Czech student film wins prize at Cannes festival

Congratulations to Zuzana Špidlová!  Her film Bába was awarded the top prize for the best student and youth film at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Slovak, Czech ForMins want youth to better know the other language

Even though the Czech and Slovak languages are similar, Czech and Slovak children are having a more difficult time understanding each other’s language.

New British star Susan Boyle to record her CD in Prague

Susan Boyle, Britain’s Got Talent runner-up and YouTube video star, will record her CD with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, according to idnes.cz.

George Lucas appeals for Czech filming incentives

Tax incentives have been discussed before.  Will a law be passed to help the Czech film industry compete with European countries that have them?

Are tax incentives for the Czech film industry coming soon?
Radio.cz news
Film production competition heats up in Eastern Europe

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival announces some special guests and program highlights
Czech film greats Forman and Švankmajer among special guests at Karlovy Vary festival this year

Czech Lion film award shortlist revealed
Official awards website
Up for the best picture award are The Karamazovs (Karamazovi), Tobruk and Country Teacher (Venkovský učitel).  The Czech Lion (Český lev) awards will take place on March 3.

Danish experts ask to open astronomer Tycho Brahe’s grave
Tycho Brahe, who was the imperial astronomer under Rudolf II (Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia) starting around the year 1600, is buried in Prague’s Týn Church.  A team of Danish scientists want to determine if Tycho Brahe was murdered.

SkyEurope fleet shrinks as new airline hits Prague
Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air is adding a new base in Prague with flights to Brussels, Eindhoven, London, Milan, Paris, and Rome.

Prague approves skyscrapers despite UNESCO
More high-rise buildings are going up in the Pankrác district of Prague.

We would like to thank all of you who followed our blog last year and we wish you a very happy and healthy 2009! We hope you continue to read our posts and leave your comments.

Šťastný nový rok!
Jeff and Dana

Today is December 5th, the eve of St. Nicholas Day or Mikuláš in Czech. We have written about our experience spending a fun Mikuláš evening on Prague’s Old Town Square. This year, we decided to visit a smaller Prague square away from the center. We went to Náměstí Míru in Prague 2. You rarely run into foreign tourists here and the area has quite a local feel. The Christmas market that is put up on the square every year is a small, rather intimate affair and you’ll mostly find Czechs here, shopping for Christmas gifts on their way from work, showing their kids the lights or enjoying a cup of mulled wine and a klobása purchased at one of the stands. Before we headed out this evening, we had expected some commotion on the square, some families with kids and a few Mikuláš-Devil-Angel groups. We got there a little after five and were surprised to find the square literally packed with people. So packed you could hardly move amidst the crowd. People dodged each other, looked for each other, stood in lines to buy sweets, beer, hot dogs… They carried their children in their arms and on their shoulders, or tried to make their way through the crowd pushing strollers. A number of Mikuláš and Devil characters clad in elaborate costumes handed out candy and tangerines to well behaved children. People had fun.

Jeff took some pictures as usual.