28/06/2006

The best form of protest is when you do it by the numbers goes the old saying and, it seems, the Czech film industry took notice. A total of 28 films and documentaries from the local production will be presented in different sections of the upcoming Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, June 30 – July 8, making it one of the country’s better representations ever in a home soil grade-A film event.

The Czech Film Center and the Czech filmmakers did not pass the opportunity to show that the Czech industry, although is far from happy with the parliament’s rejection of a new film law, it has not gone out of business. The Czech delegation is headed by the films in competition - Beauty in Trouble (Kráska v nesnázích) by Jan Hrebejk in the official competition; the Media Programme supported Indian and the Nurse (Indián a sestricka) by Dan Wlodarczyk in the East of the West section; Shut Up and Shoot Me [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Sklapni a zastrel mi) by Steen Agro in the Variety Critics’ Choice section; Kha-chee-pae (Chacipe) by Miroslav Janek; Other Worlds (Jiné svety) by Marko Skop and Sold (Prodáno) by Lucie Králová in the documentary competition.

A further 18 Czech works will be made available as Press and Industry screenings. The rest of the contingent is inevitably headed by last season’s surprise drama Something Like Happiness [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bohdan Slama
interview: Pavel Strnad
film profile] (Stesti) by Bohdan Slama, the Golden Shell in San Sebastian and the 2006 Czech Lion winner.

But there are also others to be noted for, namely comedy films that have proved huge box offices successes in 2006; newcomer Jirí Vejdelek’s Holiday Makers (Úcastníci zájezdu); The Rafters (Raftaci) by Karel Janák; and Taming Crocodiles (Jak se krotí krokodýli) by Marie Polednáková.
Two features supported by the EU’s Media Programme, Lunacy [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Sileni) by Jan Svankmajer and Fimfarum 2 by Aurel Klimt will also be made available.