KineDok, an alternative distribution platform of creative documentaries in 7 European countries, powered by the Institute of Documentary Film, offers several Czech and Slovak films as part of the 2020 edition. There will be a special screening of Karel Vachek's Communism or Net, as well as Greta Stocklassa's Kiruna - A Brand New World and Barbora Berezňáková's Never Happened. Tomáš Elšík's Central Bus Station and Katarína Farkašová's Swedes from the Slum are new additions as well and we are happy to bring on board Haruna Honcoop's film Built To Last – Relics of Communist-era Architecture. One of the successful KineDok titles, Forman vs. Forman by Jakub Hejna and Helena Třeštíková, is back with the screenings in the Czech Republic. KineDok still screens two titles from the 2019 edition: Tomáš Krupa's The Good Death and three short films by Ondřej Šálek, Barbora Chalupová and Adam Koloman Rybanský under the title You Never Know.
Communism and the Net or the End of Representative Democracy (orig. Komunismus a síť aneb Konec zastupitelské demokracie)
Dir. Karel Vachek
335 mins, 2019, CZ, SK
Festival screenings: IFF Rotterdam 2019, Ji.hlava IDFF 2019
IDF activities: East Doc Platform 2019 - Czech Docs... Coming Soon
The last film essay by Karel Vachek is a collage composed of staged passages of utopian and contemporary literature, his own memories as well as tableaux of world events. Apart from Vachek, actors also present texts and become opponents, partners, an ancient chorus and a modern voice band reciting amongst the hundreds of books in libraries. And to boot, music plays and jollity is the order of the day.
Kiruna - A Brand New World (orig. Kiruna - překrásný nový svět)
Dir. Greta Stocklassa
87 mins, 2019, CZ
Festival screenings: Visions du Réel 2019, Ji.hlava IDFF 2019, Crossing Europe 2019
IDF activities: East Doc Platform 2019 - Czech Docs... Coming Soon
Located way above the polar circle, the Swedish mining town Kiruna was built on a great iron ore deposit, and created a significant income for the Swedish government. However, due to the mining the city has started to collapse and in order to save the industry, the city council together with the mining company LKAB have decided to move the town and its citizens 3 kilometers to the east.
Central Bus Station
Dir. Tomáš Elšík
78 mins, 2018, CZ
Festivals: Sheffield Doc/Fest 2018
IDF activities: East Silver 2018
Central Bus Station is one of the biggest and at the same time, one of the most pathetic stations in the world. Its architect's visionary plans for a building that will engulf its visitors turned into an endless maze of corridors. The gift for Tel Aviv’s citizens now serves as a haven for refugees from all over the world.
Never Happened (orig. Skutok sa stal)
Dir. Barbora Berezňáková
82 mins, 2019, SK, CZ
Festivals: Warsaw Film Festival 2019, Ji.hlava IDFF 2019
IDF activities: Ex Oriente Film 2017, East Doc Platform 2018, East Silver 2019
The story which "never happened" takes us into the unresolved case of a political murder, a psychological journey of three young friends who got involved in the high political power game of the 90s, resulting in the portrait of their present life situation, as well as the situation of the country.
Swedes from the Slum (orig. Švédi z osady)
Dir. Katarína Farkašová
79 mins, 2018, SK
IDF activities: East Doc Platform 2014 - East Doc Market
Twenty years ago a group of Roma children froma Roma settlemets in Slovakia were adopted to Sweden. They decided to visit their familes of origin. The film will show the journey to Slovakia and the expectations of the young Swedes. But above all the film wants to speak about parenting and what it really means for children...
Built To Last – Relics of Communist-era Architecture
Dir. Haruna Honcoop
58 mins, 2017, CZ
Festivals: Cottbus 2019, Arch Film Lund 2017
IDF activities: East Silver 2017
A series of short experimental films creates an audiovisual mosaic in 10 cities of Eastern Europe (Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest, Moscow, cities in Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Serbia). It depicts the beginning of stalinist architecture, and includes brutalism as well as socialist modernism until 1989.
The article is part of our Czech Doc Newsletter #13, released with kind support of APA - Audiovisual Producers' Association.
