Miroslav Janek

The queen, or mother, bee, drones and workers. Industriousness, togetherness, and selflessness in the name of a functional community that leaves no room for egocentrism. This poetic essay depicts the fascinating world of beehives, the layouts of which are an example to human society. Through observations of insects and conversations with beekeepers, as well as references from Radomil Hradil's book Bees and Their World, we learn that the bee, objectively the most important creature on Earth, has become an endangered species due to the actions of mankind, whose greed and selfishness may lead to its destruction. It’s clear, however, that all will turn out well for Earth, with or without humanity…

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Lemonade Joe, The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians, Dinner for Adele, The and the Golem - These and other Czech cinematography film hits have on thing in common: Jirí Brdecka. The Screenwriter, writer and cartoonist Brdecka was known in Czechoslovakia for his cooperation with Jirí Trnka, Jan Werich or Oldrich Lipský, and became a worldwide famous and respected director of animated films. But who was he in reality? Where did he seek inspiration and where did his rich inner world come from? How did he fight the non-free political regime and manage to show the world his free and timeless creation? Director Miroslav Janek gradually penetrates the interior of one of the most prominent personalities of Czech film and presents to the audience a miraculous world of animated paintings, graphics, oils, watercolors, frescoes and mosaics. On Christmas Eve in 2017, Jirí Brdecka would celebrate his 100th birthday.

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Through unique artistic approach, the director reveals the world of autism - bringing the audience closer to the main characters - talented and creative children with a fascinating way of thinking.

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Journalist Renata Kalenská’s book of interviews with Vratislav Brabenec, prominent member of the Plastic People group, recorded not only his memories of the underground years, but also the author’s experiences with this highly distinctive individual. The film represents a cinematic sequel to the book, and looks to build on those experiences as it captures additional interviews with Brabenec, mainly improvised talks at places that hold some meaning for Brabenec or Kalenská. The result is several scenes of irrelevant philosophising, self-deprecating humour, and commentary on the life of birds, and on nature in general. The conversations, recorded mostly by hand-held camera, are interspersed with poetic citations.

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The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is one of the world’s oldest and most respected. Film Spa was made to celebrate its belated 50th edition in 2015 in its 69th year – belated because from 1959 to 1993 it was forced to alternate with the festival in Moscow.

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Olga Havlová was the closest and most trustworthy companion of Václav Havel. A friend who was always generous with her time. She was an entertaining host, passionate games-player, mushroom-gatherer, nature-lover, sharp commentator, and courageous and diligent dissident. In 1990 she founded Výbor dobré vûle (Committee of Good Will), which is still doing vital work today.

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Don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and lead to unnecessary suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the four agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can quickly transform our lives into a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. A film recording of the theater performance from May 14 and 15, 2006, supplemented by numerous illustrative black-and-white film materials from private family archives.

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An intimate portrait of a director who devoted her life to film and was willing to sacrifice three marriages and motherhood to her creative passion. Drahomíra Vihanová, like a determined shaman of images, confesses her beliefs, from her initial condemnation by the regime for Zabitá neděle (Slaughtered Sunday, 1969) to the public execution of Zprávy o putování studentů Petra a Jakuba (News of the Wanderings of Students Petr and Jakub, 2002). This existential essay oscillates between contradictions and paradoxes, between documentary and feature film, between invocation, oblivion, and cats.

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The documentary explores the presidency of Václav Havel, a poet who unexpectedly became president. The film, starting in 1992, captures Havel’s experiences after the breakup of Czechoslovakia, a significant defeat for him as he had campaigned for its continuation. Despite political opposition and accusations of responsibility for the breakup, Havel runs for president of the new Czech Republic. The film, a unique document, was Koutecký’s most important project, continued by Janek after Koutecký’s death in 2006.

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When Czech singer Ida Kelarová meets the young Roma singer, Vierka Berkyová, she discovers an extraordinary and vibrant talent. Determined to develop her musical abilities and career, she brings her and her family from their home in Slovakia to live in the Czech Republic. They are encouraged to learn new routines and develop their lives in a variety of 'productive' ways. Then, one day they disappear without trace. What began as a document about Verika develops into a mystery. [taken from the London Film Festival 2006 catalogue]

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A dream of love and beauty in a world of malice and hatred. A feature film based on the literary works of the passionate dreamer Alexander Grin and the performances of the Forman Brothers Theater. The call of the distant seas. A longing for adventure and unbridled freedom. The fury of the sea elements. The spicy scent of harbors. The intoxicating song of sirens. Mysterious phenomena beneath the sea. Wild drinking parties. Lively and rough friendships between sailors from all corners of the world.

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A documentary based on the mutual experiences of a trio of directors, which portrays life in the border village of Bystré during the last year of the millennium. The film concentrates on the exuberant social life of the community, including many bizarre recent customs, as well as on several very intimate moments in the lives of the inhabitants.

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At a blind school in the Czech Republic, the children exuberantly show off their remarkable talents – as musicians, as radio announcers, as daredevil bike riders and, most extraordinary of all, as photographers. Why take pictures of a world you can’t see? To capture memories, of course, that sighted people can describe back to them. Miroslav Janek’s documentary is a true eye-opener about the resilience, adaptability and creativity of children, faced with whatever challenge the world throws at them.

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The story of modern-day vaudevillians, the "Kipper Kids." Harry and Harry Kipper are "somewhere in South America" training for a boxing match staged by Tony LaRosa, a down-and-out scam artist who has promised to make the Kippers "champions of the entire world."

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Miroslav Janek, a well-known documentary filmmaker, cameraman and editor, also created his own short films in the 1960s and 1970s. This film was inspired by Franz Kafka's short story of the same title.

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Lemonade Joe, The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians, Dinner for Adele, The and the Golem - These and other Czech cinematography film hits have on thing in common: Jirí Brdecka. The Screenwriter, writer and cartoonist Brdecka was known in Czechoslovakia for his cooperation with Jirí Trnka, Jan Werich or Oldrich Lipský, and became a worldwide famous and respected director of animated films. But who was he in reality? Where did he seek inspiration and where did his rich inner world come from? How did he fight the non-free political regime and manage to show the world his free and timeless creation? Director Miroslav Janek gradually penetrates the interior of one of the most prominent personalities of Czech film and presents to the audience a miraculous world of animated paintings, graphics, oils, watercolors, frescoes and mosaics. On Christmas Eve in 2017, Jirí Brdecka would celebrate his 100th birthday.

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Jan Jedlička is one of the best kept secrets in the world of art. He was born in Prague in 1944 where he studied painting at the academy before immigrating to Switzerland in 1969. Petr Zaruba conveys through cinematic and formal choices the complexities of Jedlička’s creative strategies. An intertwined dialogue between two artists.

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Bjørn Nørgaard and a team of Czech glass artists in the demanding process of creating a grave monument for Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark.

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