denicek@kviff.com

Tomorrow’s program

strana/page 8, 9, 10

Showcasing KVIFF’s independent spirit

strana/page 3

Regional talent showseastern promise

strana/page 4

ENGLISH SECTION

day

2DIVÁCKÁ CENA / AUDIENCE AWARDDENÍKUVote for the best film of the 47th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival!

strana/page 2

Saturday, June 30, 2012 free • strana / page 1

Festival DailyTHE OFFICIAL ENGLISH DAILY OF THE 47TH KARLOVY VARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

SPECIAL EDITION OF

Ira SachsDirector, co-scriptwriter, Keep the Lights On

Good Vibrations, whichscreened last night, was one of themost eagerly awaited KVIFFopening films in recent years. Di-rectors Glenn Leyburn and LisaBarros D’Sa, as well as lead ac-tor Richard Dormer, came toKarlovy Vary with this darklycomic biopic of Belfast punk im-presario Terri Hooley, set at theheight of the Northern Irish Trou-bles. n Why did you decide to

make a film about Terri Hooley,who’s not really that wellknown outside of Belfast?

LBD: At the time, [DJ andcomposer] David Holmes − whois a producer on the project andalso did the music − and I had aproduction company. We’d madeshorts and were looking for ourfirst feature project for Glenn andI to direct. We’d read a lot oftreatments for a lot of scripts andyou could just tell there wassomething very special about this.Yes, it was a local Belfast charac-ter that not many other peopleknow, but what was immediatelyevident was that this was a reallyuniversal story. It’s about thepower of resistance and aboutyouth and creativity and theirpower to resist even the darkest oftimes and the darkest of situa-tions. n Did you have to convince

Terri to go along with it?LBD: We wanted to celebrate

everything Terri achieved. But ifTerri hadn’t wanted to do it, itwouldn’t have happened. Wewanted something very posi-tive...but you know we’re not try-ing to portray Terri as a saint. It’sa detailed look at a man who hashis flaws as much as anyone. Hewas very, very involved. Thescript was based on conversa-tions he had...based on his story.He was hugely involved in that.He read early drafts of the script.He visited us on set quite often,as did his family and friends.Terri was even at the wrap partyDJing.

n What did he think of theend product?

LBD: Before our premiere inNorthern Ireland we were verynervous about it and I think Terriwas understandably nervous aboutit. But he really loved the film andwas so gracious. Afterwards, hesaid there were moments that hedid find tough to watch but in theend he felt really good about it.We were glad of that.n Did you consciously decide

to have such a predominantlyNorthern Irish cast and crew?

GL: We actually had a mix ofpeople from north, south, and be-yond but there are a lot of keypeople from Northern Ireland andI suppose it’s a testament to wherethe Northern Irish film industry isat the moment, which is a prettygood place. We have Game ofThrones [being made] in the town.

That’s coming up to three yearsnow. It’s normal to have quite bigHollywood productions therethese days. The skill set withincrews is tremendous.n Snow Patrol provided

funding for the film. How didthey get involved?

LBD: They didn’t have to bepersuaded at all. Snow Patrolhave been big fans of the storyfrom the word go...They’ve beenso enthusiastic about getting thisfilm made. [Drummer] JonnyQuinn actually used to work inTerri’s shop and was in a bandwith Terri at one point. They’veknown Terri for years and reallyappreciate what he’s done. I thinkhe was a big inspiration to themas well as so many other people.There couldn’t have been morelove and enthusiasm from themabout getting the film made. And

of course they invested in it. Thefilm wouldn’t have happenedwithout their investment it’s fairto say, but they’ve also been real-ly involved the whole waythrough. n In what ways?LBD: There’s a big gig in the

film at the Ulster Hall, which is abig venue in Northern Ireland...Our only problem [with filmingit] was that, on our budget, wehad to fill it with 2,000 people -2,000 extras are not easy to find,especially when there’s not muchcash around. We were actuallygoing to do crowd multiplication,CGI, etc. , but then the Snow Pa-trol guys said they might be will-ing to play a little gig for us andtalk to their fans about comingalong as extras, which they weremore than happy to do... So theycame in their thousands, we were

able to fill the hall and the audi-ence were fantastic. It was anamazing concert.n Richard, did you consult

with Terri on how you shouldplay him?

