Lenka Poláková

Story of probably the largest Czech fraudster of all time. His name was Joseph Eichler. He started as an ordinary thief and occasional swindler. In 1968 in an atmosphere of normalization of chaos and uncertainty legend spread that he is high-ranking officer of the KGB. Eichler gained connections in the highest party circles, and associated with key Soviet diplomats. In 1979 Eichler, the man of a thousand faces fell in love removing his rival by staged kidnapping. His body was never found. In April 1989 Eichler was arrested, but general amnesty brought him to freedom. Eichler is active in the Civic Forum and seen in a warm meeting with the American ambassador Shirley Temple-Black. Eventually Joseph Eichler disappears without a trace. In a TV documentary we will try to reconstruct the life and deeds of the adventurer.

A documentary about Josef Pleskot, one of the best known and most respected Czech contemporary architects will be built on his personality and his philosophy of architecture. His uniqueness in fact lays in the ability to apply specific manner to variety of architectural components whilst working on wide range of projects. In the film, we will show projects that are not architecturally significant, but personally important for the architects to life. We will show what influenced him and inspires him. Via interviews with art historian Jiri Sevcik, Alena Sramkova, architect Zdenek Edel, assistant architect Fragner, etc. we will document how Josef Pleskot thinks, works, and what values are essential to him.

Antonin Cermak, the first Czech, who ascended to the high levels of American politics. A man who had to work hard from the age of eleven or he would have nothing to eat. A man of extraordinary will, who is still a legend in the United States. Revered Czech minority in Chicago proudly commemorates his famous compatriot. One of the busiest streets in the Illinois's metropolis bears his name. As a Mayor of Chicago he has become to be known as the greatest enemy of organized crime, who did not hesitate to undergo a grueling battle with the underworld. Cermak was admired and respected. But certainly he also had many enemies...

Haiti - a country where a Creole greeting goes "How are you doing? " - "Not any worse". A country stricken by a fatal earthquake; fatal not in the sense of the Richter magnitude scale but in the sense of the absolute devastation of the strangely cursed country revealed by it. The tragedy sparked a great surge of solidarity, everybody tried to help, the whole world was online between the ruins and the poor Haitians for a while. However, what is the country going to look like a year after the apocalypse? Will the massive humanitarian help have any impact? Or is the dysfunctional state administration riddled with omnipresent corruption going to get stuck in the old rut? Can this country be helped at all? The documentary is based on the stories of three Czechs who have lived there already before the tragedy and tried to help (especially the missionary Roman Musil) and several Haitian families who have had a first hand experience of the suffering. The film is further based on the personal experience of a man who has been to Haiti many times, was the first Czech to shoot for the Czech Television and has long-term personal contacts in the country.

There are people among us whose childhood was stolen by the times. Because of their Jewish origin, they were expelled from schools and sport clubs during the war, they were not allowed to enter swimming pools and sports fields, to own a dog or a parrot, all that before the "final solution". All their lives, these now "old children" had to cope with the trauma of the loss of their parents, loneliness and persecution. Fear and anxiety have become part of their life and have been passed on to the next generation. Their children, too, carry the symptoms of persecution.

The Dobříš - Paříž axis. 25 years ago, this phrase would be familiar to students of military departments, then a compulsory part of university studies. It reflects the life-long conviction and education of Czechoslovak officers that World War III is inevitable and the camp of peace and socialism would definitely finish with the rotten capitalism. In the form of a fictitious documentary with allusive stage-managed elements and comments of experts, the film will introduce period strategic and operation plans of the Czechoslovak army, moving along the border between the grotesque and the tragic.

Kateryna Kolcova is a person who could be called a dramatic artist of life. She can interpret any detail with unbelievable performance. Her mother reared her in hard living conditions. Although she did not know about her national background she was in touch with the Jewish environment. Her biggest dream was to become a singer. With the help of Radio Free Europe, she arrived in the Czech Republic and studied singing at Jan Deyl Conservatory for Visually Impaired in Prague. She fell in love and got married in the Czech Republic. As she says, her husband is the best of all. The singing of Kateryna Kolcova-Tlusta is very energetic and heartfelt. Her interpretation of Jewish folk songs will not leave you unmoved. Her beautiful deep voice has dynamics and colour, which surely makes her one of our biggest new musical discoveries.