In Australia, the 13th edition of the Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia (CaSFFA) has begun and this year it is taking place in three cities: Brisbane joins Melbourne and Adelaide.
In Melbourne (October 9–19), all of the films from the festival line-up will be screened. The festival opens with the successful film Caravan (dir. Zuzana Kirchnerová), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year. The program includes also another acclaimed feature by Katarína Gramatová, Promise I’ll be Fine (Tokyo IFF 2024). Following are audience favorites such as Waves (dir. Jiří Mádl) and Duchoň (dir. Peter Bebjak). The Australian premiere of the psychological drama Year of the Widow (dir. Veronika Lišková) will also be presented. The list of feature films is rounded off with the fairy tales Fichtelberg (dir. Šimon Koudela) and Princess Goldenhair (dir. Jan Těšitel).
Among the documentaries, Australian audiences can look forward to the premieres of the World Between Us (dir. Marie Dvořáková) and Chronicle (dir. Martin Kollar).
The program concludes with a short fiction Hot Flush (dir. Hana Hančinová), screened as part of the Shifting Currents: Student Shorts section.
There is an additional program at The Melbourne Cinémathèque, showcasing five Czechoslovak film classics.
Adelaide will host three days of screenings. On October 30, Caravan will open the local showcase. On Sunday, November 2, audiences can look forward to the fairy tale Princess Goldenhair. On November 8, two Czech films will be screened.
Caravan arrives in Brisbane on November 14. The next day, the audience can enjoy Princess Goldenhair and the documentary World Between Us. The 2025 edition of the festival wraps up on November 16.
More information at: casffa.com.au