RD: When we did the pilot, Iwent down to his Good Vibrationsshop just to meet him and talk tohim, because I hadn’t met him be-fore. He took me for an Ulster fry.And then for a pint. And then thepint turned into three pints. [Ini-tially] we were a bit guardedabout each other − I was trying towork him out and he was trying towork me out. But I think by theend of that meeting, we had a mu-tual “Yeah, you’re ok, kind ofthing.” I really like the guy, and Ithink that really helps. You have tolike somebody to be able to givethem a bit of humanity and a bitof soul. n

(Left to right): Good Vibrations directors Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa with actor Richard Dormer.

Ph

oto

: Jan

Han

dre

jch

Punk hooley opens KVIFF

If you got here early enough,you may have caught one ofKVIFF’s stranger pre-festivalrituals – the inflating of the Es-pace Dorleans. This blow-updome outside the Thermal isone of the weirder film venuesKarlovy Vary has to offer, butby no means the most unique.

Alongside the ever-variedlineup of films, the KVIFF vis-itor has their pick of an astonishing range of cinemastyles. Whether it’s the small town 1950s Americanavibe at the Čas Cinema (also a great post-film hang-out) or the gilded neo-Baroque splendour of theKarlovy Vary Municipal Theater (pictured), everyscreen at KVIFF gives you something impossible tofind in mainstream multiplexes – charm. Several ofKVIFF’s screens are housed in rather grand build-ings, including fancy local hotels like the Richmondand Pupp, and the spa Lázně III. And though notquite as plush as the Municipal, the Husovka The-ater is gorgeous inside. But be warned; many of the

theaters are very small, mostseating under 250, so it’s cru-cial to get those tickets early.

Though tickets are some-times scarce, the limited seat-ing ensures intimacy, and oftencamaraderie with the otherfilmgoers. Only in the Ther-mal’s vast Grand Hall is theexperience different. With thetiers of crimson seats and the

massive cast-concrete abstract reliefs flanking thescreen, this is real spectacle. The feeling of waitingin this epic structure with over a thousand eager fansfor a competition film to premiere is not to bemissed.

Oh, and if you’re looking for Drahomíra Cinemaand find Kino Panasonic instead, don’t worry;you’re in the right place. Drahomíra was renovatedseveral years ago, adopting the electronics giant’sname and logo. But it’s still an arthouse cinema atheart, and no-one’s stopped calling it Drahomíraanyway. (PLC)

EXPLAINERSEE YOU THERE

KVIFF cinemas as diverse as the program

One of the great things about festivals is that you cancatch up on films that you haven’t had a chance to see be-fore. Margaret is a film that came and went quickly in theUS and is now being heralded as one of the greatest Amer-ican films of the past few years so I want to see that. TheFiremen’s Ball is a very important Czech film that I stud-ied because the way in which the film is shot by the won-derful cinematographer Miroslav Ondříček is a very partic-ular style that influenced me in the creation of my film FortyShades of Blue. It’s a Czech style – a sort of beautiful real-ism that’s also highly influenced by photo-journalism anddocumentary.

Margaret screens today at 10am in the Thermal’s GrandHall and on July 4 at 7pm in the Pupp Cinema. The Fire-men’s Ball screens today at 2pm in the Thermal’s GrandHall and on July 6 at 7pm in the Pupp Cinema. Ira Sachs’film Keep the Lights On screens today at 7pm in the Con-gress Hall, July 2 at 10pm in the Espace Dorleans Cinemaand on July 7 at 10:30am in the Congress Hall. (GP) Photo: KVIFF

Despite the minimalist logoof the 47th edition, there wasnothing pared down about KV-IFF’s opening night kick-off atthe Thermal’s Grand Hall Fri-day night, which went off withall the usual pomp and glam.

The festival’s trademarktrailer, or znělka, is a closelyguarded secret in the weeksleading up to opening night,but audiences, dressed in theirfinery, after being blown awaywith original choreographednumbers, light and sound FXcreated by the inimitable teamof brothers Michal and ŠimonCaban, finally got to glimpsethe short film. The piece, cre-ated by Czech director IvanZachariáš turned out to bea fine tribute to Czech film-making legend and mentorOtakar Vávra, who died lastyear aged 100 and taught suchfolk as Miloš Forman theircraft.

Terri Hooley, another leg-end, at least on the NorthernIrish punk scene, was, ofcourse, the subject of the open-ing night film, Good Vibra-tions by Lisa Barros D´Saand Glenn Leyburn. But theextra vigilant should have spot-ted the former rocker himselfin a cameo role as a squeeze-box player in the trad folkband. And when Hooley’sdaughter is born in the film,guess who’s the deliveringnurse?

