Vlachová Kristina

Starting Together
A documentary film that follows the life of the Rokycany Roma over a period of five years.

Stop Communism
A demonstration at the Wenceslaus Square under the statue of St. Wenceslaus, August 21, 2000 - on the anniversary of the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact forces.

Report on the Šumava King
Journalist and director Kristina Vlachová revisits the story of the so-called "King of Šumava", Josef Hasil that was first introduced in Karel Kachyňa's ideologized feature film.

Dead and Forgotten
A critical documentary film from the cycle entitled Intolerance?; it deals with the "disgrace to the Czech judicial system", the trial of three former secret police investigators from Uherské Hradiště that has been going on for several years and has not yet been closed.

Small Fort Terezín 1994 - Jiří Sozanský's Performance
During the Second World War, in the town of Terezín (Terezinstadt), there was a ghetto where the Jews from all around Europe were imprisoned. The Gestapo's political prison was in the "Small Fort" (Malá pevnost) near the town of Terezín. During that time, over 60 000 people died in Terezín. After the war, the Small Fort (Malá pevnost) was declared as a cultural and historic monument. Jiří Sozanský's Performance in 1994 paid a tribute to those who died here.

Freedom's Road
In the production of the Slovak Nation's Memory Institute, Czech documentary filmmaker Kristina Vlachová made a medium-length film for the documentary series Crimes of Nazism and Communism, describing fates of hundreds of Jews from the Slovak town of Medzilaborce - the home of Jewish communities that came to Slovakia from Halitch in 18th century. Under the influence of the Third Empire, the independent Slovak state acceded to curbing rights and freedom of citizens of Jewish nationality. The perverted theory of blood and race brought about also so-called "arization" - Slovaks taking over the property of Jews. In March 1942, first transports heading for concentration camps started leaving Slovakia... The atmosphere of the Slovak newsreels at that time is the first key to the situation. Besides the external presence of the Third Empire claiming the final solution of the Jewish issue, there is a system of local organisation, despotism of state and church, in which a great number of Slovak population took part. The "arizators" knew that by taking over the property of Jews sent to death camps, they were getting power, which is an ethnic privilege - envy was to be replaced by domination. The Slovak regime which gave way to the nationalist agony imitated the workings of the German power.

The Devil's Harvest
A time-lapse documentary was shot over thirteen years. The film present former prisoners of the communist hard labor camp Vojna near Příbram, as well as its former warders. A court trial from the transformation era frames the opening of an outdoor Memorial Vojna, and other political events from recent years.

The Tower of Death
A documentary film about the prisons, torture and murders in former Czechoslovakia and about people who tried to cross the border.

The Tower Of Death - A Chapter From The History Of The Present Justice
The story of this extremly thrilling documentary film shot in the present time is mostly taking place at various Czech Law Courts. Accussed is the former prison guard of the Jachymov prison camp Bohumír Vlačiha. After the communist takeover in 1948 he did an attempt - even that time it was against valid law principle of so called "final blow" against the political prisoner Jaroslav Lukeš.

Jan Palach's Message
Documentary marking the 40th Anniversary of self-burning act of the Czech student Jan Palach. On the 16th of January 2009 it will be 40 years from the self-burning of Jan Palach. He has committed this act in protest against the progressing lethargy and pusillanimity of the Czechoslovak nation following the occupation of Czechoslovakia in the 1968.

The Case of Uherské Hradiště
A time-lapse documentary dealing with the case of three State Security investigators from Uherské Hradiště – Alois Grebeníček, Vladimír Zavadilík and Ludvík Hlavačka, who since 1994 have been pursuing the torture of political prisoners. The documentary filmed over 10 years recalls the various stages of the case and is at the same time testimony to how Czech society compares with the communist past.

Leopoldov
The Leopoldov prison is in Slovakia. In the 1950's, the "most dangerous political criminals" were imprisoned there. From 1990 onwards, political prisoners who have survived, gather here every year to commemorate their dead friends...

Graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (ČVUT) and the Film and Television Faculty of Academy of Music Arts (FAMU). Works as an independent journalist and documentary filmmaker. Selected filmography: Drogová válka? (Drug Wars?), Jáchymovská stigmata (The Stigma of Jachymov), FITES Special Mention, Documentary prize Kagoshima Film Festival, Japan; Řekl jsi ďáblovi Ne (Did You Say No to the Devil); Pomnik gen. Heliodora Piky (General Heliodor Pikas Memorial); Bez milosti (No Mercy), Trilobit (FITES) 1998, Patriae Foundation Prize; Mrtví a zapomenutí - Causa Uherské Hradiště (Dead and Forgotten – Uherské Hradiště Case), FITES Special Mention; Zprava o Krali Sumavy (The Sumava King's report), Prize for Excellence Chicago Sister USA; Začít spolu (Start Together); Věž smrti (The Tower of Death), Trilobit FITES 2002, 2nd Prize at the International Festival of Documentary Films – Ústí nad Orlicí 2002, Anděl – aneb Blahoslovení Aničky Tomanové (Angel – or Anička Tomanová’s Hallow); Cesty naděje (Journeys of Hope).

Graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (ČVUT) and the Film and Television Faculty of Academy of Music Arts (FAMU). Initially worked as an electrical engineer and later on as a film scriptwriter. After refusing to sign the petition against the Charter 77, worked as an editor of children's books. She was rehabilitated in 1989 and for a short time worked as a script editor for the Film Studio Barrandov and as a freelance journalist for the Czech Radio and for Radio Free Europe. Now, she is working as an independent journalist and documentary filmmaker. Filmography: „Hovoří Plzeň, svobodná Plzeň hovoří 6.5.1945 – 6.5.1990“ („Pilsen calling, free Pilsen calling) (20 min. BTC-PAL – Original Videojournal 1990), Drogová válka? (Drug Wars?) (45 min. BTC-PAL – Czech Television 1991), Jáchymovská stigmata (The Stigma of Jachymov) (20 min. BTC-PAL – Czech Television 1991) – FITES acknowledgement, Documentary prize Kagoshima Film Festival, Japan, Řekl jsi ďáblovi Ne (Did you say No to the Devil) (45 min. BTC-PAL Czech Television 1992), Pomnik gen. Heliodora Piky (General Heliodor Pikas memorial) (20 min. BTC-PAL 1993), Bez milosti (No mercy), a documentary film about the life of General Heliodor Pika (written and directed together with Marie Šandová, 52 min., BTC-PAL - Czech Television 1998), prizes: Trilobit (FITES) 1998 and Patriae Foundation Prize, Mrtví a zapomenutí - causa Uherské Hradiště (Dead and Forgotten – case Uherské Hradiště) (23 min. BTC – PAL Czech Television 2000) Honorary acknowledgement FITES 2001, ÚDV-úřad dokumentace a vyšetřování zločinů komunismu (ÚDV – The Office of Documentation and Investigation of Crimes of Communism) (23 min. BTC PAL Czech Television 2000) Honorary acknowledgement FITES 2001, Zprava o Krali Sumavy (The Sumava Kings Report) (58 min. BTC PAL - Czech Television 2000) Praised in the Czech Television s annual report as one of the best documentary films made that year. Prize for Excellence Chicago Sister USA, Začít spolu“ (Start together) Documentary film about the problems of Romany Gipsies’ emigration (52 min. BTC – PAL Czech Television 2001, Věž smrti (The Tower of Death - Chapter from the new Czech justice´ history (58 min. BTC – PAL - Czech Television 2002) Prizes: Trilobit FITES 2002, 2nd Prize at the International Festival of Documentary Films – Ústí nad Orlicí 2002, Anděl – aneb Blahoslovení Aničky Tomanové (Angel – or Anička Tomanová’s hallow) (33 min. BTC – PAL – Czech Television 2003), Cesty naděje – (Journeys of Hope) 30 min DVCAM PAL Nadácia ÚPN 2005.