27th Made in Prague Festival

MADE IN PRAGUE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF CZECH CENTRE This year we celebrate two significant milestones: the 27th Made in Prague Festival in London and three decades of the Czech Centre’s remarkable contribution to the British cultural scene. These two events, intertwined in their commitment to foster cultural relations and exchange and nurture collaboration and friendship, serve as a testament to the enduring bond between Czechia and the United Kingdom.

The Made in Prague Festival, one of the oldest national festivals in Britain, has been for many years a cherished platform for showcasing the rich tapestry of Czech arts, cinema, music, and culture in the broadest sense. It serves as a bridge, transcending borders, in particular after Brexit, and bringing diverse and captivating Czech cultural encounters and enriching experiences to audiences in London and across the country. The festival has also allowed us, over a quarter of a century, to explore the variety of Czech creativity and innovation, to engage with its vigorous history and vibrant contemporary expression as well as share a glimpse of what the future might bring.

Festival Team Programme Renata Clark, Přemysl Pela

Graphic Design Jáchym Bouzek

Production & Marketing Petra Štorchová

Special thanks to Caroline Anderson Chris Harris Molly Cowderoy Madeleine Mullett Gregory Lynn Lily Parrott Michael Etherton

PR and Social Media Veronika Blues, Marek Bero Admin Support & Finances Zdeňka Srodzinski Interns Petr Malásek Michal Manďák

It’s my great pleasure and delight to introduce some of the 27th Made in Prague Festival highlights. The festival will commence with a gala opening and private view of, by all measures, the extraordinary artistic project ULTRA-SUPER-NATURAL

by Barbora Šlapetová and Lukáš Rittstein, a unique testimony to the fusion of various cultures and civilizations that span the globe. The backbone of the festival will be as in previous years, Czech film screenings featuring many British debuts.

I’m thrilled that among the film highlights will be Il Boemo, a biopic about composer Josef Mysliveček, starring Vojtěch Dyk, who will join us for a discussion. A second Gala Special will present fresh from this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Restore Point, a sci-fi neonoir thriller about the future of humanity.

The screening at BFI IMAX of this Hollywood-style production will be joined by female lead Andrea Mohylová along with the director and producer. Theatre enthusiasts can look forward to the play Fifty by Petr Zelenka, who will personally attend a staged reading at the renowned Coronet Theatre. As it has become firmly embedded in the Festival programme, Electronica: Vision of Sounds V will return to the Rich Mix concert hall showcasing a great Central European selection of electronic music and audio visuals. The Festival will conclude with a very special treat, the Gala screening of the new film One Life, a biographical drama about British humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton, starring among others Anthony Hopkins, capturing his efforts to save Jewish children from Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia.

But the 27th Made in Prague Festival is not only what happens on screen, stage or in gallery spaces; it is much more about mutual connections, experiences, discussions and understanding; the bonds and memories that we create together.

Therefore I would like to acknowledge and appreciate that these inspirational and culturally enriching opportunities and encounters would not have been possible without artists sharing their talents and visions with us, the tireless efforts of the dedicated Czech Centre team and the generous support of many Festival volunteers, supporters and partners.

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 27th Made in Prague Festival and cheers to the next thirty years of the Czech Centre.

Enjoy the festivities.

Yours, Přemysl Pela Director of the Czech Centre

OPENING GALA & PRIVATE VIEW

ULTRA-SUPER-NATURAL Private view: Fri 3 Nov, 6–7.30pm Exhibition dates: 3 Nov–29 Feb 2024 Bouda, Czech Centre´s Gallery Vitrínka, public space outside the Czech Embassy The multimedia project ULTRA-SUPERNATURAL consists of films, animations, photographs and drawings by Barbora Šlapetová and sculptures by Lukáš Rittstein. Since 1997, the two artists have been travelling to Papua New Guinea to record the life of some of the last natural tribes on the planet. The result provides a layered testimony on the meetings of prehistoric times and the 21st century.

What could not be photographed and filmed was drawn and animated, depicting the inner world of the Papuans as they told it. Prepare to lose yourself in the elasticity of time, drawn into the melting pot of magic and art.