Yep, his actual daughter,now grown. How meta can youget? n

THE LOWDOWN

NOTICETwo films −Volcanos and

Carnival and Vertigo − havebeen removed from the blocksof Michelangelo Antonionishorts scheduled to screen atKVIFF. The remaining sevenfilms will still be shown. To-morrow’s screening of Marleyat Lázně III has been movedfrom 1:30pm to 10:30am. n

Photo: Jan Handrejch

STRANA / PAGE 2 SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

FESTIVAL DAILYTHE OFFICIAL ENGLISH DAILY OF THE 47TH KARLOVY VARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

denicek@kviff.com

Autentická česká a asijská kuchyně.

Unikátní lázně v bývalé renesanční kapli.

Originální koktejly v moderním baru.

Nezapomenutelné oslavy, bankety, svatby.

Nejpříjemnější personál v Praze.

Víc než jen luxusní postele.

Nebovidská 459/1, 118 00 Praha 1, tel.: 233 088 888, www.MandarinOriental.com/Prague

Antonioni Shorts ProgramDirector: Michelangelo AntonioniItaly, 1940s, various short filmsJune 30, 10am, Cinema B

What better way to start the day than with this collection of several pic-turesque shorts by Antonioni, many of them lyrical documentary studiesof bygone cultures in provincial and urban Italy filmed mainly in and ob-servant, passive style without much intervention in each of the films' re-

spective subjects. N.U. and People of the Po Valley are especially striking and look forward to the director's ma-ture period. Italy's post-war documentary wave – notable also in the early films of Vittorio De Seta – is too ofteneclipsed by the neorealist fictions of De Sica and others. This is a unique opportunity to dive headfirst into thislargely forgotten tradition and to see some of its most exemplary specimens.

MargaretDirector: Kenneth LonerganUSA, 2011, 150 minJune 30, 10am, Grand Hall

You'd frankly have to be nuts not to jump at the chance to see KennethLonergan's film maudit; a long-time-in-the-works, nearly unreleased mas-terpiece that is surely a contender for the best American film of the youngcentury. In an "indie" film landscape dominated by quirky stories of dys-

functional families embarking on journeys of self-discovery (Little Miss Sunshine and its ilk), Margaret offersa potent anecdote and a reminder that low-budget American cinema can still be thoughtful and complex. Start-ing with a devastating incident in the life of Margaret, a teenager in Manhattan, Lonergan spends the next twoand a half hours exploring the haunting echoes of the trauma and the eventual catharsis.

You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ YetDirector: Alain ResnaisFrance, Germany, 2011, 115 minJune 30, 10am, Čas Cinema

I haven't seen Alain Resnais's latest film − which recently premiered inCannes − but I can count on one hand the number of filmmakers who be-gan their careers before 1950 and are still tirelessly working. This wouldseem like a mere technicality or dubious distinction, but in Resnais's case,

like Manoel de Oliveira's, there are very good reasons for him going on, not least because he is one of the mostyouthful filmmakers around, always trying out new ideas with a somewhat reckless abandon. Resnais's filmsevidence a worldview unlike any other, equal parts pop and rigorous intellectual cinema.

AlpsDirector: Yorgos LanthimosGreece, 2011, 93 minJune 30, 1:30pm, Richmond

One of the better films in the Venice competition, but not an easy oneto like for its dark, ghastly and ultimately perplexing view of humanity.Lanthimos has found a complete freedom of tools as well as the trust ofhis collaborators – the outstanding lead performers (Aggeliki Papoulia,

Ariane Labed), his producing collaborator Athina Rachel Tsangari (Attenberg), etc. – to be able to generous-ly carve out a vision of a world for audiences, and the results are hauntingly precise. n

Gabe KlingerWriter, Film Comment/Sight & Sound

REVIEWERS RECOMMEND

Hay Road –a quietly desperate western

By Klára Kolářová, Will Tizard

Rodrigo Areias’s film, HayRoad, is a fascinating hybrid ofwestern, road movie, anda philosophical consideration ofthe corruption and so-calledprogress of modern civilization.

The Portuguese director usesthe main character’s love for thewritings of Henry David Thoreauto explore these issues as theman returns home from the coldnorth to take revenge on killersand thieves who have victimizedhis family.

Areias says Thoreau’s 19th-century advocacy of civil dis-obedience has relevance todaybecause it’s a “way of present-ing basic principles that becamean important thesis for the fightfor human rights.”

