[Source: ČTK]
Czech documentary film director Helena Třeštíková will receive the MEDIA European Talent award at the upcoming International Film Festival in Cannes, France, from EU Commissioner Viviane Reding, Martina Reková, spokeswoman for Třeštíková's new project, told ČTK today.
Her latest project follows up on her very first professional documentary Miracle (Zázrak) from 1974 that captures the life of a pregnant young woman, her childbirth and the first six months with her baby son. Years later, Třeštíková filmed the adult son in San Sebastian, Spain where he currenty lives. She has returned to the project now and wants to make it into a feature time-lapse documentary called Miracle after 35 Years.
The project has received subsidies from the EU MEDIA Programme Single Project Development funding (development of feature, documentary or animated film or series). "The MEDIA Programme award involves not only an invitation to the Cannes International Film Festival, but primarily professional aid at the Cannes film market (Marché du Film), with her project promoted and pitched to European producers," Reková said.
Barbora Ondrejčáková, from the MEDIA Desk Czech office, said Třeštíková's success might finally prompt other applicants for EU subsidies to reconsider their strategy since they more often struggle with how to fill out the forms rather than the quality of their projects. The MEDIA Desk offers free consultation to filmmakers in this regard.
Established in 1991, the EU MEDIA Programme for the support of European film and TV projects has EUR 755 million at its disposal for 2007-2013. Třeštíková is the first Czech filmmaker to receive the annual award. She was also the first Czech to win the Prix Arte award of the European Film Academy (EFA) in the best European documentary category last year for her film René that follows 20 years in the life of repeat offender and published author René. The film was also partially funded by the MEDIA Programme.
The Czech MEDIA Desk was opened in Prague in 2002. Since then the programme has earmarked 7.575 million euros for Czech film projects.
Contact:
MEDIA Desk Česká republika
Česká filmová komora, o.p.s
Národní tř. 28/60
110 00 Praha 1
T: +420 221 105 209 - 210
info@mediadeskcz.eu
www.mediadeskcz.eu
Press Contact:
Martina Reková
T: +420 731 573 993
martina.rekova@4press.cz