Tag: czechrepublic

RESTORE POINT Trailer: Czech Blade Runner Dazzles with Retrofuturist Visuals

Robert Hloz' noir sci-fi thriller blends brutalist aesthetics and a futuristic murder mystery in a world where death can be reversed.

THE BODY Trailer: True Story of Czech Pro Diver Who Took the Leap into Adult Entertainment

Directed by Natálie Císařovská, the film unearths the dramatic life story of a renowned Czech diver.

First Look 2023 Preview: Survey of New World Cinema

Once again, First Look Festival at the Museum of the Moving Image is upon us, showcasing new, adventurous films from around the world. Encompassing features, shorts, narratives and non-narratives, this year's wide ranging selections include Tori and Lokita, a new film...

Cork 2022 Review: ARVÉD, Occultist Biopic as Transcending Ritual

Czech director Vojtech Mašek's feature debut folds a psychological and political thriller into a mystery drama, enwrapped in a biopic about the infamous Czech occultist drawn to the dark side.

Jihlava 2022 Review: KUNSTKAMERA, Czech Surrealist Maestro Jan Švankmajer Opens His Private Cabinet of Curiosities

The documentary reveals the private chambers of the surrealist filmmaker and artist materializing his mindscape full of strange objects, fetishes, and taxidermy.

Locarno 2022 Review: NIGHTSIREN, Witch Hunts in the Modern Day

Natalia Germani stars in a bewitching mystery from Eastern Europe, directed by Tereza Nvotová.

Cottbus 2020 Review: DRONEMAN Resorts to a Radical Resolution in the Wake of Political Nihilism

The Czech director Petr Zelenka delivers timely psychological and political thriller Droneman tackling the current zeitgeist. For mainstream and arthouse audience alike.

Jan Svankmajer's FAUST Opening in Virtual Cinemas

Pioneering Czech animator Jan Švankmajer has inspired devoted fans of his work around the world. And if your response to that statement is: "who?" it just shows that you haven't been introduced to any of his films yet. Now is...

Review: THE PAINTED BIRD, Spectacle of Horrors From a Child's Perspective

Stellan Skarsgaard, Harvey Keitel, Barry Pepper, Julian Sands and Petr Kotlar star in Václav Marhoul's dramatic adaptation of a novel by Jerzy Kosiński.

Oscars 2020 Review: THE PAINTED BIRD, A Child's Adventures in Abominationland

A WWII coming-of-age not for the faint of heart is the Czech Repulic´s bid for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.

Febiofest 2019: BY A SHARP KNIFE, A Family Tragedy in a Broken System Turns into Social Stigma

By a Sharp Knife, a drama by up-and-coming Slovakian director Teodor Kuhn, is described by the creators as a generational film. Mainly, it's because real-life events that inspired the film impacted a whole generation, the one where the director and...

Review: I, OLGA HEPNAROVA, A Study in the Absence of Empathy

At one point over the course of this haunting and difficult film, the lead character is reading the Graham Greene novel, The Quiet American. She highlights a passage from the novel that is the lynchpin to understanding the unanswerable questions left...

THE NOONDAY WITCH Roams The Czech Countryside

Everything appears to be sweetness and light for Eliska and her young daughter until ... well, until it's not. Their beautiful new home in the countryside and the adventure that comes with the move crumbling apart when it turns out...

Review: HOSTAGE, A Youthful, Nostalgic Take On Growing Up Slovak

Recent Czech cinema has been gaining a reputation when it comes to revisiting history. Hefty award festooned mini-series-cum feature film The Burning Bush directed by renowned filmmaker Agnieszka Holland and Andrea Sedláčková´s sports drama Fair Play shaped moral heroes...

Melancholic Czech Debut TO SEE THE SEA Surprises on Many Levels

Czech cinema retains a certain routine portfolio in its offerings. The main and dominant current consists of films reflecting the recent past, mostly the era of communism, socialism and then normalisation. These stories come in the form of paeans to...

Review: THE INHERITANCE 2 (Dědictví aneb kurvaseneříká) Packs A Social Satire In A Time Capsule

The year 2014 is certainly the year of sequels for Czech cinema. A beloved cult film, The Inheritance or Fuckoffguysgoodday, got a sequel (and several others are getting ready for a release), an event that only few would say will come true....

Review: THE TENDER WAVES (Nežné vlny) Delivers Retro Maudlinism

Czech filmmaker Jiří Vejdělek has acquired the status of a successful commercial filmmaker with several domestic romantic comedies, Men in Temptation and Women in Temptation. His latest film, The Tender Waves, also falls under the niche of romantic comedy. (After a...

Review: Jiří Menzel's DON JUANS Lacks Plot But Not Affection For Opera

Even big directors need a break. Jiří Menzel, the Academy Award winning Czech director, was on one as it had been over 7 years since his last film, I Served the King of England (he's only made 3 features in...