A PITCHER OF CZECH AND GERMAN SHORTS

Prague

This autumn, iShorts will offer a programme of Czech and German short films. It will present the animated erotic fantasy Tram; a story about an autistic girl with an IQ of zero, Veronica; and a dreamlike animated story, Mr. Nightmare and the Blessings of Progress. What films are shot here and what kinds of films are filmed by our nearest Western neighbours? Come see for yourself. Czech and German filmmakers will present their films in person and take part in discussions with the audience after the screenings.

MR. NIGHTMARE AND THE BLESSINGS OF PROGRESS (GERMANY)

Director: Schwarwel

Year: 2011 | Length: 11 min | Animation

„Mr. Nightmare and the blessings of progress“ is a love story. And it is a story about filmmaking. And it is a story about finding love through filmmaking. And – let it be understood – all of that during night shift!

O-RING (CZECH REPUBLIC)

Director: Ondřej Hudeček | Producer: FAMU
Star: Petr Borovec

Year: 2011 | Length: 11 min | Live action

After hitting a man with his car in the middle of a snow-covered countryside, a young actor has to improvise to escape from punishment. However, the more he tries to get of, the more he finds himself caught in a series of unfortunate events which lead him to an inevitable end.

TELH78 (GERMANY)

Director: Alina Cyranek and Eike Goreczka

Year: 2011 | Length: 5 min | Documentary film

It has almost vanished from our urban horizons, that rotting dinosaur, the German post office's yellow telephone booth. There were times when the booth was a vital place. The film searched for – and found – one of the last of this dying breed, and had them divulge stories now threatened by oblivion.

VERONIKA (GERMANY)

Director: Mark Michel

Year: 2012 | Length: 18 min | Documentary film

Portrait of an autistic girl. Veronika Raila finds her way into the world with writing. Once she was certified as having an intelligence level of zero. Today she studies and writes poems and stories.

PIT-HOLE (CZECH REPUBLIC)

Director: Jiří Stejskal | Producer: UTB

Year: 2011 | Length: 23 min | Documentary film

Pit-Hole dpicts the life of a Ukraininan family that refueses a contemporary lifestyle. Nataliya, the head of the family, is trying to preserve the family house, now surrounded by a modern housing estate. The film focuses on the family and the difficult living conditions caused by a Kiev constuction project.

TUMORROW NEVER KNOWS (CZECH REPUBLIC)

Director: Pavel Soukup | Producer: VSUP

Year: 2011 | Length: 6 min | Animation

Yesterday. You wake up and everything is the same. Maybe the next day will be better. But today is the same as yesterday. What if tomorrow could change something? Today won’t tell you. And tomorrow? TUMORrow Never Knows…Animated story about old lady an her „close friend“.

THE TREASURE (GERMANY)

Director: Francie Liebschner

Year: 2011 | Length: 10 min | Animation

A little girl spends the beginning of autumn with her grandfather in the garden. But when the wind blows the last leaves from the tree the girl must learn to say goodbye.

NOREEN (GERMANY)

Director: Florian Arndt

Year: 2011 | Length: 15 min | Documentary film

MS, arthritis, diabetes, a heart attack and cancer! Such diagnoses usually draw every joy from life – not for the 69-year-old wheelchair user Volkmar Kirschbaum, who keeps his charms and optimism in spite of these challenges.

TRAM (CZECH REPUBLIC, FRANCE)

Director: Michaela Pavlátová | Producer: Negativ

Year: 2012 | Length: 7 min | Animation

A tramdriver arrives at work with a gloomy face, she switches on the tram lights and moves off. During the journey, however, every time a man in a raincoat gets on, her spirits are raised and she gets increasingly excited by the ride. Even so, we sense that she is alone, but things can change.

In cooperation with Czech Film Center and AG Kurzfilm. 106 min.