News archive / News detail
06.05.2005
Czech Film Center in Cannes for Second Time
Pavilion No 3 – 3 Countries from the Heart o
Czech Film Center in Cannes for Second TimePavilion No 3 – 3 Countries from the Heart of Europe
Press Release
Prague, 4 May 2005 – Next week marks the beginning of the 58th annual film festival in Cannes, France, Festival du Cannes, where the Czech Republic will be represented by Czech Film Center for the second year in a row at a prestigious pavilion in the festival’s international market. This year, the first ever Czech Production Guide will be released during the festival, four Czech films will be screened at the market, a foreign FAMU student’s film will be screened in the festival’s Cinefondation section, and Jiří Menzel will present his latest film project.
Like last year, Czech Film Center has managed once again to organize an all-inclusive presentation at the international film market in Cannes in the form of a prestigious pavilion in Village International, which is situated directly next to the main festival building. Here, together with the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland will also present their cinematography under the slogan Pavilion No 3 – 3 Countries from the Heart of Europe. The joint presentation will enable the three countries to share the costs of realizing the pavilion, while at the same time allowing each to promote their own national cinematographies and film industries relatively autonomously.
“The joint pavilion is excellent for visitors who might not actually be interested specifically in Poland, Slovakia or the Czech Republic, but who are looking at Central Europe in general. In your pavilion they can get information and materials on all three countries under one roof,” says Jerome Paillard, director of the festival’s market, Marché du Film.
Compared to last year, the pavilion is 50% bigger, with a total area of 75 m2 and a terrace of the same size. The contest to design the pavilion was won by set designer Martin Chocholoušek (Dejvické divadlo – Dejvice Theatre), who also contributed to designing last year’s documentary film festival in Jihlava and this year’s IFF Karlovy Vary among others.
Among the events organized by Czech Film Center in Cannes this year is the traditional welcome drink on Friday, 13 May 2005, hosted together with representatives of the Polish and Slovak film industries. On Sunday, May 17, 2005, the pavilion will host a party to celebrate the official release of the first Czech Production Guide. The publication is conceived to provide foreigners interested in filming in the Czech Republic all the information and contacts they need, and is a result of an initiative by Czech Film Commission, which operates under Czech Film Center. CFC is very pleased to announce that director Jiří Menzel will attend the festival. On Tuesday, May 17, 2005, he will present his new project, I Served the King of England based on the novel by Bohumil Hrabal, which he is working on with AQS and Bioscop.
The pavilion will, like last year, be a place where professionals from all over the world can meet, network, and gain information on the conditions for filming in and establishing co-productions with the Czech Republic. Also available in the pavilion will be promotional materials produced by Czech Film Center (catalogues, DVDs, etc.) and an archive of Czech films which can be viewed on the spot.
Under the framework of activities by European Film Promotion, of which CFC is a member, Producers on the Move will take place this year as in years past. Following Pavel Strnad (2003) and Vratislav Šlajer (2004), this year’s producer showcase will feature Helena Uldrichová from Barrandov Studios. Similar to Berlinale’s Shooting Star providing actors contacts on the European level, Producers on the Move will offer the same opportunity to nineteen European producers.
A FAMU student film and co-production of the Czech Republic, Iceland and Estonia, Slávek the Shit from FAMU student and director Grimur Hákonarson will be screened as part of the festival’s official student film section, Cinéfondation.
The market will feature screenings of Velvet murderers (seller – Montecristo Entertainment), From Subway with Love (seller – Česká produkční 2000), King of Thieves (Cine Internatinal Filmvertrieb), and Up and Down (Menemsha Entertainment).
Almost forty producers, distributors, sellers and other film industry heavyweights from the Czech Republic, e.g. Barrandov Studio, Negativ, Dawson, Bontonfilm and CinemArt, will attend the prestigious festival in Cannes this year.
CFC’s operations are financed by support from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and Czech Film Chamber.
Contact for further information:
Jana Černík, 724 329 949, , in Cannes (11-22 May 2005) +33 680 167 827
Markéta Šantrochová, 724 329 948, , in Cannes (11-22 May 2005) +33 680 168 576
Renata Elhenická, 602 935 760, .