This theme also resonates intoday’s era of global economicmeltdown, he adds, “but theproblems that led to this crisisare much older and much deep-er within our capitalist culture.”

The director’s bold decisionto make his film as a westernwas born both of his love of thegenre and his desire to try some-thing almost unknown in Portu-gal.

“It’s a genre that I think haseverything to do with the sub-ject and time of action,” he says.“I wanted to make a film wherethe genre influences the charac-ter. So it’s a western character ina Portuguese film.”

The decision cost him, he ex-plains. “I knew it would be verydifficult to get any funds to fi-nance such a film. So we decid-ed to go for it anyway withoutany money.”

And that, in turn, determinedlargely what scope his kind ofwestern would have - though healso found creative ways to in-clude homages to his mostbeloved inspirations.

“As for cinematographic refer-ences, I think that all John Ford,Sam Peckinpah, and SergioLeone’s [works] are mandatory,but also Dead Man by Jim Jar-musch and El Topo by [Alejan-dro] Jodorowsky are extremelyimportant for me. And, of course,a lot of comics like Blueberry…”

The silence of typical westerncharacters was also an attractionfor Areias, he admits.

“I’m not sure that it’s a showof manhood,” he explains. “Ithas more to do with his lonely

journey. He starts as an isolatedman who lives away from every-body, more in the style of DavidHenry Thoreau in Walden, andhe is translating Civil Disobedi-ence into Portuguese. Then hehas to travel back into his oldlife and finds a corrupt countrythat he has to fight.”

Locations were key, of course,and the director says that, ex-cept for the opening, which wasshot “in the extreme north ofFinnish Lapland,” everythingwas shot in Portugal.

“Most of the action was set inPortugal between Serra da Es-trela and high Alentejo follow-ing the original tracks of shep-herds. The main idea was to tryto be as accurate as possibleconcerning the route.”

Hay Road screens today at5pm in the Thermal’s GrandHall and tomorrow at 1:30pmat the Pupp Cinema. n

Hay Road owes a debt to Henry David Thoreau.

Photo: KVIFF

The Almost Man –irony as escapefrom adulthood

Jaroslav Švelch

Festival Daily talked to Mar-tin Lund about his Official Se-lection competition entry, whichpaints a bleak portrait of oneNorwegian father-to-be’s refusalto live up to reality.n The film really clicked

with me as I have some friendswho are lot like Henrik...

I have some old friends whoact much like Henrik’s friendsin the movie. They don’t act likethis all the time, but the malecodes, the way they goof aroundand behave, have been my in-spiration... As for Henrik,I think it is possible to see one-self in him even though veryfew of us do so many stupidthings in such a short times-pan... Henrik is the extract, thedistillation.n Is this kind of prolonged

puberty and fear of commit-ment widespread in Norway?Is it considered an issue ona more general level?

In a way I feel I belong toa generation that’s based verymuch on irony and playingaround. I think this is an inter-esting thing, pushing adulthoodfurther away, prolonging theneed for getting serious. Thatsaid, I haven’t made this film asa comment on Norwegian life.When I write I describe thethings that are close to me, thatI find interesting and true. If ithits a nerve with someone,

and/or in a broader sense, it’sgreat.n Henrik Rafaelsen gives

a terrific performance in thefilm. How did you cast him asthe lead? Did it take much topersuade him to take on a partlike this?

I had seen Henrik in a coupleof things... I made a pilot at anearly stage and that was a greatway to see if we clicked, and wereally did! After that I wrote thescript more or less knowingHenrik would do the part. Thefunny thing is that Henrik re-cently became a father for thefirst time... That was a nice co-incidence that made it easier toclose in on the things the char-acter struggles with.n There have been quite

a few contemporary Norwe-gian films about thirty-some-things with identity issues;yours seems to be more realis-tic and − given that it is about

somebody who uses irony asdefense − not as ironic.

Hehe... yes. I used to joke thatI was making yet another filmabout a thirty-something guytrying to find himself. The thingis I didn’t plan on this themewhen I started writing. In theNorwegian Film institute’s ex-perimental “NyeVeier” pro-gram, the idea was that I wrotescenes and situations withoutplot or character journeys linedup. This gave me freedom to de-scribe moments as honestly asI could. When I took a step backI realized that I was writingabout a man trying to keep hisfeet on the ground, while theground was moving beneathhim.

The Almost Man screens to-day at 8pm in the Thermal’sGrand Hall. You can also see ittomorrow at 10:30am in thePupp Cinema. n

OFFICIAL SELECTIONOFFICIAL SELECTION

Thirty-something angst abounds in The Almost Man.