3 You Must See: Czech Film Classics 3 Nov – 3 Dec, BFI Player Watch for free as part of a subscription free trial. To access your special offer, simply visit player.bfi.org.uk/subscribe and enter code MadeinPrague23 upon signup to claim an additional free month of BFI Player Subscription, and discover the greatest global cinema on demand.

The Joke Jaromil Jireš, Czechoslovakia, 1968, 80‘, English subtitles Cast: Josef Somr, Jana Dítětová, Luděk Munzar, Jaroslava Obermaierová

Jaromil Jireš’s masterful film adaptation pays homage to great Czech-French novelist Milan Kundera who co-wrote the script. Based on Kundera’s first novel, this is a tragi-comic story of Ludvík who returns to his hometown and by chance meets the wife of his former friend, Pavel.

It was thanks to Pavel that Ludvík’s life was ruined by expulsion from the Communist party and university fifteen years earlier following a political joke. Seizing the opportunity Ludvík plots his revenge only for life to play a joke on him.

Best Adaptation San Sebastian IFF 1969

My Sweet Little Village Jiří Menzel, Czechoslovakia, 1985, 103‘, English subtitles Cast: János Bán, Marián Labuda, Rudolf Hrušínský, Libuše Šafránková

The Oscar winning director Jiří Menzel (Closely Observed Trains, 1967) got his second nomination for Best Foreign Language Film with this charming bucolic comedy penned by Zdeněk Svěrák. Set in a picturesque village, the story centres around the wobbly friendship of local trucker Pávek, short and round, and his intellectually challenged assistant, tall and skinny Otík who keeps botching simple jobs. When he directs long-suffering Pávek’s truck into a gatepost, their Laurel & Hardy relationship is threatened. Inhabited by a bunch of eccentric characters, this is a warm-hearted, funny and moving portrait of a village life.

Finalist Best Foreign Language Film Academy Awards 1987 Best Actor Paris Film Festival

Old Czech Legends Jiří Trnka, Czechoslovakia, 1952, 85‘, English subtitles

Based on Alois Jirásek’s collection of legends this stop-motion feature powered by Trnka’s poetic imagination tells the story of the mythological foundation of the Czech nation. From the stories of Forefather Czech, Princess Libuše and Přemysl The Ploughman, the founders of the Premyslid dynasty, and a womens’ revolt, to a king obsessed with gold and a fierce battle between neighbouring clans, it portrays early Bohemia as the promised land for the Czech people full of magical creatures and ferocious beasts. Using a cast of ‘thousands’, all hand-carved wooden puppets, Trnka conveys the drama and emotions through his figures’ body language, camera angles and evocative lighting. A stunning stop-motion spectacle of folklore.

The Paradox of Svalbard: Climate change and globalisation in the Arctic SUN 5 Nov, 5.30 pm UCL, Gustave Tuck LT

Zdenka Sokolíčková is a Czech social anthropologist currently working as a postdoc at the Arctic Centre in the Netherlands.

In her recent ethnographic monograph, she shows the linkages and intricacies of environmental change, shift from fossil fuels to tourism, science and development, migration, nationalism and social justice. In conversation with Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health at UCL, the author of The Paradox of Svalbard will discuss the multilayered paradox of climate change and globalisation in the northernmost community, the Norwegian settlement of Longyearbyen in Svalbard.

©Elizabeth Bourne

The Visitors + Q&A with Zdenka Sokolíčková MON 6 Nov, 7 pm Czech Embassy Cinema Veronika Lišková, Czech Republic, Norway, Slovakia 2022, 85’, English subtitles

Zdenka, a young anthropologist, moves with her husband and three sons to Svalbard, Norway, to study how life is changing for the inhabitants of the world’s northernmost town. Longyearbyen, originally a mining town, is now a growing tourist destination where everyone can come and settle as long as they have a job and a place to live. Set in an idyllic snowy landscape, this is love at first sight for the whole family until Zdenka discovers that more than icebergs and permafrost are vanishing in the Arctic. A beautifuly shot portrait of a polar microcosm offering a raw glimpse into the contempoary globalised world.

