The series of screenings is organized by the Institute of Documentary Film and the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival in cooperation with the Czech Centre Moscow.
Films will be introduced by Andrea Slováková of the Jihlava IDFF and Hana Rezková of the Institute of Documentary Film.
Moscow - February 22 - 25, 2011
The Oath
Director: Poitras Laura
Producer: Poitras Laura
Production company: Praxis Films, ITVS International, American Documentary / POV
Přísaha , USA, 2010, 95 min, Creative, Politics, Portrait, Society
Unraveling like a lush, gripping novel that constantly subverts expectations, The Oath is the interlocking drama of two brothers-in-law, Abu Jandal and Salim Hamdam, whose associations with al Qaeda in the 1990s propelled them on divergent courses. The film delves into Abu Jandal's daily life as a taxi driver in Sana’a, Yemen, and Hamdan’s military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay prison. Abu Jandal and Hamdan’s personal stories—how they came to serve as Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard and driver respectively—act as prisms through which to humanize and contextualize a world the Western media demonizes. As Hamdam’s trial progresses, his military lawyers challenge fundamental flaws in the court system. As charismatic Abu Jandal dialogues with his son, Muslim students, and journalists, he generously unveils the complex evolution of his belief system since 9/11.
Ivetka and the Mountain
Director: Janeček Vít
Producer: Oukropec Petr
Production company: Negativ s.r.o., Czech TV
Ivetka a hora , Czech Republic, 2008, 84 min, Digi Beta, DVD, Anthropology, Creative, IDF Video Library, Portrait, Religion, Society
One day in the summer of 1990, two ten-year-old girls were playing in a clearing on Mount Zvir near the East Slovak village of Litmanová. Suddenly they heard strange and frightening noises. Overcome by fear and anxiety, the children started praying. The noise stopped and the girls saw the Virgin Mary who then guided them back to the village. Since then, pilgrims have been visiting the place where the girls repeatedly saw the apparition. This documentary film follows the story of one of the girls and explores both the positive and negative issues related to her experience.
The Private Century - A Low-level Flight
Director: Šikl Jan
Producer: Šikl Jan
Production company: Pragafilm, Czech TV
Soukromé století - Nízký let , Czech Republic, 2007, 52 min, Beta, Archive , IDF Video Library
Low-level Flight is a story from the 1960s and 70s, following the relationship of Táňa and Václav, a fighter pilot in the Czechoslovak army. Táňa was captivated by Václav. He was an attractive, very determined and ambitious man. She accepted his career in the Czechoslovak army and often travelled with him during his study stays in the USSR. The relationship grew cold due to Václav's alcoholism and the marriage was over. Soon after, Václav's fighter pilot career ended by his tragic death.
Michael Berger - A Hysteria
Director: Fuerhapter Thomas
Producer: Burger-Utzer Brigitta
Production company: sixpackfilm
Michael Berger - Eine Hysterie , Austria, 2010, 50 min, HD, Personal View, Portrait
The subject of the film, Austrian investment banker Michael Berger, who became a dollar millionaire through a risky hedge fund, remains a chimera - an absent individual who also cannot be captured through his crime. There is not even a single picture of him to see, and all that is left of his influence are the impressive sums that are actually missing from the local banks at some time. In six attempts, the film tries to draw together a case from the traces of Michael Berger’s undertakings.
Nizhny Novgorod - February 26 - 27, 2011
Kapitalism - Our Improved Formula
Director: Solomon Alexandru
Producer: Solomon Alexandru
Production company: HiFilm Productions, Seppia, Néon Rouge Productions
Kapitalism - reteta noastră secretă , Belgium, France, Romania, 2009, 76 min, HD, Current Affairs, Personal View, Society
Alexandru Solomon invites Ceausescu to revisit Romania, 20 years after he has been executed. The dictator haunts present-day capitalist society, emerged in the Wild East and often deeply rooted in its communist past. The film offers incredible access to top magnates – at home, in their offices and in their minds – building a bitter-sweet portrait of a new ruling class. Capitalism with a K – an Eastern European cocktail of power and money. This is now part of Greater Europe. Unavoidable!
IRANIAN COOKBOOK
Director: Mohammad Shirvani
Producer: Mohammad Shirvani, DEFC
Dastour-e Ashpazi, Iran, 2010, 72 min, Docu Fiction, Society
Filmmaker Mohammed Shirvani examines the role of women in Iranian culture by way of the kitchen in this documentary. In The Iranian Cookbook, Shirvani interviews six housewives from Iran (all are either relatives or close friends of the director) as they prepare special meals for the celebration of Ramadan. The women show off their own special culinary touches and reveal the time and effort required by their work in the kitchen. But as they cook, along with cuisine, they also share their feelings about their role in the household, how little most men how or care about their labors, and how housework and kitchen detail reflects their role in a male-dominated society.
Ivetka and the Mountain
Director: Janeček Vít
Producer: Oukropec Petr
Production company: Negativ s.r.o., Czech TV
Ivetka a hora , Czech Republic, 2008, 84 min, Digi Beta, DVD, Anthropology, Creative, IDF Video Library, Portrait, Religion, Society
One day in the summer of 1990, two ten-year-old girls were playing in a clearing on Mount Zvir near the East Slovak village of Litmanová. Suddenly they heard strange and frightening noises. Overcome by fear and anxiety, the children started praying. The noise stopped and the girls saw the Virgin Mary who then guided them back to the village. Since then, pilgrims have been visiting the place where the girls repeatedly saw the apparition. This documentary film follows the story of one of the girls and explores both the positive and negative issues related to her experience. It deals with humility, faith in the power and mercy of God, and the earthly life of those who believe in His glory.http://www.ivetka.net
The Private Century - A Low-level Flight
Director: Šikl Jan
Producer: Šikl Jan
Production company: Pragafilm, Czech TV
Soukromé století - Nízký let , Czech Republic, 2007, 52 min, Beta, Archive , IDF Video Library
Low-level Flight is a story from the 1960s and 70s, following the relationship of Táňa and Václav, a fighter pilot in the Czechoslovak army. Táňa was captivated by Václav. He was an attractive, very determined and ambitious man. She accepted his career in the Czechoslovak army and often travelled with him during his study stays in the USSR. The relationship grew cold due to Václav's alcoholism and the marriage was over. Soon after, Václav's fighter pilot career ended by his tragic death.
Contact:
Hana Rezková
+420 777 240 005
hanka@dokweb.net