Photo: KVIFF

STRANA / PAGE 3SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

FESTIVAL DAILYTHE OFFICIAL ENGLISH DAILY OF THE 47TH KARLOVY VARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

denicek@kviff.com

Veteran Slovak cinematogra-pher Stanislav Szomolányi ar-rives today, here to represent therestored print of The Sun in aNet, a watershed 1962 film mark-ing the start of the CzechoslovakNew Wave. And born in the sameyear that classic was released, re-spected Czech actor VladimírJavorský arrives today at the topof his game after playing the leadin Czech Lion winner FlowerBuds, a strong contender in theEast of the West section. Ja-vorský’s faultless portrayal of aman consumed by a relentlessgambling addiction is highly rec-ommended viewing. YoungCzech actor Vojta Kotek gets in-to town today to support Alice

Nellis’ thoughtful adaptation ofLiz Lochhead’s Perfect Days,part of the Czech Films 2011–2012 section this year.

Young Canadian Rafaël Ouel-let, writer, director and editor ofCamion, arrives today for the Of-ficial Selection. He was first seenat KVIFF with the Forum of In-dependents selection of his thirdfeature, the 2009 New Denmark,which he also wrote, directed,shot and edited. This dedicatedauteur is one to watch.

Another multi-talented risingstar is arriving today for her Fo-rum of Independents offeringLeave Me Like You Found Me;Adele Romanski is best knownas a producer of independent

American films, but is also nostranger to the editing room withtwo features and three shorts un-der her belt. This is her debut inthe writer/director’s chair, andshe’s joined at KVIFF by leadMegan Boone.

In the Another View section,award-winning documentaristEster Martin Bergsmark pres-ents a portrait of transgenderedartist Eli Levén in She MaleSnails. Also look out today forthe arrival of Noor, the epony-mous lead in the unique trans-formational road movie abouttransgender life in Pakistan.Playing yourself is never easy,and especially courageous inthis case. (PLC)

FACES

Rafaël Ouellet Ester Martin BergsmarkVladimír Javorský

016lidí na pokoji

220minut hádky o smysl

chilského filmu

006ochutnávek pramenů při cestě z Puppu do

Thermalu

143minut v lijáku v letním kině

007ročníků spaní v tělocvičně

024hodin denně jen o vodě

a oplatkách

356dní netrpělivého

čekání na začátek

978minut filmů

během jednoho dne

A co jste ochotni kvůli festivalu udělat vy?

Gillian Purves

The Forum of Independents isa competitive section in which 12feature films vie for the Inde-pendent Camera Award. This di-verse dozen serves up a healthysmattering of strong female leads,some highly inventive narrativestructures, and locations fromDubrovnik to Quebec to HongKong. The independent nature ofthe films often means they aremade on a shoestring budget byyoung up-and-coming filmmak-ers. “We try to give a chance toindependent filmmakers who arevery often not just the directorsbut also the screenwriters, actorsand even producers of theirfilms,” says Ivana Novotná, Sen-ior Programmer for KVIFF. “It isa platform where we screen a lotof feature film debuts.

This year we will offer threeworld premieres, two Europeanpremieres and seven interna-tional premieres,” Ivana says.

French-language Canadian pro-duction Fair Sex offers usa glimpse of life through the lensof newly graduated filmmakerand seasonal amusement parkworker Sophie, who goes ona very personal journey to facethe demons of her childhood inAfrica. “I think this film is verytouching and very moving. I thinkit speaks about topics which inEurope and especially in CentralEurope people don’t really talkabout,” says Novotná.

Noor (France, Pakistan), too, isan intimate study of the epony-

mous central character, wholeaves a transgender communityin Pakistan and embarks on a jour-ney both literal and metaphorical,on a quest for true love. Accord-ing to Novotná, “Noor is similarto Fair Sex in that it has the feel ofa video diary. It’s so personal andintense.”

“Vacuum is also very realistic,”says Ivana. “The actor who playsthe husband is also the director soin a way he is part of the film aswell.” Indeed Giorgio Cugnostraddled the roles of actor, direc-tor and screenwriter for this bleakyet engaging Italian productioncentered on a young familyblighted by postpartum depres-sion and economic recession.

