The ninth edition of the Czech and Slovak Film Festival in Sydney (30 March – 3 April 2022) will present a total of seven feature and five short Slovak (co)productions. The programme will include a film from the collections of the National Film Archive of the Slovak Film Institute, the comedy Pacho, Brigand of Hybe (1975).
The festival will kick off with the Australian premiere of the award-winning Servants (d. Ivan Ostrochovský), which had its world premiere at the prestigious Berlinale in 2020. For the first time, domestic audience will also see the documentary Caught in the Net (d. Barbora Chalupová, Vít Klusák). The film shining an urgent light on the taboo subject of the abuse of children on the internet will be screened together with the short animated film R a u u (d. Zlata Golecová). The romantic film Emma in Love (d. Jan Prušinovský) about relationships and forgiveness will be preceded by the student short Donna Bella (d. Emma Virág Csuport). Following its world premiere in Karlovy Vary, Bird Atlas (d. Olmo Omerzu) will also hit Australian cinema screens for the first time. Younger audience will appreciate the animated feature Even Mice Belong in Heaven (d. Jan Bubeníček, Denisa Grimmová) about two outsiders and mortal enemies who meet in animal heaven, where they lose their natural instincts. Another animated film in the programme is The Impossible Voyage (d. Noro Držiak). The life story of M. R. Štefánik will be screened together with the student film Tomato Hairytage (d. Laura Kočanová).
Classic Slovak cinema will be represented by a digitally restored film Pacho, Brigand of Hybe (1975) by Martin Ťapák, one of the very few, truly successful example of Slovak film parody, enhanced with numerous clichés from official Slovak folklore. The comedy will be screened together with the animated short Overboard! (d. Filip Pošivač, Barbora Valecká), the pilot of an upcoming series for children, which plays with the canonical story of Ark. Among short films, the festival will also present the student film Sami (d. Ondrej Hraška).
More information:
https://www.csfilmfest.sydney/
Related articles:
2021: Twelve Slovak films in Sydney
2020: Slovak films in Australian drive-ins and online
2019: 7th Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia
2018: 6th Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia
