Synopsis
Helena Třeštíková's film is a remarkable documentary tracing fourteen years in the life of a young junkie and her futile battle with drug addiction. Why did she start taking drugs? She claims she wanted to be different. The year is 1996 and 19-year-old Katka lives in the Sananim therapy community in the town of Němčice with hope for a normal life – she dreams of having a boyfriend and even a family, some day. But there's no happy ending. The director records Katka's descent over the years into a spiral of theft, prostitution, physical and psychological deterioration – a spiral that is broken only by brief flashes of hope and resolutions to stop taking drugs. Katka's desire is sincere, but in the end drugs always win. Will Katka finally find the strength when she becomes pregnant and motherhood offers her life-sustaining motivation?
Articles
1. 7. 2019
Playing it unsafe – Helena Třeštíková’s long-term observation
With her documentary series Marriage Stories (1987) and films, such as René (2008), Katka (2009) and Private Universe (2011), filmmaker Helena Třeštíková belongs among the major proponents of long-term observation.
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2. 10. 2018
Helena Třeštíková: I have my doubts all the time. That’s a good thing
Helena Třeštíková is the first Czech director to get a retrospective at the IDFA festival in Amsterdam. Třeštíková is well known for her long-time observations of ordinary people that can sometimes take decades to finish.
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1. 3. 2018
Czech Documentary Awards
Each year, films in IDF programs earn a number of international awards. Yet how are Czech filmmakers recognized in the local context?
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23. 10. 2017
Czechs at IDFA '17: Two docs competening for awards, and one is joining the Masters
This year, three Czech documentaries are included in the official programme and two of them are up for prizes.
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22. 10. 2017
PRODUCER IN PROFILE: Kateřina Černá - Negativ
PRODUCER IN PROFILE: Kateřina Černá - Negativ Film Productions
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