Czechoslovak Architecture 58–89

Czechoslovak Architecture 58–89 2024

1

Vladimir 518, uncompromising rapper, artist, stage designer and activist, is a rare phenomenon, who not only writes books, but publishes them as well. Today also a respected authority primarily on pre-1989 architecture, he has written not only a major publication on the subject, but also the story for two audiovisual works treating the same theme, which were shot by Jan Zajíček, renowned director of music videos. In addition to the recent TV series we have the eagerly anticipated feature-length film which, through its fascinating and impressive exploration of Czech and Slovak architecture of the latter half of the 20th century, offers exclusive insight into extraordinary buildings and unique individuals living below the Tatra Mountains. Karel Och (kviff.com)

2024

Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light

Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light 2023

1

Tony has been glowing since the day he was born and it causes him a lot of trouble. Just before the Christmas, a new odd girl with thick glasses moves into Tony’s house. Shelly has a strange way of expressing herself. Tony is fascinated by her but he is also being cautious at first. Together with Shelly’s flashlight, they explore their house and they are slowly getting to know each other. The kids have to join all their efforts to figure out who’s behind the circuit of dark cracks that sucks out all the light bulbs, even the daylight. It must be because of the ​“Spirit of the house”. A film about being different, about friendship, and first loves… But above all about light and darkness.

2023

The Painted Bird

The Painted Bird 2019

7.10

A young boy wanders Eastern Europe during World War II.

2019

The Teacher

The Teacher 2016

6.90

The principal of an elementary school calls a special parents meeting after it’s alleged that the seemingly empathetic and kindly-looking teacher Mrs. Drazděchová uses her students to manipulate their parents.

2016

Waves

Waves 2024

8.50

In the heady days of the 1968 Prague Spring, a group of Czechoslovak Radio journalists risk not just their careers but their lives to distribute independent news amidst national and regional tumult. Orphaned brothers Tomáš and Pája are caught in the struggle for freedom. The elder, Tomáš, is a radio technician working at the station committed to defying the Communist Party’s censorship, overwhelming propaganda, and police harassment. When security forces pressure him to spy for them, Tomáš finds himself in a bind where he has to choose between betraying his colleagues or protecting Pája.

2024

The Auschwitz Report

The Auschwitz Report 2021

6.30

This is the true story of Freddy and Walter – two young Slovak Jews, who were deported to Auschwitz in 1942. On 10 April 1944, after meticulous planning, they manage to escape. While the inmates they had left behind courageously stand their ground against the Nazi officers, the two men are driven on by the hope that their evidence could save lives.

2021

Nightsiren

Nightsiren 2022

5.50

A mysterious woman returns to her mountain village home to confront her painful past. As she tries to uncover the long-buried truth, the local villagers accuse her of witchcraft and murder.

2022

Agáva

Agáva 2016

1.00

A small border town in the south of Slovakia is surprised by the sudden arrival of respected builder Mr. Hampl and his young wife Nada. She catches the eye of an equally young local teacher, Daniel, who is still recovering from his military experience in The Second World War. At first, Nada tries to resist Daniel's charm but her decision is complicated by the scent of flowering agave in the hot summer air. When the agave after 30 years of sleep finally blooms, Nada's primary decision not to give in is permanently void... A simple love story on the surface opens into to a deep, psychological study set in the hot summer of 1947. The Second World War has just ended and the Communist coup is waiting in the wings to wipe nearly a whole generation of Slovak intelligentsia from the history.

2016

The Hungarian Dressmaker

The Hungarian Dressmaker 2024

1

It’s the 1940s. The Slovak state witnesses the rise of nationalism and it’s not an auspicious time for minorities. The turbulent social mood also impacts the widow Marika, who loses her job in an Aryanised dressmaker’s shop. Given the increasing anti-Hungarian sentiment she shuts herself away, particularly since she is harbouring a little Jewish boy. Despite this she still finds herself singled out by two men: a German Nazi officer and a captain of Slovakia’s Hlinka Guard. This drama by Slovak director Iveta Grófová is an adaptation of the novella of the same name by Peter Krištúfek, which conjures up the dramatic atmosphere of wartime Slovakia. The story of a fragmented era, which forces the protagonists to confront complex dilemmas, is told not only through words, but also by way of a powerful visual language. Sandra Hezinová (kviff.com)

2024

Fair Play

Fair Play 2014

6.20

In the 1980s, Anna, a Czech sprinter, starts training for the Olympics. After she collapses during training, she learns she is being given steroids and decides to stop using them until her mother helps the coaches give them to her.

2014

Living Large

Living Large 2024

1

It is the beginning of the school year. At 13 years old, Ben discovers the effects of puberty on his classmates who have changed a lot. Especially Claire, who is now really pretty. Ben would like her to notice him, but he is hung up by his weight and even the school nurse worries about him. Despite his passion for cooking, Ben decides to go on a long and difficult diet. To face the bullying from Max and his gang, Ben can count on the support of his crazy family and his friends Claire, Eric and Sonia. Together, they start a band for the Christmas show, at the end of a year that will have made them all grow up, gain confidence in themselves, in life and in love.

2024

Invalid

Invalid 2023

6.60

Grumpy handyman Laco loses everything to a group of mobsters. Now wheelchair-bound and with his life spiraling, it's his new friend Gabo, a local Roma who helps Laco see things with a new perspective. Revenge is sweet.

2023

The Seven Ravens

The Seven Ravens 2015

7.10

The story of a young woman who takes it upon herself to save her brothers and rid them of a curse which they were put under by their mother.

2015

Colette

Colette 2013

6.50

As World War II rages on, Villi and Colette are captured and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Imprisoned within separate compounds, the lovers must risk their lives to be together again.

2013

Caught in the Net

Caught in the Net 2020

8.00

Everyone knows something like this is happening. But this is the only experiment to fully demonstrate what excessive openness on the internet means. The filmmaking couple hired youthful-looking (but over 18) actresses to pretend to be prepubescent girls and communicate with strangers who approached them based on their fake accounts. They attracted dozens of men in the first ten days, then hundreds, and finally thousands...

2020

Barefoot

Barefoot 2017

5.60

Story of a small boy is forced to move out of Prague during World War 2 to a small village of Slavonice where he meets the rest of his family. He needs to make new friends and get used to a new life which is immensely different from what this city boy was used to.

2017

Filthy

Filthy 2017

6.10

Lena is a 17-year-old girl from a middle-class family who is experiencing her first love: secret night adventures and magical morning walks along the Danube. However, her dream world is shattered when she is raped. Withdrawing, she ultimately attempts to slit her wrists. Her family, helpless, entrusts her to a psychiatric institute.

2017