- Occupation
Director - Country
Czech Republic
Janeček Vít
Battle for Life
A fascinating look at the colourful life of a community which in defiance of difficult circumstances lives life to the fullest. The village of Bystré is situated in a former textile region which is currently in deep crisis - unemployment in certain places has reached over 20% and young people are moving elsewhere.
The Story of Water/The Story of H2O
An existentialist film about life...Dva mladí reportéři, Petr a Pavlína, přicházejí do vzácné brněnské paleontologické lokaliky Stránská skála, v jejímž sousedství stojí spalovna komunálního odpadu. Po prozkoumání Stránské skály se vydávají do spalovny, kde se snaží postihnout vztah lidí k tomu místu tím, že se ptají, co by se tam mělo natočit. Film má dvě části - samostatnou ženskou "Příběh vody" a rozvíjející se mužskou "Příběh H2O". - Katedra dokumentární tvroby FAMU - 1. ročník (koncipovaná reportáž).
Mushroom
A film essay which tries to explain nature, science and civilization through the structure of fungus. At the beginning, there was the confirmation of a theory which said that all plants in a single ecosystem are connected to each other through microscopic mushroom fibers. The film also views the mushroom as a metaphor...
In the Center of Film (In the Warmth of Home)
An unconventional look at the 1997 edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Taking the Path through the Desolate Forest
Po cestě pustým lesem is, among other things, a portrait of Ivan Vojnár and his film Cesta pustým lesem (A Path through the Desolate Forest).
NATO Inside Our Hearts
Taking advantage of the NATO summit in Prague, the documentarists contemplate whether representatives of the socio-political elite perceive the values of Euro-American civilization in the same way as ordinary citiziens.
New Options (continued)
A dynamic portrait of M. Petříček, PhD. - philosopher, translator and author who teaches at Charles University in Prague. FAMU, Department of Documentary Film (2nd year)
Rules of the Game - Delimitation of Space
The project entitled Rules of the Game developed into a series of institutional portraits. The first part Defining the Space takes place during the NATO Summit in Prague in 2002. It deals with the specificity of such a meeting, where every detail is planned and prepared well in advance, including the results. The event itself becomes a performance for the media that are supposed to(re)create the human dimension of the event and the organization. The film is composed of detailed descriptions and shot with a certain distance that offers a different perspective of the events.
SYL-LA-BA-RY (Excerpts)
A playful experiment - words, symbols and the game behind it all.
E Day
1st May 2004. The Czech Republic along with nine other states joins the European Union. Before the midnight comes, three young authors find themselves at three different locations of the country. Vít Janeček is shooting in the capital, Erika Hníková is in Jablunkov, the easternmost place of the country, and Ivana Miloševič in the westernmost city of Aš. Three different filmmaking styles are united in one documentary, capturing social and mental history of a single moment. And against the backdrop of the historical moment, discovering different opinions of people from different social classes, they are trying to capture the first fundamental change of the Czech state. This unconventional concept of the living history captured in transience and discontinuity of impressions tries to go beyond the initial invisibility of change, in order to stress the co-existence of our national self and the world around us. The three different directorial styles symbolize its incoherent possibilities.
Ivetka and the Mountain
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 Adventure of Anna Barbora - An Interplay
In a single scene, film director Vít Janeček records a discussion between journalist, ecologist and sociologist Jakub Patočka and his girlfriend Kateřina Havránková about a sudden turnaround in the case of 13-year-old Anna in which all three of them, including the cameraman-director, get personally involved. They were trying to assist the adoption of the supposedly 13 year-old girl by Patočka's acquaintance Klára Mauerová, who was accused of abusing her own sons. Patočka admits to his girlfriend that he has found out some new, important information - that the 13 year-old Anna is actually 34-year-old Barbora. The film captures the reactions of people involved in efforts that suddenly turned out completely differently. The three protagonists experience a complete loss of trust, disappointment and social ridicule.