Semaine de la Critique Locarno 2022 Best Film One World Czech Republic 2023

Chicago International Film Festival Special Mention Ji.hlava IDFF

Nightsiren + Q&A with director Tereza Nvotová SAT 11 Nov, 5.30 pm The Gate Tereza Nvotová, Slovakia, Czech Republic, 2022, 108’ Cast: Natalia Germani, Eva Mores, Juliana Brutovská, Marek Geisbgerg, Iva Bittová

30-year-old Šarlota returns to the mountain village she escaped from following a family tragedy and starts searching for answers regarding her troubled childhood. In her quest to uncover the truth she is confronted by the misogyny of superstitious villagers with only young herbalist Mira on her side. The tension grows, strange events and whispers of evil invade reality leading the villagers to accuse Šarlota of witchcraft and murder. Striking cinematography with swirling mists and a mysterious forest links women and nature and delivers a haunting atmosphere filled with sense of isolation in this beguiling contemporary drama.

Golden Leopard Locarno Film Festival 2022

Art Talent Show TUE 14 Nov, 6.30 pm The Garden Cinema Adéla Komrzý, Tomáš Bojar, Czech Republic, 2022, 102’, English subtitles

Welcome to entrance exams at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts where hundreds of wannabe artists are battling for a coveted spot in one of three studios. Assessed, interrogated and challenged by three different sets of professors they candidly and often with unintended comic effect discuss gender and sexuality, identity issues and artistic beliefs revealing intergenerational tension and cultural identity clashes. Granted unprecendented access, filmmakers use observational camerawork to juxtapose these encounters with shots of an older pragmatic receptionist to provide a dryly humorous commentary while raising questions over the role and value of art. Hilarious and absorbing.

The winner of KVIFF Proxima Competition

SPECIAL GALA Il Boemo + Q&A with actor Vojtěch Dyk and director Petr Václav SAT 18 Nov, 5.15 pm Prince Charles Cinema Petr Václav, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia, 2022, 140’, English subtitles Cast: Vojtěch Dyk, Elena Radonicich, Barbara Ronchi, Lana Vlady

It’s 1764 and a charismatic Czech musician, Josef Mysliveček (Vojtěch Dyk), arrives in Venice to fulfil his dream of becoming an opera composer. His fortune changes along with his unpronounceable name when he forms a liaison with a libertine marquise. As Il Boemo he soon becomes one of the biggest stars of the Italian opera, working closely with legendarily volatile opera diva La Gabrielli, writing an opera for the King of Naples, and inspiring and befriending Mozart. Emphasising personal relationships, director Petr Václav tells Mysliveček’s extraordinary story from his ascent to glory to his death in poverty ravaged by syphilis. Prompting comparison with Forman’s Amadeus, this is a lavish period piece, rich in costume and the sounds of live music recorded for the film by the Czech period ensemble Collegium 1704. A must for all classic music lovers.

San Sebastian Film Festival 2022 Czech Republic’s entry for the 2022 Academy Awards

The Book of Prague; A City in Short Fiction THU 16 Nov, 7 pm Czech Embassy Cinema Marek Šindelka, winner of two Magnesia Litera Awards, co-editor Jan Zikmund, and writer Veronika Bendová will launch an anthology of short stories by ten of Prague’s most famous writers, presenting the city in a completely new light. These stories take us into the less-visited corners of Prague: from the steep streets of the proudly edgy Žižkov neighbourhood, to the flood-ravished suburb of Karlín, from the tensions experienced by the city’s Roma community to the dehumanising post-war redevelopment of areas like Libeň proving that there are always aspects of a city’s character you might never have imagined. Chaired by Ra Page, editor in chief of Comma Press.

The Crucified SUN 19 Nov, 3.30 pm JW3 Boris Orlický, Czechoslovakia, 1921 (restored in 2020), 50’, Czech intertitles with English subtitles Cast: Karel Lamač, Nataša Cyganková, Alexandr Šuvalov

Filmed in 1921, this classic silent Czech film offers a fascinating, if troubling, representation of Jews and antisemitism in 19th Century Europe. Tormented by his childhood memory of his Jewish mother being crucified during a pogrom, her illegitimate son, now a student, is determined to find out what has happened to her. This recent restoration, accompanied by newly commissioned electronic music from Dizzock & False Trance, enhances the film’s unsettling and atmospheric qualities. Part of the UK Jewish Film Festival 2023, 9 - 19 November.

