Czech And Slovak Film Festival Returns To Sydney
Image: Emma In Love.
The Czech and Slovak Film Festival returns to Sydney this year for its 9th presentation. Over the course of five days the festival will be screening 11 of the highest quality movies and nine shorts produced in these countries.
COVID-19 restrictions have had devastating effects on film industries throughout the world, but Festival Director Ika de Detrich is confident that things will improve.
“COVID-19 has had an adverse impact on the quantity of films produced. That’s why we don’t have as many films as we would like this year. But with restrictions easing in both countries [Czech Republic & Slovakia] we can see the production fast picking up which is good news as we can bring many more movies next year.”
Czech animated works have won many awards at film festivals and as an added bonus most films screened will include an animated short.
One relatable film which should be of interest to festival attendees is Caught In The Net, the Australian premiere and award-winning documentary by Vit Klusak and Barbara Chalupova.
“This documentary exposes the insidious tactics of online sexual predators and shows the reality that children face each day in the online world. The documentary is taut, compelling, and sometimes hard to watch as the three actresses play 12-year-old girls from casting to face-to-face meetings with predators under the watchful eye of security and hidden cameras.”
IKA’S TOP PICKS FROM THIS YEARS CZECH & SLOVAK FILM FESTIVAL
THE EAR – This is a highly suspenseful psychological thriller that shows the dealings of the high echelons of the communist party in the former Czechoslovakia. The film was shot in a freer atmosphere in the late 1960s but only reached cinemas after the fall of communism in 1990.
EMMA IN LOVE – An adult romance (18+) that realistically and unflinchingly depicts a relationship between two adults that was born out of a chance one-night stand with all the consequences of past mistakes.
THE IMPOSSIBLE VOYAGE – This special effects docudrama is an original portrait of Milan Rastislav Štefánik’s, one of the key figures of the newly formed Czechoslovakia in 1918.
Until Apr 3. Dendy Newtown Cinema, 261 King St Newtown. $16-20. Tickets & Info: www.csfilmfest.