Like Fair Sex, the Dutch pro-duction Inside introduces us toa young girl who is strugglingwith dark memories, this time inthe setting of a youth correction-al facility. “I think the director isa very talented filmmaker,” saysNovotná. “The actress who playsthe main character is very strong;her performance is great and verysubtle. You don’t get very muchinformation about her but asa viewer you are still interested inher story.”

Polish production In a Bed-room also leaves questions unan-swered. In director TomaszWasilewski’s feature debut wefollow 40-something Edyta as shedrives around a Polish city, tryingto disentangle herself from the cri-sis she has found herself in. “Asa viewer you suddenly see her andyou don’t know anything about

her. You have to use your own ex-perience to fill in certain gaps inthe film and I think that this givesthe film a great atmosphere of un-certainty,” says Novotná.

American film Leave Me LikeYou Found Me functions asa mirror held up to our own lives.A couple who have reunited aftera period of separation go ona camping trip together. In scenesthat will be uncomfortably famil-iar to many viewers, the relation-ship begins to unravel anew as theold cracks start to show again.

Moroccan/Swiss productionThe Miscreants offers something

completely different. When ontheir way to perform a play,a group of young Moroccan ac-tors are kidnapped by an extrem-ist gang. “We really fell for thisfilm immediately after watchingit,” says Novotná. “The film is sowell written psychologically. Youreally feel everything with thecharacters.”

Wherever You Go, from Israel,offers up more tense moments.The lives of two young womenbecome entwined when one isdriving to a wedding and her caris stopped by the other. DirectorRony Sasson Angel will attend

the festival, as will the directorsof most of the films in the Forumof Independents section. Novotnáis happy to say that “all the filmswill have delegations in KarlovyVary. There will be an introduc-tion before and a Q&A after eachfilm so people can talk to thefilmmakers.”

The biggest delegation by farwill be for the mockumentaryNoseland. The director/protago-nist of the film is getting marriedjust before the screening and thewhole wedding party of morethan 30 people are getting ona bus and heading to the festival.

No doubt they will set a celebra-tory tone to the proceedings.Noseland takes us on an irrever-ent roller-coaster ride througha classical music festival inDubrovnik. Expect blistering self-deprecation from Hollywoodheavyweight John Malkovich anda delightful impersonation ofa gay snake by Sir Roger Moore.

There is another nod towardsthe world of classical music in theSerbian film Death of a Man inBalkans. A music composercommits suicide in his apartmentand we are privy to the subse-quent arrival of the man’s neigh-bors and the emergency servicesvia a webcam that has been leftactivated on the composer’s com-puter. Our vantage point as ob-servers from a fixed point givesthe film the feel of a theater pro-duction.

Meanwhile, black-and-whiteGerman production Oh Boy takesus for a stroll around modern-dayBerlin in the company of offbeat20-something Niko. This is an ac-complished feature debut for di-rector Jan Ole Gerster.

And last but by no means least,Love Me Not (Hong Kong) con-siders what might happen if a gaygirl develops feelings for her gaymale friend.

What is striking about the se-lection of independent films atKVIFF this year is the incrediblydiverse array of topics, bound bytheir creators’ ingenuity when itcomes to realizing their visions.These filmmakers take risks thatpay off. n

“Jak se máš” (pronounced yak se mahsh) isknown to most Western audiences as a typicalKazakh greeting popularized by British comic ac-tor Sacha Baron Cohen. In fact, it is the standardinformal way of saying “How are you?” in Czech.(Trivia-fiends may be delighted to learn that manyveteran Prague expats insist that Cohen picked upthe catchphrase for his popular Borat characterwhen he hung out in the Prague Klub Borat wayback in the 1990s).

There are a number of responses that you can useif someone asks you this question − although if theydon’t know you, you’ll more likely hear “Jak semáte” because, like the French, Czechs use the sec-

ond person plural when they want to be polite. (Somake sure you say “Yak se mahte” when you asksomeone how they are in more formal situations).

Standard answers to the query include “Jde to”(deh toe), which roughly translates as “Oh, alright,I suppose,” “Mám se dobře” or simply “Dobře”(mam se dob-rshe/dob-rshe), i.e., “Things are fine!”and “Špatně” (shpat-nyeh), meaning “Things arebad!”

Of course, at KVIFF, you’re more likely to say“Uf, mám hroznou kocovinu” (Oof, mam hroznokotso-vinu) which means “Ugh, I’ve got a terriblehangover!” Definitely a useful phrase to know atthis kind of festival! (COC)

Diverse dozen displays independent spirit

Facing up to childhood demons in Canadian film Fair Sex.

Czech, please!