Fifty + Q&A with playwright Petr Zelenka MON 20 Nov, 7 pm The Coronet Theatre Director: Maja Milatovic-Ovadia, Translator: Eva Daníčková

Internationally successful architect David had it all – money, fame, family, women…

But one affair too many ended his marriage and he got fleeced in the divorce. Living on a houseboat, David is trying to figure out whether there is any point in striving for a different kind of life. An accident-prone man in his fifties who is desperately seeking a last thrill in a threesome - a birthday present he wished for but never received.

An idea that does not go down well with his girlfriend. Written for the cult Prague Dejvice Theatre, this 2022 Czech Theatre Critics winner is a conversational comedy about ageing (dis)gracefully full of wit and politically incorrect humour. A staged reading in English at the most atmospheric bar in London, part of a re-imagined and restored Grade II listed theatre.

Kapr Code FRI 24 Nov, 6.30 pm The Garden Cinema Lucie Králová, Czech Republic, Slovakia 2022, 91´, English subtitles

A documentary opera featuring the contradictory life of the ‘Czech John Cage‘, progressive composer and prominent communist Jan Kapr (1914-88), a Stalin award laureate, later banned in socialist Czechoslovakia. The film explores the nature of memory and narration, using Kapr’s personal, never-before-seen amateur films illustrating his humour, inner struggles and desire to leave traces for eternity while Kapr’s music with libretto provided by Jiří Adámek illustrates the pivotal moments of his life as it moves inexorably towards his fate. Combining deep research into Kapr’s archive with a humorous libretto and playful editing, this is an unusual celebration of creativity that shakes up our idea of biography.

Visions du Réel 2022 The Best Czech Film Ji.hlava IDFF 2022 Winner Czech Film Critics’ Awards 2022

Family workshop: Meet George, the Wombat SAT 25 Nov, 10.30 am & 2 pm British Library

Adventurous fun and making with George the Wombat. Come and meet George, a very brave and fuzzy wombat, who lives with his Mummy and Papa and decides one day to find out what lies beyond his borrow. Join illustrator / animator Galina Miklínová and George the Wombat on his humorous adventures in the forest, including a little potty-training along the way. There will even be time to make your very own wombat or perhaps a whole family! Suitable for age 2+.

Oddsockeaters & Workshop with Galina Miklínová SUN 26 Nov, 2 pm Czech Embassy Cinema

Galina Miklínová, Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia 2016, 83´, In Czech with English subtitles Cast: Kryštof Hádek, Jan Maxián, David Novotný, Ondřej Trojan

Welcome to the adventurous world of Oddsockeaters, mischievous creatures responsible for socks that go missing. This is a secret society with only two rules – never take the full pair and don´t get caught!

Courage is required and young Hugo has plenty of it. When his grandpa dies, he moves in with his gangster uncle ‘Big Boss’ and two crazy cousins. Set against the backdrop of a gangster story involving two feuding gangs of oddsockeaters, this is a heart-warmingly comical story based on the bestselling books by Pavel Šrut with illustrations by Galina Miklínová, who has turned the books into a fantastic 3D family animation and a big domestic hit.

Recommended age: 6+

& Workshop with Galina Miklínová: Create your own Oddsockeater Bring plenty of your odd socks and make your own creature who steals our socks and get an Oddsockeaters‘ birthday certificate.

Shanghai International Film Festival Chicago International Children’s Film Festival

Victim MON 27 Nov, 6.25 pm Genesis Cinema Michal Blaško, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany 2022, 91’, English subtitles Cast: Vita Smachelyuk, Gleb Kuchuk, Igor Chmela,

Irina, a single mother from Ukraine, lives with her son Igor in a Czech border town.

