If your knowledge of the cinema of the Czech Republic begins and ends with Miloš Forman, fear not: Czech That Film Texas is bringing four of the best recent films from the land where truth prevails.
Founded by Jeffrey Brown and presented this year by Big Day Pictures and PolkaWorks, the series has survived pandemic delays before returning last year with a run at Violet Crown. Now, almost a year to the day from that kickoff, the series returns with four new titles, each highly lauded and representative of a different aspect of Czech cinema.
April 4: Somewhere Over the Chemtrails (Kdyby radši hořelo)
Adam Koloman Rybánský’s award-winning satire about a fire department that accidentally becomes a militia. Michal Isteník and Miroslav Krobot star as best friends Standa and Broňa, whose wildly differing perspectives on what seems like a simple accident turn their community on its head.
April 11: The Last Race (Poslední závod)
An extraodinarily-filmed historial drama (Jan Baset Stritezsky picked up the Czech Lion for cinematography for his work here) about Czech cross-country skiing legends Bohumil Hanč (Krystof Hádek) and Václav Vrbata (Vladimír Pokorný) and their German counterpart, Emmerich Rath (Marek Adamczyk), and their incredible story of survival in the mountains of the Sudetenland.
April 25: Nightsiren (Světlonoc)
An international coproduction, this Slovakian horror is about the reappearance of a young woman (Natalia Germani) who disappeared 20 years earlier from her village. The locals who were grateful for her return now fear that she has summoned the spirit of the witch they fear first stole her away. Winner of the Cineasti del Presente Competition at the Locarno Film Festival, Tereza Nvotová’s film makes its return to Austin after its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest 2022.
May 3: Buko
Martha Issová took home a Lion for her role as Tereza, a librarian with autism, one of the many fascinating and wonderful characters that Jarmila (Anna Cónová) meets as she contemplates widowhood and the unexpected arrival of Buko – a retired circus horse – in this quirky, charming comedy drama from veteran Czech director Alice Nellis.
All screenings are at Violet Crown Cinema, 434 W. Second, austin.violetcrown.com. Tickets and further info at czechthatfilmtexas.com.
This article appears in March 31 • 2023.
