For the first time in years Czech films are visibly represented in this year’s official programme and other important sections of the Cannes Film Festival (11 – 22 May 2016). Czech films and minority co-productions are part of the most important sections. Four Czech films will also be screened at the Marché du Film (Film Market) and Czech cinematography will once again be represented in the Czech-Slovak pavilion, which the Czech Film Center is sharing with the Slovak Film Institute.
The participation of Jan Saska’s short animated film Happy End in the official La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs section, which has existed since 1969 and presents feature-length and short films and documentaries, is a huge success for Czech film. The producer of the selected film is the FAMU film school. Jan Saska’s professor, Michaela Pavlátová, also had a film in the same section in 2012. It was her short animated film Tram.
This year the Czech producer of French origin, Artemio Benki from Sirena Film, can boast of two minority co-productions with France that will be part of the most important sections of the official programme: Personal Shopper and La danceuse.
Olivier Assayas’ film Personal Shopper, a ghost story from modern-day Paris’ world of fashion with Kristen Steward in the starring role, is in the main competition of the Cannes IFF. When asked how Sirena Film came to be a part of this co-production, Artemio Benki stated: “We were a good co-producer of the film Marguerite, whose French producer also earlier produced two of Olivier Assayas’ films. So it is about a good reputation and also about contacts… In addition to excellent locations, the incentives and support for minority co-productions from the State Cinematography Fund also helped,” added Artemio Benki.
The film La danceuse (The Dancer) will be presented in the Un Certain Regard section, which presents stylishly interesting and original films in parallel with the main competition. Director Stephanie Di Giusto’s debut film is a return to Paris at the turn of the 20th century, when the dancer Loïe Fuller was a star in the Folies Bergère cabaret. Both films were partially shot in Prague, which represented Paris and London.
In a special section dedicated to gems of international cinematography, Cannes Classics, the classic Czech sci-fi film from the year 1963, Ikarie XB 1 from director Jindřich Polák, will be shown. This year the film was digitally restored by the National Film Archive. Czech director Miloš Forman’s film Valmont was selected for the same section, though representing France, of course.
Semain de la critique, or the week of film critics, selected the short animated film Superbia (by director Luca Tóth) for its programme. Maur Film is the Czech minority co-producer of the film, which is a Hungarian/Czech/Slovak co-production.
Apart from the festival programme, Czech films will also be screened in Cannes at the film market, Marché du film: Petr Václav’s We Are Not Alone, Jakub Šmíd’s Laputa, the animated feature film Pat & Mat from Marek Beneš, Steve Liechtag’s Aldabra and the Czech minority co-production Satisfaction 1720 (directed by Henrik Ruben Genz).
At Marché du Film Czech cinematography will once again be represented in the Czech/Slovak pavilion, which the Czech Film Center shares with the Slovak Film Institute. The pavilion is located in a prestigious part of the market, Village International, under number 133 and it is used as a space for the presentation of Czech films, film news, co- production opportunities with Czech producers and services provided to foreign crews as well as facilities for Czech producers who are meeting with foreign professionals in its spaces. The pavilion’s partners are Barrandov Studio and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
CZECH FILM CENTER AT MARCHÉ DU FILM 2016
Pavilion No. 133, Vilage International
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Czech Film Center team in Cannes
Markéta Šantrochová, Head of CFC, May 11 – 21, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +420 724 329 948
Barbora Ligasová, Festivals Coordinator, May 11 – 21, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +420 778 487 863
Daniel Vadocký, Short Films, May 18 – 20, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +420 777 697 543
Czech Films at Cannes 2016:
Personal Shopper, Competition
By Olivier Assayas FR, CZ, DE 2016 / 105 min
Maureen is a young American woman in Paris making her living as a personal shopper for a celebrity. Also, she may have the psychic ability to communicate with spirits, just like her twin brother, Lewis, who recently passed away. Maureen soon starts receiving mysterious messages coming from an unknown source.
Mon 16 May 19:00 Debussy [PS]
Mon 16 May 21:30 Bazin [PS]
Tue 17 May 11:00 Lumiere
Tue 17 May 22:00 Lumiere
Wed 18 May 17:00 Soixantieme
Wed 18 May 16:00 Olympia 4 [MS]
Thu 19 May 10:00 Lerins 3 [MS]
CONTACT:
Sales: Fionnuala Jamison – MK2
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+33 1 44 67 30 71
Festivals: Anne-Laure Barbarit – MK2
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+33 1 44 67 31 11
Marketing: Benoit Claro – MK2
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+33 1 44 67 30 07
Grand Hotel Goeland, 45 la Croisette
Happy End, Quinzaine des Realisateurs
By Jan Saska, CZ 2015 / 6 min
A black comedy about death, with a happy ending. A glorious chain of unlikely encounters: a group of hunters, a tractor driver, a skinhead; blood, alcohol, and a corpse.