History of Jaroslav Šabata
The film features the psychologist, politician and journalist Jaroslav Šabata (*1927) who symbolizes half a century of Czech history. The film explains the traces left by left-wing intelligentsia who first served the communist regime (Mr Šabata started giving lectures at the Department of Marxism-Leninism in 1953), then tried to reform it (as an active politician during the Prague Spring of the late 1960s), and later still opposed it (as early as 1971 he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison), eventually to see it collapse and help build a new democratic country.
A Family in the Desert
A documentary which attempts to get close to the everyday life of nomadic Mongolian family living in the Gobi desert.
Great Opportunity
Until the crisis of 2008, some eight thousand Mongolians came to work in the Czech Republic; since that time, the numbers reduced by half. Unlike other nationalities, most of them usually end up working at the very bottom of the production chain and services. Most of them had left for the West with a vision of improving their life standard and securing the lives of their children. These visions, however, are often problematic and the way back is not easy. To be able to start a new life in a country remote from their homeland and to secure a working position there, they were often forced to sell all their belongings. The film presents various examples of how Mongolians cope with the reality of life and work in the Czech Republic.
MemOry
A documentary short about the construction of the National Technical Library in Prague.
Race to the Bottom
Capital mobility vs. people who stay behind. The end of human labour - a flaw in the system, design of the elites, or a new opportunity? Are labour unions a thing of the past? Have the unemployed become heroes of the 21st century? This complex if not exhaustive documentary film captures various aspects of labour in several companies, multinationals and plants that produce various objects ranging from textiles and glass to cars, matches and IT. Why is the gap between work efficiency and wage costs getting bigger? Work, theory and practice within the context of major global trends.
24
A documentary collage about the progress of one Czech day, composed by 24 directors. Everyone picked one hour, day or night, and received two minutes of the whole film at his or her disposal. This allowed for the mosaic on genres and topics that portrait the atmosphere of the Czech Republic today. At the same time, this unique project presents various filmmaking styles and approaches of the best contemporary Czech documentarians, all on the reel of one film. The authors accompany teenagers at a discotheque, observe doctors during surgery, laborers in a factory, believers in a synagogue or the descent in a human throat. Olga Špátová records the authentic power of the moment when the child is born. Vít Klusák engages a special camcorder to freeze the time of one tram stop. The flow of time is Helena Třeštíková’s topic – she films Katka taking yet another public bath in a Prague’s fountain. Martin Mareček shows a pair of legs sunk in aquarium, which, backed with a voiceover, illustrates the timeless power of human stupidity. Jiří Krejčík, a significant persona of Czech film, conceived his film hour with a great amount of humor and exaggeration.
A fascinating look at the colourful life of a community which in defiance of difficult circumstances lives life to the fullest. The village of Bystré is situated in a former textile region which is currently in deep crisis - unemployment in certain places has reached over 20% and young people are moving elsewhere.
The Story of Water/The Story of H2O
An existentialist film about life...Dva mladí reportéři, Petr a Pavlína, přicházejí do vzácné brněnské paleontologické lokaliky Stránská skála, v jejímž sousedství stojí spalovna komunálního odpadu. Po prozkoumání Stránské skály se vydávají do spalovny, kde se snaží postihnout vztah lidí k tomu místu tím, že se ptají, co by se tam mělo natočit. Film má dvě části - samostatnou ženskou "Příběh vody" a rozvíjející se mužskou "Příběh H2O". - Katedra dokumentární tvroby FAMU - 1. ročník (koncipovaná reportáž).
Mushroom
A film essay which tries to explain nature, science and civilization through the structure of fungus. At the beginning, there was the confirmation of a theory which said that all plants in a single ecosystem are connected to each other through microscopic mushroom fibers. The film also views the mushroom as a metaphor...
