Finale Plzen Film Festival offers a competition and overall showcasing of Czech and Slovak feature live action and animated films, documentaries and television and internet-based project and this year, the event enters a new era. Its 29th edition, which takes place April 15 to April 21, 2016, in Pilsen, brings several changes; the greatest of them being a new organizer, lead by its director, Eva Veruňková Košařová. This year, Finale starts on Friday and ends on Thursday and the program focuses on screening competition films, showcasing the full Czech feature cinema production of the past year and selection of Slovak films. Final ceremony of the festival will see Golden kingfishers finding new home in the hands of winners, selected by international jury. The head of the jury this year – as well as the most anticipated of guests – is writer and producer Mike Reiss, a man behind the Simpsons or Ice Age. The accompanying program is also novel, as the visitors can look forward to concerts, readings, talk shows, parties or workshops and debates for film experts. Everything will be happening in Mestanska beseda and in the new festival location, DEPO2015 in Pilsen.
The new era in the life of Finale Plzen Film Festival is mainly linked to the new team of organizers. “Our aim is to draw from the best of what Finale Plzen offered in the past and at the same time to launch a new era of the event. Practically speaking it means that we keep competition in our program, but the whole concept is more concise, with greater emphasis on raising prestige and awareness of the event among film professionals and general public alike. We would like to attract younger audiences as well,” the director of Final Plzen, Eva Veruňková Košařová, explains. Film audiences and experts will have the opportunity to see feature live action and animated film, documentaries and TV and internet-based projects in competition, all made in the Czech republic and Slovakia in 2015.
FRESH FILMS THAT PREMIERED IN EARLY 2016 TO BE FEATURED OUTSIDE OF THE COMPETITION
New programming concept of Finale Plzen also brings screenings outside of the competition categories, which are not limited to Czech and Slovak cinema. You should not miss the screenings of fresh films that premiered between January and April 2016 in Riding the 2016 wave or premieres and exclusive pre-premiers in First catch. Festival ZOOM will offer films that won international and national film festivals. Section called Czech traces in international coproduction is there for those interested in films made in Czech coproduction. Film archives offer material for Exporting beauty – a section that offers the most famous foreign films starring such names as Anny Ondráková, Lída Baarová, Jana Brejchová and OlgaSchoberová.
The festival concept was created in cooperation with Hana Biriczová and Kristina Nedvědová.
ACCOMPANYING PROGRAM FOR FILM PROFESSIONALS AND YOUNG FILM FANS
This year, Finale Plzen offers a diverse accompanying program for both the professional and general public. Industry days brings an opportunity to look behind the scenes of making a film and cinema in general for film professionals through panel discussions, workshops and presentations and also provides a platform for networking. “Television production competition and industry programs have immensely enriched the festival and brought in film professionals. We see a lot of potential there, potential that needs to be developed,” notes Eva Veruňková Košařová. General public and film professionals can come to a talk show with Kamil Fila, a film critic, tackling the current issues in Czech cinema; or public readings with guests such as Marie Doležalová and Domink Ladsmand. For younger audiences, Finale Plzen organizes YouTuber meet up Cine tube, looking into the YouTuber phenomenon. Among the guests will be FattyPillow, one of the most viewed streamers in the Czech republic, and singer and dancer Ben Christovao. This is also the first year the Finale Plzen launched a joint project with a charity, partnering with Elpida, an organization that helps senior citizens live a confident and respected lives.
FINALE PLZEN HAS TWO VENUES THIS YEAR
April 2016 will again turn Měšťanská beseda into the center of Finale Plzen and a palace for film and film lovers. The aim is to create and informal living space for people to come and watch films, have coffee in the festival café, chat with friends, meet well known people from the world of cinema and taste the festival atmosphere. What is new for the 2016 edition is the use of DEPO2015 as the venue for documentary competition and a part of the accompanying program. Former public transport depot is an attractive space, enticing mainly for the young audiences.
GOLDEN KINGFISHER TO BE AWARDED BY INTERNATIONAL JURY CHAIRED BY THE STAR OF THE FESTIVAL, MIKE REISS
The peak of the festival is the award ceremony. Golden kingfisher is given to the winners selected by international jury in statutory categories – best feature live action or animated film, best documentary, best serial and non-serial TV project. Non-statutory awards are given in other categories. The main international guest and chairman of the international jury that awards Golden kingfisher is a writer and producer Mike Reiss, creator of the Simpsons and Ice Age. The new festival era comes with a brand new logo, created by Carton Clan graphic studio. The logo represents a kingfisher, a symbol of the festival and its main prize, yet it draws from the St. Bartholomew Cathedral, a dominant of the Republiky square in Pilsen.
Tickets sales start 1st April 2016, through gout.cz
2015 GOLDEN KINGFISHER NOMINEES:
BEST FEATURE LIVE ACTION OR ANIMATED FILM:
- David – Jan Těšitel
- Home Care – Slávek Horák
- Eva Nova – Marko Škop
- Gangster Ka: the African − Jan Pachl
- The Snake Brothers – Jan Prušinovský
- Goat – Ivan Ostrochovský
- The Little Man – Radek Beran
- The Greedy Tiffany – Andy Fehu
- The Fifty – Vojtěch Kotek
- Family Film – Olmo Omerzu
- Seven Ravens – Alice Nellis
- Wilson City – Tomáš Mašín
- Lost in Munich – Petr Zelenka
BEST SERIAL TV PROJECT
- Jan Hus – Episode 3 – Jiří Svoboda
- Labyrinth – Episode 3– Jiří Strach
- Doctor Martin – Episode 9 Blood relations – Petr Zahrádka
- Mammon – Episode 5 – Vladimír Michálek
- Modrava PD – Episode 2 Ranch – Jaroslav Soukup
- Assassination – Episode 5 Football player – Jiří Chlumský,Petr Nikolaev
- Auto bazaar Monte Karlo – Episode 7 Chinaman – Jan Prušinovský
- Blaník Office – Season 3, Episode 7 Růžička and son – Marek Najbrt,Bohdan Sláma
BEST NON-SERIAL TV PROJECT
- Crown Prince – Karel Janák
- Midsummer’s Night Weave – Jiří Strach
- True Štúr – Michal Baláž,Noro Držiak
- Johanka’s Secret – Juraj Nvota
BEST DOCUMENTARY:
- Amerika – Jan Foukal
- Waiting room – Paľo Korec
- Czech Journal: Near Far East - Filip Remunda
- Czech Journal: Matrix AB - Vít Klusák
- Koudelka Shooting Holy Land – Gilad Baram
- The Dangerous World of Doctor Doleček – Kristýna Bartošová
- Mallory – Helena Třeštíková
- Through the Eyes of the Photographer – Matej Mináč
- Steam on the River – Filip Remunda, Robert Kirchhoff
- Such a colorful bastard on a tail of a comet – Václav Kučera
- Under the Sun – Vitalij Manskij
- Confession of the Vanished – Petr Václav
For more information, go to http://www.festivalfinale.cz or Facebooku.
Photographs and press releases to be downloaded here:Finále Plzeň - Press
Media contact:
Martina Kurfirstová, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 774 99 99 74