Photo: KVIFF

STRANA / PAGE 4 SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012

FESTIVAL DAILYTHE OFFICIAL ENGLISH DAILY OF THE 47TH KARLOVY VARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

denicek@kviff.com

Jiří KonečnýProducer, Czech Republic

n Have you got any films atKVIFF?

Besides being on the docu-mentary jury, I’m also here withthe world premiere of Made inAsh, Iveta Grófová’s debut fea-ture. It’s opening the East of theWest competition today. Anoth-er film I produced – A Night TooYoung by Olmo Omerzu, whichpremiered at the Berlinale – is al-so on the festival program. OnJuly 3, we’ll introduce FamilyFilm, a new project we’ve beendeveloping with Olmo Omerzu.On the same day, I’ll present theEugenic Minds documentaryproject by Pavel Štingl at theDocu Talents from the Eastpanel. And in the second half ofthe festival we plan to makea surprising presentation of Gas-ton, a project by Martin Dušekthat is under development.n All work and no play?In my spare time I’m looking

forward to swimming in theThermal’s outdoor pool. I’llwatch the Euro 2012 final duringour Made in Ash evening partyon Sunday. I have to see Yumaby Piotr Mularuk and David Cro-nenberg’s Cosmopolis. (WT)

WHAT AM IDOING HERE?

FooPaaJaltská 7 ☎ 722 658 334www.foopaa.czOpen daily 9am-4am

The venue that many KVIFFveterans will remember as thegrungy Klub Rotes Berlin hassince taken a definite step upmar-ket. FooPaa (pronounced fauxpas) charges a 50 CZK cover, butthat’s a small price to pay if you’relooking for a slightly more high-end nightlife experience inKarlovy Vary. With an elegant in-terior and friendly efficient staff,this slick club-cum-bar offersa healthy choice of cocktails in the80-120 CZK price range. You canalso get a Stella Artois beer for 40CZK and all the usual shooters for60-90 CZK. During the daylighthours, this place doubles up asa classy cafe, offering a decentbreakfast with coffee for just 80CZK. They also serve various tor-tillas, paninis, and bruschetta for

a reasonable 65-110 CZK. Hun-gry nightowls will also appreciatethe fact that FooPaa even sellsa selection of pizzas for 100 CZKapiece until the place closes in thewee small hours. (COC)

DobrotkyZeyerova 2 Open daily 8am-10pm

Named simply after the Czechword for treats, this unprepossess-ing street food place is known tolongtime festivalgoers as a reli-able, cheap, and cheerful outlet forthe Bohemian specialty, palačinky.Made fresh before your blearyeyes on the hot grill, this sweet orsavory pancake − choose your fill-ing at 35 CZK each − makes fora decadent start to the day that, inall likelihood, is a better optionthan what your hotel is putting out.Dark chocolate or nougat are de-cided faves among the youthfulcrowd that queues up here in theearly hours. Afternoon or evening

top-ups tend more toward cheese,ham, or the Czech cream cheeseequivalent, tvaroh. No tables onthe street were visible here at press

time but clientele seem just as hap-py to take their crêpes away and sitby the fountain on T.G. Masarykato enjoy their bounty. What’s

more, it’s all just a 10-minute strollwest of the Thermal − just enoughto allow for a healthy walk anda quick, tasty refueling. (WT)

Following the popularity oflast year’s program, KVIFF hasorganized some eagerly-await-ed master classes and talks. To-day’s controversial subject is“Why Would You StealMovies?” at 11:30am in thePress Conference Hall, withUS director and producer Tay-lor Hackford (Devil’s Advo-cate, Ray) leading the panel.The discussion will be in Eng-lish and Czech with simultane-ous interpretation.

Today, for the fourth yearrunning, the ČEZ Group arehosting their free, one day mu-sic festival ČEZ Energy Festat Poštovní dvůr. Open to any-one with accreditation or a fes-tival pass, there’s a huge lineuprunning all the way from 1pmto 2am.

And at 5pm at Lázně III isthe Reflextor gala openingwith a gallery show, silent slap-stick with live piano, and muchmore. (PLC)

ON THE TOWN

DAILIES

Peter Le Couteur

Located firmly in Central Eu-rope, and yet less than 50kmfrom Germany, KVIFF is per-fectly positioned to act as a gate-way to the rise and rise of film-making in those countries Eastof the West. From the CzechRepublic all the way to Bel-grade, this fairly recent additionto the competition list at KVIFFshowcases the talents of a di-verse region with unique and of-ten disturbing stories to tell. Thisis a chance to experience cul-tures rarely accessible to West-ern audiences.

