Jana Vlčková

Czech Republic

Jana Vlčková

editor

Father David

The documentary Father David portraits a spiritual man with his dangerous earthly desires. It explores the human condition of a religious superstar whose material ambitions made him risk his reputation and liberty. Mexico City’s Santa Martha Acatitla prison is home to the inmates with the heaviest criminal record. Father David, former soldier and a self-appointed leader of the Santa Muerte (Holy Death) cult was charged of kidnapping and extorting people and faces a sentence of 40 years in prison. As the violence in Mexico looms the new cult of the Santa Muerte is gaining unprecedented popularity. Around 5 million Mexican citizens, mostly the economically vulnerable sector of the Mexican society, now seek protection under the wings of the death angel. According to the police investigation Father David formed a criminal gang of nine devotees designed to kidnap and extort. Two federal deputies were among the victims. The police tagged Father David as the mastermind.

Recovering Industry

This experimental metric film shines a light on esthetic rhythms of economic cycles related to industry from the beginning of the financial crisis till the present recovery. The picture is organized along the facts and figures of the development of the automotive, chemical and heavy industries from 2009 till now. The charts showing changes during six years are reflected in the individual parameters of the imagery: hue, brightness, sharpness, contrast or specific color tones. The conceptual merge of industrial development and imagery changes are rooted in the timeline one minute of each individual part reflects a year in the life of an industry. 37% of economically active Czechs work in the field of industry, which makes the Czech Republic the most industrial in EU. The economic crisis caused a plunge in production and lower numbers in contracts, employees and overall turnover. Several views are layered one upon another, transforming in line with the transformation of the respective field. And so the film is not just illustrating economic facts and figures, but also develops their esthetic potential. After all, the industry is not limited to its economic or social (and environmental) dimensions, it is inherently charged with its own esthetics.

Fragile Identity

In Fragile Identity, Slovak director Zuzana Piussi examines her fellow countrymen’s current notions of nationality. She expresses her concern that Slovak national sentiment is rather fragile and liable to political misuse. The protagonists often reject the leading Czech figures of Czechoslovak history and prefer to look for their roots in the common “pre-national“ past of Great Moravia. Although many of the stories are rather tragicomic, the turbulent developments in the EU have shown that the search for one’s own identity is a sensitive matter not only in Slovakia.

Noah's End / So What, The End

A documentary feature film based on the principle of analogy dealing with the theme of the end: death, the end of the world, extinction, no way to go, passing of things...The film is carried on by the story of Noah who was chosen, built an ark and collected all animal species. I'm travelling around the Czech Republic, Europe and Africa. In Egypt, the biggest Czech war ship is being built; in Poland, a president is being buried. The best view of the dying Europe is from the other side of Gibraltar. In Bratislava, a clock is counting down the time left till the end of the world. A Chinese writer says the end will not come with water but with sand that is to bury our cities. A Free Mason teaches us about death. Carnivals, ritual dances, etc. Observing, I wonder. What does it mean to be chosen? What happened to plants during the flood? What about books? How come we know antediluvian beasts? The end of the world is coming near - what will you teach us? What is it anyway, the end? When? Why? What sense does it make? A road movie, philosophy, crafts, love and death.

Modlany Akbar

Modlany, a village on the Czech-German border was discovered by Saudi Arabians, who plan to build more than 200 houses there. They are families with sick children who are coming to spend most of the year in a nearby spa town. In one of the most atheist regions of the most atheist country in the world, locals are preparing for a "muslim invasion". Indeed, somebody has buried several pigs' heads on the Arab-owned plots of land. Director Dušek (Into the Clouds We Gaze, 2014) wants to follow this “clash of civilizations” in the home of his ancestors from the very beginning with his typical mix of irony and empathy. Shootings are planned both in North Bohemia and in the Middle East.

Wasteland Chronicles

In Slovakia, there are 1,200 environmental burdens, 260 of which are in an alarming
state. A documentary film by three female directors about the three biggest ecological
disasters in Slovakia. A film about a country disoriented in its values and
overwhelmed by a dysfunctional bureaucracy, a country in love with short-term plans
and false promises, a country incapable of taking a long-term view of its problems.
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