Out of 90 submissions, this year's Jury selected the following ten films: Love in the Grave (David Vondráček), Mein kroj (Martin Dušek), Into Oblivion (Šimon Špidla), Solar Eclipse (Martin Mareček), Roxanne (Veronika Mikalová), Private Universe (Helena Třeštíková), Trafačka – Temple of Freedom (Saša Dlouhý, Roman Vávra), The Tripoint (Klára Řezníčková), Věra 68 (Olga Sommerová), Race to the Bottom (Vít Janeček). See more details here.
During the award ceremony that took place June 13 at Archa Theatre, The Tripoint by Klára Řezníčková was announced winner of the Award + CZK 100,000.
The Tripoint
Trojmezí , Czech Republic, 2011, 59 min, Beta SP, DCP, Digi Beta, Arts and Culture, Creative, Culture, History, Music, Nature, Portrait, Society
"Saying I don't like the Czechs is like saying I don't like my mom. Saying I don't like the Slovaks is like saying I don't like my father. Saying I don't like the Polish is like saying I don't like my grandfather."We are in the European Union, in the easternmost Czech town, at the intersection of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. People's lives and the region's entire historical development have been greatly affected by these three borders. We spent most of our time exploring the small mountain community of Hrčava, the youngest and easternmost Czech village, formerly part of neighbouring Javořinka on the Polish side of the border. On the Slovak side, there is Čierne. In Bukovec, a Czech village, half the residents identify themselves as Poles. Capturing this magnificent, forgotten mountain region in the course of the four seasons of the year in the rhythm of local music, the film tells the stories of both long ago and of today. Its special character derives from the mutual blending and layering of various ethnic elements. The old residents talk about the “Czechification” of Hrčava, giving an account of how the question of nationality and identity has been resolved. They also talk about the situation during the world wars, depicting how people eked out a living by means of illicit trade in contraband, especially during the communist era.
About
Founded in 2007, the Award is organized by the Film & Sociology Association and Archa Theatre in cooperation with One World. Czech filmmaker Pavel Koutecký (1956–2006) was one of the most distinct voices in Czech documentary film. The award in his name is presented annually to his followers, patient observers of the world who are able to share their insights through films. The Award comes with a financial prize of CZK 100,000.
Past winners:
2007: A Low-level Flight by Jan Šikl
2008: The Tadpole, the Rabbit and the Holy Ghost by Filip Remunda and scriptwriter Richard Komárek
2009: The Unwelcome by Tomáš Škrdlant
2010: Country of Dreams by Martin Ryšavý
2011: Earthlings, Who Are You Voting for? by Linda Jablonská & Inventura workshop participants
For more details, please visit the Koutecky Award website.
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