Toomas Hussar’s tragicomicnational character study Mush-rooming and Zdeněk Jiráský’sharrowing but darkly funnyFlower Buds are the Czech of-ferings for this year. Flower Budsis near flawless film-making; nosurprises that it won the CzechLion for Best Film. Charting theinexorable downfall of the centralcharacter Jarda, Jiráský takes anunflinching look at small townlife in today’s Czech Republic.As with many of the other filmsin this section, we’re never farfrom the seedier side of life; wecan chart the damage that the lo-cal “herna” bar’s slot machinesand strip shows does to personalrelationships. The situation insmall-town Latvia is fairly simi-lar, with the teenage ennui ofweed and petty crime in AikKarapetian’s People Out Therebroken only by the fleeting prom-ise of romance and a better life.Handheld camerawork adds tothe realism in this exploration ofthe effects of environment oncharacter.

Youthful dreams of romancedissolving into casino strip-shows seems a popular motif thisyear, featuring strongly in IvetaGrófová’s gripping and uncom-fortable docudrama Made inAsh. We follow the life of Doro-ta, an optimistic Slovakian Ro-many girl who travels to Aš (pro-nounced “ash”), the CzechRepublic’s westernmost town, tofind work after graduating fromhighschool. “We should enjoyour youth because life is hardwhen you’re old and then youend up in the ground.” Thischeerful line from the graduationsong pretty much sets the tonefor Grófová’s deeply unsettling

exploration of life on the infa-mous road to the German border,where young women offer them-selves to passing drivers. Madein Ash’s extensive use of non-ac-tors and real locations guaranteesa disturbingly authentic look atthis brutal landscape.

There are, of course, alwaysstrong links with Western film-making, but this year there’sa direct connection with classicwesterns. Piotr Mularuk’s por-trait of a charming modern-dayPolish outlaw in Yuma refer-ences Delmer Daves’ iconic3:10 to Yuma with powerful re-sults. Continually echoing themusic and cinematography to

bring irony and depth to his sto-ry, Mularuk manages to avoidbeing heavy-handed. This is def-initely one to watch, and don’tbe surprised if you find yourselfreturning to Daves’ classic after-wards. From life during the col-lapse of communism, we moveto a troubling look at modernday Poland from Filip Mar-czewski, whose full-length debutShameless explores the themesset out in his well-received stu-dent short Melodrama abouta young man’s more-than-broth-erly interest in his elder half-sis-ter.

If Yuma links former troubleswith those of the present, Péter

Bergendy’s Hungarian psycho-logical police thriller The Examand Eva Neymann’s psychologi-cal portrait of a Russian childHouse with a Turret are setfirmly in the Soviet past. Both ofthese beautifully shot pieces dis-play a deep sensitivity for clas-sic cinematography, achievinga timeless aesthetic perfectly ap-propriate for their subjects. Al-though he thought he was livingin the up-to-date 1960s, a youngRomanian doctor finds himselftrapped in a small-town time-warp in Silvio Purcărete’s Some-where in Palilula. And returningto the past through his archivedHungarian secret police file, thelead in Sára Cserhalmi’s DearBetrayed Friends discovers theextent to which tyranny cancompromise even the closestfriendships. This is a late, un-scheduled addition to the pro-gram, so keep an eye out forscreening times.

It’s not all misery in the Eastthough; deep in Lithuania, a ro-mantic young scientist is jour-neying into the mind of a co-matose woman in the sci-fiVanishing Waves, finding spec-tacular visuals and meditationson how dreams influence reality.And Bojan Vuletić’s PracticalGuide to Belgrade with Singingand Crying delivers what itpromises with a collection ofgently ironic short storiesdemonstrating that there aremany kinds of dream. Although(as Vuletić puts it) Belgradecan’t quite make the grade forthe EU, “By making love toguests from abroad, Belgradecitizens are at least one stepcloser to Europe.” n

No shortage of talent East of the West

The opening ceremony dives into action.

Photo: Jan Handrejch

Czech President Václav Klaus and his wife Livia.

Photo: Milan Malíček

Crystal Globe winner Helen Mirren and husband Taylor Hackford.

Photo: Milan Malíček

Chronicling the life of a Polish outlaw in Piotr Mularuk’s Yuma.

Photo: KVIFF

Club-cum-bar FooPaa serves pizzas till 4am.

Photo: KVIFF