Novák Miloslav

The Ill-Fated Child
A monotonous job, an inconspicuous lifestyle, and a fascination with absolute evil come together in the character of a 20-year-old man. Michal explores the functioning of German concentration camps; he travels, hunts through archives, talks to eyewitnesses, and schizophrenically tries to understand both sides of the killing apparatus: the victims as well as their executioners.

Peace with Seals
Framed by two stories, this feature documentary fable Peace with Seals deals with the concept of "human nature". The first story is about a seal named Gaston who, according to the Prague Zoo director, became "the most famous animal on earth" after he managed to reach Germany during a devastating flood. At the height of his fame, Gaston was adopted by the former Prime Minister Gross; after Gaston's death, the Prague Zoo erected a statue in his memory. The second story took place 50 years earlier and tells the life story of a seal named Ulysses, caught in Sardinia by a Milan photojournalist who, in front of the cameras, tossed the animal into the famous Di Trevi fountain. Patellani - a friend of Federico Fellini's and a specialist on film stars - was fined for his action. The reason, however, was not the killing of a baby seal but the pollution of water in the fountain. Fellini took inspiration from the story for "La Dolce Vita"; referring to photojournalists such as Patellani, he coined the term "paparazzi", i.e. those who create the "nature" of contemporary man. What changes mark our relationship with animals? Today there are urban nature reserves, aquariums instead of oceans, and seal hunting can be booked with a travel agent. In the time of Homer, seals were the most widespread inhabitant of Europe's largest biotope, the Mediterranean Sea. Today, with sun tanning being so fashionable, people have replaced the seals on the beaches. Seals have become one of the most endangered mammals in Europe. Where will we be able to encounter wild animals in the future? How are animals being domesticated? And what is the domestication of people?

Is Mortorius
Fim shot at the Is Mortorius beach in Sardinia about people losing and regaining their sight.

Descartes's Mistake
A provocative probe into a medical discipline with a long history but an uncertain future. Is psychosomatic medicine an oppressed outsider pushed out of official medical science due to the commercial concerns of the pharmaceutical industry or is it just a blend of psychoanalysis and unverified theories? This documentary ironically plays with symbols of logical and emotional approaches to medicine while bringing them to a gentle confrontation.

A Dangerous Game with a Ball
Julín is a rising star of our football. As the best striker of a school league he persistently aims towards his goal. His father emigrated to Canada and so his grandfather looks after him. This year Julin will transfer to the junior league. He would also like to get into the Czech national team. But no other Gypsy footballer has achieved that yet. Imagine an audition for a management team of a young promising top sport sportsman: coach, psychologist, driver, masseur, spokesperson, hairdresser, accountant and a new partner. Will that all suffice Julin to achieve success? How his grandfather will do as his manager? Will Julin win over himself and over the distrust of Czech society? What rules must a Gypsy footballer play by? What rules does majority of society play by?What if somebody paints a goalpost black? Why is a ball game so dangerous? How has the world of sport heroes changed? From Zatopek to Rocky Balboa. From Beckenbauer to grandfather Kaliáš. From Pelé to Julín Horváth. Both famous Czech reporters Pavel Čapek and Jaromír Bosák comment the first halftime in the career of a Gypsy footballer.

Miloslav Novák (b. 1978, Dvůr Králové nad Labem) graduated from the SVOŠF film school in Písek and, after studying editing at Prague’s FAMU, worked as a journalist for the Czech papers Lidové noviny and Literární noviny. He continued with documentary filmmaking at FAMU while concurrently attending Charles University’s Philosophical Faculty. In 1997 he made the short film Dangers of Loneliness (Samota bývá nebezpečná – Special Mention at the IAFF in Annecy 1998). In 2001 he filmed the documentary profile J.C. – Experience with Expressionism (J.C. – Zkušenost s expresionismem) about the distinguished Czech film and literary critic Jiří Cieslar. He got together with Lucie Králová in 2003 to direct the film Ill-Fated Child (Zlopověstné dítě), which won Best Documentary at the IFF in Jihlava. During his six-month period spent studying at university in Cagliari, Sardinia, he made the film Is Mortorious, about blind people’s perception of hearing.