In the Center of Film (In the Warmth of Home)
An unconventional look at the 1997 edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Taking the Path through the Desolate Forest
Po cestě pustým lesem is, among other things, a portrait of Ivan Vojnár and his film Cesta pustým lesem (A Path through the Desolate Forest).
NATO Inside Our Hearts
Taking advantage of the NATO summit in Prague, the documentarists contemplate whether representatives of the socio-political elite perceive the values of Euro-American civilization in the same way as ordinary citiziens.
New Options (continued)
A dynamic portrait of M. Petříček, PhD. - philosopher, translator and author who teaches at Charles University in Prague. FAMU, Department of Documentary Film (2nd year)
Rules of the Game - Delimitation of Space
The project entitled Rules of the Game developed into a series of institutional portraits. The first part Defining the Space takes place during the NATO Summit in Prague in 2002. It deals with the specificity of such a meeting, where every detail is planned and prepared well in advance, including the results. The event itself becomes a performance for the media that are supposed to(re)create the human dimension of the event and the organization. The film is composed of detailed descriptions and shot with a certain distance that offers a different perspective of the events.
SYL-LA-BA-RY (Excerpts)
A playful experiment - words, symbols and the game behind it all.
E Day
1st May 2004. The Czech Republic along with nine other states joins the European Union. Before the midnight comes, three young authors find themselves at three different locations of the country. Vít Janeček is shooting in the capital, Erika Hníková is in Jablunkov, the easternmost place of the country, and Ivana Miloševič in the westernmost city of Aš. Three different filmmaking styles are united in one documentary, capturing social and mental history of a single moment. And against the backdrop of the historical moment, discovering different opinions of people from different social classes, they are trying to capture the first fundamental change of the Czech state. This unconventional concept of the living history captured in transience and discontinuity of impressions tries to go beyond the initial invisibility of change, in order to stress the co-existence of our national self and the world around us. The three different directorial styles symbolize its incoherent possibilities.
Ivetka and the Mountain
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 Adventure of Anna Barbora - An Interplay
In a single scene, film director Vít Janeček records a discussion between journalist, ecologist and sociologist Jakub Patočka and his girlfriend Kateřina Havránková about a sudden turnaround in the case of 13-year-old Anna in which all three of them, including the cameraman-director, get personally involved. They were trying to assist the adoption of the supposedly 13 year-old girl by Patočka's acquaintance Klára Mauerová, who was accused of abusing her own sons. Patočka admits to his girlfriend that he has found out some new, important information - that the 13 year-old Anna is actually 34-year-old Barbora. The film captures the reactions of people involved in efforts that suddenly turned out completely differently. The three protagonists experience a complete loss of trust, disappointment and social ridicule.
History of Jaroslav Šabata
The film features the psychologist, politician and journalist Jaroslav Šabata (*1927) who symbolizes half a century of Czech history. The film explains the traces left by left-wing intelligentsia who first served the communist regime (Mr Šabata started giving lectures at the Department of Marxism-Leninism in 1953), then tried to reform it (as an active politician during the Prague Spring of the late 1960s), and later still opposed it (as early as 1971 he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison), eventually to see it collapse and help build a new democratic country.
A Family in the Desert
A documentary which attempts to get close to the everyday life of nomadic Mongolian family living in the Gobi desert.
Great Opportunity
Until the crisis of 2008, some eight thousand Mongolians came to work in the Czech Republic; since that time, the numbers reduced by half. Unlike other nationalities, most of them usually end up working at the very bottom of the production chain and services. Most of them had left for the West with a vision of improving their life standard and securing the lives of their children. These visions, however, are often problematic and the way back is not easy. To be able to start a new life in a country remote from their homeland and to secure a working position there, they were often forced to sell all their belongings. The film presents various examples of how Mongolians cope with the reality of life and work in the Czech Republic.
MemOry
A documentary short about the construction of the National Technical Library in Prague.
