The Czech film Fours Suns (Čtyři slunce) directed by Bohdan Sláma has its world premiere today at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The movie stars Aňa Geislerová, Jaroslav Plesl, Marek Šácha, Karel Roden, Klára Melíšková and Jiří Mádl. It opens in the Czech Republic on March 8.

There is a good description of the film on the Sundance Film Festival website.

The official trailer is below.

Red Tails, a George Lucas production that was filmed in the Czech Republic, now has a release date of January 20, 2012. You can watch the movie trailer below and read more about the film.

Czech film “Alois Nebel” selected for Venice festival

“Lidice” fails to reverse fall of Czech cinema

Czech culture minister seeks more film incentive funds

Earlier this week, the Czech Film and Television Academy announced that the film Kawasaki’s Rose (Kawasakiho růže) would be the Czech submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. The Oscar nominations will be announced on January 25, 2011. The movie is written by Petr Jarchovský and directed by Jan Hřebejk, which is the same team behind the 2001 Oscar nominated film Divided We Fall (Musíme si pomáhat).

According to the movie distributor, it is “a drama about family and politics, the role of memory in relationships, and that of jealousy, arrogance, love, loyalty and betrayal”. The tagline is “Behind every lie hides a truth, and behind that an even deeper truth.”

Menemsha Films – North American Distributor and World Sales Agent

The U.S. trailer for the film is below.

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

The 43rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival wrapped up yesterday.  The closing film was the movie Mamma Mia!, which is based on the musical of the same name and features songs from ABBA.  The Danish film Terribly Happy (Frygtelig Lykkelig) won the Crystal Globe for best feature film.

If you are interested in reading more about the festival, I have linked to the official site and some news articles.

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (official website)
Karlovy Vary: the best of the fest
Danish film Terribly Happy wins Karlovy Vary festival
Czech film Karamazovs wins critics’ award in Karlovy Vary

The main venue for screenings is at the Hotel Thermal (see picture below).  On our site, we have a section on the famous spa town of Karlovy Vary.

Oscar dream comes true for young Czech musician Markéta Irglová
Home town of Markéta Irglová celebrates her Oscar success
- Markéto a Glene, gratulujeme!

Czech police seek missing bridge
- How do you hide a four-ton iron bridge? Most likely it has already been recycled.

Lights dimming on gambler’s paradise
- Herna bars are all over our Prague district with two even next door to each other.

Budvar ups exports to record 587,000 hl of beer in 2007
- For those living in South Korea, Brazil or Albania, Budvar is now being distributed to your country.

The 42nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival started today and runs through July 7. It is one of the most prestigious international film festivals in Europe and is classified as a “Category A” festival, which puts it in the same class as festivals in cities such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Tokyo. The festival presents over 220 feature films and up to 40 short films from around the world each year.

Danny DeVito will be receiving the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema on the closing day of the festival.

The Summer Shakespeare Festival at the Prague Castle is in its tenth year. Three plays alternate in the historic, open-air courtyard of the Burgrave Palace, just off of the Golden Lane. I went to see Othello last week and, surprisingly, had a great time. I say surprisingly because I don’t think of myself as someone who would appreciate, let alone enjoy sitting through two hours of a classical drama – I should add that going to the festival was not my idea.

I didn’t sit through Othello. I spent two hours in a state of utmost concentration with my eyes glued to the stage, trying not to miss a word, forgetting to shiver with cold in the chilly, autumn-like evening air. I fidgeted through the seemingly unending intermission, wishing they had skipped it. I left looking forward to next year’s festival and making mental notes on how to better prepare to make the most out of the experience. 1. Definitely get tickets for the first zone, which means 2. Buy tickets at least a month in advance, 3. Arrive an hour before the start of the show to get good seats, 4. Bring a pillow to put on the seat of the hard metal chair for softness and insulation; if the weather’s similar to that of August 25, 2006: 5. Bring a winter jacket, 6. Wear high boots, 7. Pack a blanket to put over my lap.

The festival started on June 21 and will continue through September 10. Plays start at 8:30 p.m. and end around 11 p.m. More info at www.shakespeare.cz.