When she discovers that Igor has been assaulted by three ‘Roma people’ her whole world comes crashing down. But as time goes on, Irina spots inconsistencies in his story, forcing her to choose between compromising her conscience to protect her son and revealing the truth at the risk of their immigration status - a choice that triggers a tremor in the faultlines of a divided society. Screened as part of the London Migration Festival.

Venice IFF 2022 Toronto IFF 2022 Busan IFF 2022 Slovak Republic´s entry for 2023 Academy Awards

Vojtěch Mašek: The Sisters Dietl & Arvéd TUE 28 Nov, 6.45 pm Czech Embassy Cinema A book launch with Vojtěch Mašek followed by the screening of his multi-award winning film, Arvéd. Mašek, acclaimed Czech comic book author, screenwriter and film director discusses with Peter Kesser, The Sisters Dietl (transl. Julia and Peter Sherwood), the best Czech graphic novel of 2018. Described as a mix of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and Jaroslav Dietl’s The Hospital at the Edge of the Town series, this horror detective story follows two sisters after one is subjected to what appears to be a brutal attack.

Using varied cultural references as his inspiration and drawing on memories of childhood fears, Mašek explores identity change, doppelgängers, hallucination and altered states of mind to build up a multi-layered story complemented by a unique multi-layered art style.

Arvéd Vojtěch Mašek, Czech Republic, Slovakia 2022, 120´, English subtitles Cast: Michal Kern, Saša Rašilov, Vojtěch Vodochodský, Jaroslav Plesl

A fascinating insight into the life and mind of Jiří Arvéd Smíchovský (1898–1951), a hermeticist and occultist, is developed as a Faustian drama in which Arvéd signs a pact first with the Nazis, then the communists. Plaček, a secret service interrogator whose life he saved during the war, has ensured that instead of a death sentence Arvéd is imprisoned for life and offers him a deal: a soul for a rare occult book. Arvéd (a superb Michal Kern) plays his role as a prime witness in the communist showtrials. Highly stylised, this is a remarkable thriller that delves into the mind of a man who sells his soul.

Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actor Czech Film Critics’ Awards 2022

Electronica: Vision of Sound V FRI 1 Dec, 8 pm Rich Mix The one and only Electronica event returns to Rich Mix in its fifth year with a cherry-picked line up of remarkable artists from the Czech Republic (Omnion), Slovakia (Jimmy Pé), and Hungary (IAMYANK) presenting a great selection of electronic music and AV visuals currently rocking the Continent. As an added bonus, this year’s Electronica will also feature a special guest performance by a London-based Dark Electro-rock band Secret Cameras to further spice up the night. With each performer bringing along their unique style, expect to hear many different influences from broken beat to post-metal to ancient music traditions.

SPECIAL GALA

Restore Point + Q&A with director Robert Hloz, actress Andrea Mohylová and producer Jan Kallista Sat 2 Dec, 2.30 pm BFI IMAX Robert Hloz, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Serbia 2023, 111‘, English subtitles Cast: Andrea Mohylová, Matěj Hádek, Václav Neužil, Karel Dobrý

Have you backed up your biometric data today? This is a daily reminder that every citizen in 2041 receives to make sure that they can be revived and rebooted in the event of unnatural death. Absolute murder becomes almost impossible, so when such a case presents itself, ambitious young detective Em Trochinowska jumps at the opportunity and teams up with David, witness to the crime and head researcher of the new technology. But nothing is as it seems and they are soon on the run pursued by a slippery Europol agent (Václav Neužil) and a rebel group opposed to the unnatural resurrections. With its stunning retrofuturistic design, this is an extremely stylish sci-fi crime thriller reminiscent of Blade Runner and Minority Report exploring mankind’s fascination with mortality.