Thu 19 May 14:45 Theatre Croisette
Fri 20 May 16:00 Studio 13
CONTACT:
Sales / Festivals: Kamila Dohnalova, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +420 777 068 712
Ikarie XB1, Cannes Classics
By Jindrich Polak, Czechoslovakia 1963 / 84 min
It is the second half of the 22nd century and a spaceship called Ikarie XB 1 is on its way to Alfa Centauri to search for extraterrestrial forms of life. Its crew, made up primarily of scientists from various fields, being far from our solar system, is exposed to unknown and unimaginable dangers. At the same time, though, it also carries a number of ordinary human worries as well as joys.
The only classical Czech sci-fi movie exerts masterful special effects and impressive production design together with modern electronic music and strong ensemble cast. The film is said to be among the germane sources of inspiration for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Sat 15 May 13:00 Bunuel
CONTACT:
Sales / Festivals: Tomas Zurek – National Film Archive, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +420 778 487 857
Market Screenings
The Dancer / Le Danceuse, Un Certain Regard
By Stephanie di Giusto, FR, CZ, BE 2016 / 108 min
Nothing in her background destined Loïe Fuller from the American Midwest to become a Belle Epoque icon, even less a dancer at the Paris Opera. Even at the risk of destroying her back and burning her eyes with the stage lights, she will never falter in the quest to perfect her dance. But her meeting with Isadora Duncan — a young prodigy hungry for glory — will lead to her downfall…
Fri 13 May 14:00 Debussy
Fri 13 May 22:15 Debussy
Sat 14 May 10:00 Bazin
Sat 14 May 11:30 Arcades1 [MS]
Mon 16 May 9:30 Olympia 9 [MS]
CONTACT:
Sales / Festivals: Esther Devos – Wild Bunch
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +33 1 53 01 50 32
Marketing: Alya Belgaroui – Wild Bunch
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +33 1 43 13 21 26
4 Boulevard de la Croisette – 1st Floor
Superbia, Semaine de la Critique
By Luca Toth, HU, CZ, SK 2016 / 16 min
The native people of the surrealistic land of Superbia, where men and women form separate societies, face the changes sparked by the first equal couple in their history.
Tue 17 May 14:15 Espace Miramar
Tue 17 May 19:45 Espace Miramar
Thu 19 May 18:30 Theatre Alexandre 3
CONTACT:
Sales / Festivals: Zofia Horszczaruk – New Europe Film Sales
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +48 882 119 890
Polish Cinema Stand, Le Grand Hotel, 9th Floor
We Are Never Alone / Nikdy Nejsme Sami
By Petr Vaclav, CZ, FR 2016 / 103 min
Thu 12 May 13:30 Palais D
CONTACT:
Sales: Georgia Poivre – Wide Management
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +33 7 615 79686
Festivals: Matthias Angoulvant – Wide Management
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +33 7 70076404
RIVIERA – Stand G2
Pat&Mat
By Marek Benes CZ 2016 / 83 min
Fri May 13 13:30 Palais D
Tue May 17 15:30 Palais H
CONTACT:
Sales: Marie-Soleil Courcy – Attraction Distribution
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +1514 846 1222
Festivals: Tomas Eiselt – Patmat film
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +420 777 312 294
Laputa
By Jakub Smid, CZ 2015 / 73 min
Fri 13 May 12:00 Gray 5
CONTACT:
Sales: Francesca Manno – Summerside International, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
RIVIERA – MARINA CLUB Stand H6
Aldabra
By Steve Lichtag, CZ 2015 / 73 min
Wed 11 May 11:30 Lerins 2
Mon 16 May 13:30 Lerins 2
CONTACT:
Sales: Lise Romanov – Vision Films, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +1 818 235-9909
RIVIERA – Stand J3
Satisfaction 1720 / Tordenskjold & Kold
By Henrik Ruben Genz, DK, NO, SE, CZ 2016 / 93 min
Thu May 12 18:00 Palais I
CONTACT:
Sales: Yuanyuan Sui – Picture Tree International
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +49 151 506 173 88
Festivals: Sandrine Vergneau – Picture Tree Internationa
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +49 30 4208 248 13
RIVIERA – Stand G1
