On the heels of receiving impressive accolades for Czech film “Flower Buds” at the Busan International Film Festival this month, the Czech Embassy here has brought a slew of dramatic and art house-type movies to theaters around Seoul on Monday and through November.
The lineup includes an early film by Czech-American film auteur Milos Forman, who is perhaps best known for his direction of the five-time Academy Award winner “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975).
BIFF presented Czech film director Zdenek Jirarsky this year with its Flash Forward Award for “Flower Buds.” The award recognizes talented directors from outside Asia, and it was the first time a Czech film was awarded BIFF’s most prestigious prize for a non-Asian film.
“Flower Buds winning this year shows the quality of Czech film to audiences in Korea and the whole of Asia, and the film’s success could further increase Czech-Asian film cooperation,” said Czech Ambassador to Korea Jaroslav Olsa, Jr. “More Asian filmmakers might find it interesting to study at the best Czech film school, FAMU.”
There is a long tradition of Czech film screenings at BIFF and in 2010 a significant selection of contemporary Czech films was screened in Busan this year, too.
Every year a few Czech films are a part of BIFF’s lineup as well as many other Korean festivals. The Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival included a Czech animation section this year in cooperation with the Czech Embassy, and two more Czech films won the main awards at the Green Film Festival and the EBS Documentary Film Festival.
Over 300 films from 75 countries were screened at this year’s festival, BIFF’s 17th running. A record-high number of over 230,000 people visited the festival, according media reports.
The most significant prizes are the New Currents and Flash Forward awards which are given to the two best features from Asian and non-Asian filmmakers, respectively. The former went to Thailand’s films “36” and “Kayan” and the latter to the Czech Republic’s “Flower Buds.”
The “Czech Cinema Showcase” starts at Korean National University of Arts (KNUA) with a screening of “Marketa Lazarova” by filmmaker Frantisek Vlacil on Monday. The 1967 historical drama was voted the all-time best Czech movie in a prestigious 1998 poll of Czech film critics and publicists.
All films have Korean and English subtitles and film critic Michal Prochazka will introduce each film.
“Black Peter” by Forman screens at Seoul Cinematheque on Nov. 4.
“Diamonds of the Night” (1964) by Jan Nemec and “Adelheid” (1969) by Frantisek Vlacil will also be screening that day.
KNUA will screen “Kolya” (1996) by Jan Sverak on Nov. 12. “Prague Five” (1989) by Tomas Vorel, “Little Girl Blue” (2007) by Alice Nellis and “Fruit of Paradise” (1970) by Vera Chytilova will screen at Seoul Cinematheque on Nov. 18.
By Philip Iglauer (
ephilip2011@heraldcorp.com)