CLOSING GALA

One Life + Q&A with director James Hawes (tbc) SUN 10 Dec, 5.30 pm Curzon Soho Director: James Hawes, screenwriters Lucinda Coxon, Nick Drake, UK 2023, 109‘ Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonathan Pryce, Romola Garai

The Festival Closing Gala is a preview screening of the upcoming highly anticipated 2023 biographical drama One Life (in cinemas from 1 January). Directed by James Hawes, the film tells the true story of Sir Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker played by Johnny Flynn, who, along with Trevor Chadwick (played by Alex Sharp) and Doreen Warriner (played

by Romola Garai) of the British Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia, rescued 669 children from the Nazis in the months leading up to World War II. Fifty years later, it’s 1988 and Nicky (played

by Anthony Hopkins) lives haunted by the fate of the children he wasn’t able to bring to safety in England; always blaming himself for not doing more. It’s not until a live BBC television show, ‘That’s Life!’, surprises him by introducing him to some surviving children – now adults – that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he had carried for five decades.

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Venues:

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1 / BFI IMAX 1 Charlie Chaplin Walk South Bank London SE1 8XR www.bfi.org.uk

8 / The Gate 87 Notting Hill Gate London W11 3JZ www.picturehouses.com/cinema/thegate

2 / Bouda 132 Palace Gardens Terrace London W8 4RT www.czechcentre.org.uk

9 / Genesis Cinema 93-95 Mile End Rd London E1 4UJ www.genesiscinema.co.uk

3 / British Library 96 Euston Rd. London NW1 2DB www.bl.uk

10 / JW3 341-351 Finchley Rd London NW3 6ET www.ukjewishfilm.org

4 / The Coronet Theatre 103 Notting Hill Gate London W8 7TA www.czechcentre.org.uk

11 / Prince Charles Cinema 7 Leicester Place London WC2H 7BY www.princecharlescinema.com

5 / Curzon Soho 99 Shaftesbury Ave London W1D 5DY www.czechcentre.org.uk

12 / Rich Mix 35-47 Bethnal Green Rd London E1 6LA www.richmix.org.uk

6 / Czech Centre / Czech Embassy 26 – 30 Kensington Palace Gardens London W8 4QY www.czechcentre.org.uk

13 / UCL, Gustave Tuck LT 2nd Floor, South Junction Wilkins Building, Gower Street London WC1E 6BT www.czechcentre.org.uk

7 / The Garden Cinema 39-41 Parker St London WC2B 5PQ www.thegardencinema.co.uk

Organised by

Kindly supported by

In partnership with

Venue partners

Calendar of Events FRI 3 Nov, 6pm; 3 Nov – 29 Feb ULTRA-SUPER-NATURAL Czech Centre, Czech Embassy, Bouda

MON 20 Nov, 7 pm Fifty + Q&A with Petr Zelenka The Coronet Theatre

3 Nov – 3 Dec 3 You Must See: The Joke, My Sweet Little Village, Old Czech Legends BFI Player

FRI 24 Nov, 6.30 pm Kapr Code The Garden Cinema

SAT 25 Nov, 10.30 am & 2 pm Family workshop: Meet George, the Wombat British Library

SUN 26 Nov, 2 pm Oddsockeaters & Workshop with Galina Miklínová Czech Embassy Cinema

SUN 5 Nov, 5.30 pm The Paradox of Svalbard: Climate change and globalisation in the Arctic UCL, Gustave Tuck LT MON 6 Nov, 7 pm The Visitors + Q&A with Zdenka Sokolíčková Czech Embassy Cinema SAT 11 Nov, 5.30 pm Nightsiren + Q&A with Tereza Nvotová The Gate TUE 14 Nov, 6.30 pm Art Talent Show The Garden Cinema THU 16 Nov, 7 pm The Book of Prague; A City in Short Fiction Czech Embassy Cinema Sat 18 Nov, 5.15 pm Il Boemo + Q&A with Vojtěch Dyk and Petr Václav Prince Charles Cinema SUN 19 Nov, 3.30 pm The Crucified JW3

MON 27 Nov, 6.25 pm Victim Genesis Cinema TUE 28 Nov, 6.45 pm Vojtěch Mašek: The Sisters Dietl & Arvéd Czech Embassy Cinema

FRI 1 Dec, 8 pm Electronica: Vision of Sound V Rich Mix SAT 2 Dec, 2.30 pm Restore Point + Q&A with Robert Hloz, Andrea Mohylová and Jan Kallista BFI IMAX SUN 10 Dec, 5.30 pm One Life + Q&A with James Hawes (tbc) Curzon Soho