Race to the Bottom
Capital mobility vs. people who stay behind. The end of human labour - a flaw in the system, design of the elites, or a new opportunity? Are labour unions a thing of the past? Have the unemployed become heroes of the 21st century? This complex if not exhaustive documentary film captures various aspects of labour in several companies, multinationals and plants that produce various objects ranging from textiles and glass to cars, matches and IT. Why is the gap between work efficiency and wage costs getting bigger? Work, theory and practice within the context of major global trends.
24
A documentary collage about the progress of one Czech day, composed by 24 directors. Everyone picked one hour, day or night, and received two minutes of the whole film at his or her disposal. This allowed for the mosaic on genres and topics that portrait the atmosphere of the Czech Republic today. At the same time, this unique project presents various filmmaking styles and approaches of the best contemporary Czech documentarians, all on the reel of one film. The authors accompany teenagers at a discotheque, observe doctors during surgery, laborers in a factory, believers in a synagogue or the descent in a human throat. Olga Špátová records the authentic power of the moment when the child is born. Vít Klusák engages a special camcorder to freeze the time of one tram stop. The flow of time is Helena Třeštíková’s topic – she films Katka taking yet another public bath in a Prague’s fountain. Martin Mareček shows a pair of legs sunk in aquarium, which, backed with a voiceover, illustrates the timeless power of human stupidity. Jiří Krejčík, a significant persona of Czech film, conceived his film hour with a great amount of humor and exaggeration.
František Kriegel - The Harvest of Conscience
František Kriegel, doctor and politician, saw many of the crossroads of the 20th century; the Spanish Civil War, the Allies’ victory in South-East Asia, the start of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia and in Cuba, the Prague Spring of 1968 as well as the Charter 77. The film essay František Kriegel - The Harvest of Conscience is not a reconstruction of Kriegel’s life but rather an exploration of what motivated him and what survives of his efforts as well as of those of people like him - 20th century left-wing humanists with a cosmopolitan world view.
František Kriegel, doctor and politician, saw many of the crossroads of the 20th century; the Spanish Civil War, the Allies’ victory in South-East Asia, the start of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia and in Cuba, the Prague Spring of 1968 as well as the Charter 77. The film essay František Kriegel - The Harvest of Conscience is not a reconstruction of Kriegel’s life but rather an exploration of what motivated him and what survives of his efforts as well as of those of people like him - 20th century left-wing humanists with a cosmopolitan world view.
Born in 1970, Vít Janeček is a documentary filmmaker, scriptwriter, critic and lecturer. He has graduated from Charles University in Prague (film studies) and FAMU (documentary film). His creative interest consist in considering transversal aspects of reality - science, politics, society and thought, he contributes to various papers. For several years curated film programmes in Roxy and Archa Theatre in Prague and historical retrospectives on Karlovy Vary Film Festival. In 2003, co-founded the Centre for Audiovisual Studies, FAMU, since 2012 leads FAMU International programs. Since 2006 leads also FAMU's training programs in Burma. Selection of films he directed or co-directed: Rodina v poušti / Family in the Desert (1994), V centru filmu, v teple domova / In the Center of Cinema, safe at home (co-director P. Marek, 1997), Houba / Fungus (2000), Bitva o život /Battle for life (2000, co-directed by M. Janek and R. Vávra), Máme NATO? / NATO Inside Our Hearts (2002), Pravidla hry - vymezení prostoru / Rules of the Game - Defining the Space (2004), Dějiny Jaroslava Šabaty / History of Jaroslav Šabata (2008), Dobrodružství Anny Barbory - Mezihra / The Adventure of Anna Barbora - An Interplay, (2008), Ivetka a hora (Ivetka and the Mountain, 2008, Award for Best Czech Documentary Film, Jihlava IDFF), memOry (2010), Skvělá příležitost / Wonderfull Opportunity (2010), Závod ke dnu / Race to the Bottom (2011).
Catalogue of Upcoming Czech Documentary Films - 2012
Docu Talents From the East 2008 - 2008