year-old Marika,who by mistake of administration gets to a hospital for mentally affected adolescents. There she experiences passivity of its management and despotism of the staff towards the patients. Such inhuman treatment leads to an unavoidable incident. This harsh realistic film, inspired by a true story, with depressive music by Ondřej Soukup and appearance of 16-year-old Anna Geislerová as Marika, belongs to the most significant and courageous debuts in Czech cinema.


Thursday | 19.10. 2006 | 20:00 |
Whisper | Šeptej | 1996

Czech Republic | 1996 | 82 minutes | director: David Ondříček | screenplay: David Ondříček, Jan Novák, Tomáš Mašín | cinematography: Alexander Šurkala | music: Jan P. Muchow, Colorfactory | editing: Petr Turyna | cast: Tatiana Vilhelmová (Anna), Martin Myšička (Kytka), Jan P. Muchow (Filip), Jan Čechtický (Speedy), Kateřina Winterová (Irma) |

Anna is a 16-year-old girl, who runs away to find out what life is like outside her village. She explores the real citylife. She spends a couple of unususal days in the city, and learns about the complexity of relationships when she finds herself among two dazed and confused homosexuals. Before he made his "cult" film „Loners“, David Ondříček had established his specific directing style in this film. „Whisper“, which has started a wave of Czech teenmovies, has also excellent music score, composed by Jan P. Muchow, a prominent figure of contemporary Czech club scene.


Thursday | 2.11. 2006| 20:00
The Wild Bees | Divoké včely | 2001

Czech Republic ׀ 2001 ׀92 minutes ׀ director: Bohdan Sláma ׀ screenplay: Bohdan Sláma ׀ cinematography: Diviš Marek ׀ editing: Jan Daňhel ׀ music: Miroslav Šimáček ׀ cast: Pavel Liška (Laďa), Tatiana Vilhelmová (Božka), Zdeněk Raušer (Kája), Vanda Hybnerová (Jana), Jaroslav Dušek (game keeper) ׀

Little village in Northern Bohemia represents a unique world with its own lifestyle and rules. The villagers live their everyday stereotypes and their only contact with culture is a local pub. Kája is a gamekeeper and he is in love with Božka, but he is too shy to express his feelings about her. Božka goes out with Láďa, a local dandy, whose main interest is imitating his idol Michael Jackson. Božka realizes she wants more from this relationship. Bohdan Sláma, whose recent film „Happiness“ has won several awards at various festivals, combined experienced actors with amateurs and thus gave a realisticportrait of a countrylife in „Wild Bees“.


Thursday | 23.11. 2006 | 20:00
Girlie | Děvčátko | 2002

Czech Republic ׀ 2002 ׀ 83 minutes ׀ director: Benjamin Tuček ׀ screenplay: Benjamin Tuček ׀ cinematography: Antonín Chundela ׀ editing: Petr Mrkous ׀ music: Ivo Heger ׀ cast: Dorota Nvotová (Emma) , Jana Hubinská (Emma´s mother), Ondřej Vetchý (taxi driver without a taxi), Dana Batulková (Karel´s mother) ׀

Emma is 17 years old, she lives in a housing estate with her mother. She doesn´t know who her father is. She works in a second hand shop, hangs out in bars in the evenings and ending up in bed with another one-night stand. Surrounded by weird citizens Emma feels alone, until she meets her soulmate Karel, a shy pilot, whose parents are going through a crisis. In style, Benjamin Tuček´s debut resembles the films of David Ondříček. In „Girlie“ tries to depict the flurry of city life without any stylization. Jana Hubinská, starring as Emma´s mother, was awarded the Czech Lion for the Best performance in a supporting role.


Thursday | 7.12. 2006 | 20:00 |
Boredom in Brno | Nuda v Brně | 2003

Czech Republic | 2003 | 103 minutes | director: Vladimír Morávek | screenplay: Vladimír Morávek, Jan Budař | cinematography: Diviš Marek | music: Jan Budař | editing: Jiří Brožek | cast: Kateřina Holánová (Olga Šimáková), Jan Budař (Stanislav Pichlík), Miroslav Donutil (Miroslav Norbacher), Martin Pechlát (Jaroslav Pichlík), Jaroslava Pokorná (Miriam Šimáková) |

One night in Brno. Standa wants to lose virginity with his girlfriend Olinka,who has therefore poisoned her mum, locked her in a pantry and made schnitzels. Meanwhile a group of women sip tangerine liquor and talk about the size of penis. Miroslav Norbacher, a famous autor, falls into depression because of his sexual dysfunction, Richard realizes he is not much of a heterosexual and bull terier Srdičko almost gets a heart attack. In short: Boredom in Brno. The film by one of the most significant Czech theatre directors Vladimír Morávek was awarded 5 Czech Lions in 2003 – with one for the Best Film of 2003.


Thursday | 14.12. 2006 | 20:00
Restart | Restart | 2005

Czech Republic, Finland ׀ 2005 ׀ 79 minutes ׀ director: Julius Ševčík ׀ screenplay: Ondřej Ládek, Julius Ševčík ׀ cinematography: Kasimir Lehto ׀ editing: Aleksi Raij ׀ music: Filip Míšek ׀ cast: Lenka Krobotová (Sylvie), Filip Čapka (Martin), Anna Polívková (Marie), Václav Jiráček (Robert), Hana Seidlová (mother) ׀

Sylva´s life, full of alcohol, dancing and love affairs, has changed since the night she made a fatal mistake. Suddenly she is alone. Sylva thinks she can put things in order. But everything she tries to do about it, leads her to the total restart. Julius Ševčík made his debut in Czech-Finland coproduction. Its style and visual preciseness bear comparison to the classics of American cinema. The film music was composed by Czech groups Khoiba and Moimir Papalescu and the Nihilists.