28th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival
biography
![A Lonely Voice Against Moscow](/media/thumbs/films/thumb_400x280_953483-1382970.jpeg?v=)
A Lonely Voice Against Moscow
Martin Slunečko, Miloslav Šmídmajer
Czech Republic / 2023 / 52 min.
section: Czech Television Documentaries, Ji.hlava Online
The film already had its Czech Premiere
The documentary follows in the footsteps of the controversial personality of František Kriegel, M.D., who was born into a Jewish family in Halych, saved lives as a frontline doctor in Spain, China, Burma and India, and after World War II joined the service of the Communist Party and the People's Militia. In 1968, he became one of the main representatives of our state and was the only member of the kidnapped delegation to save face and not officially condemn "fraternal aid," which had significant professional and social consequences for him.
![Life Is but a Wheel of Justice](/media/thumbs/films/thumb_400x280_922977-1382943.jpeg?v=)
Life Is but a Wheel of Justice
Břetislav Rychlík
Czech Republic / 2023 / 26 min.
section: Czech Television Documentaries, Ji.hlava Online
The film already had its Czech Premiere
The Plastic People of the Universe was formed in 1968. The trial of the band members in 1976 initiated the creation of Charter 77. During the so-called normalisation period, the band was banned. The musicians started performing together again in 1997. The last concert of The Plastic People of the Universe together with the Brno Philharmonic took place on 20 November 2021 in Broumov. How did the members of the legendary band The Plastic People of the Universe experience the last concert of their career?
![O Baripen](/media/thumbs/films/thumb_400x280_902074-1370324.jpeg?v=)
O Baripen
Vera Lacková
Czech Republic, Slovakia / 2023 / 52 min.
section: Czech Joy, Ji.hlava Online
Czech Premiere
Elena Lacková (1921–2003) was a prominent Romani writer, playwright and social worker. Her great-granddaughter, Alžběta Ferencová alias Zea, is a singer, dancer and actress. The film draws parallels between two family-related women who, despite social prejudices, dedicate their lives to artistic creation. Through archival materials and the stories of witnesses, the difficult fate of Elena Lacková is revealed: from growing up in a Roma settlement, through the period of the Roma Holocaust, to her emancipatory work under communism. The poetic narrative reveals how the personal can take on political dimensions in our society.“Overall, I feel there is a lack of space in the area of the media for us Romani people to express ourselves. That is why we need to claim that space.”Quote from A2larm.
![Put the Light On, so We Can See](/media/thumbs/films/thumb_400x280_931113-1370240.jpeg?v=)
Put the Light On, so We Can See
Radim Špaček
Czech Republic / 2023 / 93 min.
section: Czech Television Documentaries, Ji.hlava Online
World Premiere
A film about the friendship of musician Miroslav Wanek and artist Martin Velíšek, connected by their collaboration and especially the band Už jsme doma. It was directed by Václav Kučera, who died in 2019, and completed years later by Radim Špaček. Similarly, producer Romek Hanzlík died in 2019 and the film was completed by Petr Koza in his company KOZA Film, s.r.o.
![You Will Never See It All](/media/thumbs/films/thumb_400x280_932262-1369066.jpeg?v=)
You Will Never See It All
Štěpán Pech
Slovakia, Czech Republic / 2023 / 80 min.
section: Czech Joy, Ji.hlava Online, Opus Bonum
World Premiere
Conceptual visual artist Ján Mančuška died in 2011. However, in his short 39 years of existence, he managed to create a number of remarkable works, many of which have been exhibited in renowned galleries around the world – including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and MoMA in New York. In his homeland, however, his work reflecting everyday life, social reality or the meaning of language has never achieved comparable fame. Together with the children of an artist who was not afraid to confront the public with the question of the meaning of art, the director embarks on a journey that aims not only to get closer to Mančuška, but also to reveal him in hitherto unrecognised shades, thus filling in the gaps that are increasingly appearing in the context of the fading memory of his personality.“We are trying to make [Mančuška's] works present, to confront them again. Not to be dependent only on recollection, on memory, but to actually have the opportunity to relive it, to see these things again.” — Štěpán PechQuote from Artalk.