24/10/2005

Bohdan Slama’s Czech film Something Like Happiness [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bohdan Slama
interview: Pavel Strnad
film profile] (Stesti) has continued its award winning dash by claiming the main prize for best film at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema in Montreal, October 13-23.

Slama’s film, a drama about two girl friends who live on the fringe of the Czech society and the country altogether; beat 20 other features in the Canadian event which focuses on new trends in the independent cinema and its competition presents debutants or directors with their second or third feature.
Something Like Happiness has already won the Golden Shell for best film and a Silver Shell for best actress Ana Geislerova in the San Sebastian Festival in September, and the Golden Athena in the Athens Film Festival. It was also screened at the film festivals in New York and Toronto and it opened the film festival in Reykjavik. This month it will also be screened in the The Times bfi London Film Festival and at the Sao Paulo festival.

The film’s producer Pavel Strnad was quoted by the Czech press saying that the distinctions the film has gathered around the world so far could help it do well during the [Hollywood Foreign Press Association] Golden Globes Awards’ nominations at Los Angeles, December 13. Golden Globes are considered a prelude to the Oscars for which the Czech Film and Television Academy (CFTA) has selected Something Like Happiness as the Czech candidate in the Foreign Language film category. Nominations will be announced January 31.
Something Like Happiness is produced by Negativ Film Productions and Česká televize (Czech Television) (the public broadcaster) in association with the German company Pallas Film GmbH; it is financed by Eurimages, the Czech Film Support Fund and the German fund MDM. World sales are handled by French company Wild Bunch.