Press Release Oct. 23, 2012 The 16th Jihlava IDFF 2012 – A hunting-style opening and a world premiere On Tuesday evening, this year's edition of the Jihlava-based celebration of documentary film making started with an opening ceremony hosted by actors of the Vosto5 theater Jiří Havelka and Ondřej Cihlář at the DKO. The opening night was styled as a game-hunting event and introduced the unorthodox “forest-mood” festival jingle by Petra Nesvačilová which features mushroom and mushroom-picking themes. “Love and mushrooms have one thing in common – they always find a way to grow” concluded the hosts of the evening clarifying the connection between mushrooms and documentaries. The opening ceremony also featured an original Jihlava poet, Mr. Eliáš. “I am glad that at a time when Dalailamism is the word of the day, we are screening films by Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei; prison terms are handed out for drawing head antennae on politicians' billboards but we can screen a film on Roman Smetana (a recipient of such sentence) with whom documentary film makers Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda have been in busy contact for over six months,” stated festival director Marek Hovorka outlining the corner stones of the festival program. For the sixths time running, the Respect weekly has collaborated with the Jihlava festival on a contest for the news report of the year. The award seeks works which pose difficult questions, delve into the core of the matter and show their subject issue in its relevant context. In a period when Czech journalism is subjected to a trying test of quality, any award highlighting such commendable qualities is very beneficial. This year, the Respect award goes to Czech Television reporters Markéta Dobiášová and Aneta Snopová for charting the tangled events surrounding the purchase of the Spanish CASA military airplanes. 1 World premiere, 480 volunteers and 14 professional crews The colorful Jihlava showcase of 177 documentary films started with the world premiere of Czech Lands - Your Home!. Using footage from ordinary Czechs' hand-held and cellphone cameras, director Adolf Zika captured the extraordinariness of an ordinary day in the Czech Republic. The incredible number of 480 volunteers and 14 professional crews were involved in the making of the documentary. A broad spectrum of special festival guests This year, the Jihlava festival offers many opportunities to meet very special guests. You can look forward to meeting Chinese writer Gao Xingjian, the author of the worldwide bestseller Soul Mountain which won him the 2000 Nobel Prize. An equally interesting discussion can be expected with representatives of the Ukrainian FEMEN feminist movement whose members have gained notoriety for their protests during which they bare their breasts to draw attention to women's rights or to speak against religious institutions or sexual tourism.
Introducing the juries The members of the festival juries were introduced at the opening ceremony. The single juror of the Opus Bonum category is director Xavier Christiaens. In Between the Seas, the jurors are Jeremy Orlebar, Mohammadreza Farzad and Tomáš Hrubý. Czech Joy will be judged by Ivan Havel, Martin Mareček, Tamara Moyzes and Vítězslav Schrek. The experimental-film category entitled Fascinace has a family jury consisting of Patr Skala, his wife Hana Skalová and their daughter Bohdana Kerbachová. Highlights of tomorrow's program Tomorrow, the festival offers the world premiere of an American film entitled The Collapse of Communism: The Untold Story by director Robert Buchar. It is an attempt to disclose the true causes of the fall of communist regimes and reevaluate the events after 1989. A highlight of the afternoon program is Miroslav Janek's film entitled Burning (“Umanutá”) which competes in the Czech Joy category. We are presented a sensitive portrait of director Drahomíra Vihanová who has completely sacrificed her personal life on the altar of film making. Toward Nowa Huta is a film competing for the award of the best Central and Eastern European picture in the Between the Seas category and its international premiere will take us to a relic enclave of Stalin's era near Krakow, Poland. Among the late highlights of the day is a screening from the Opus Bonum category, which awards the best world documentary, of a film by Mike Hoolboom entitled Lacan Palestina starring Moses, Abraham and Jacques Lacan. Current documentary trends are revealed in the Czech premiere of the Danish film entitled Testament and there is also a film by the remarkable Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei entitled A Loner (Czech: “Samotář”, Chinese: “Yi Ge Gu Pi De Ren”). The festival music party starts at 9:30pm at Jihlava's Soul Music Club and you can look forward to funky sets by Mr. Ultrafina of renown from the Prague funky DJ scene, garage rock by Czech-Dutch Spermbankers trio and the multi-genre music by Vysočina's FruFru band.
Filip Kršiak / head of media communication
[email protected] / + 420 774 101 652
Mezinárodní festival dokumentárních filmů Ji.hlava / Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival PARTNEŘI a SPONZOŘI / PARTNERS and SPONSORS 2012 Festival podpořili / Festival Supported By: Ministerstvo kultury ČR / Ministry of Culture Czech Republic Státní fond pro podporu a rozvoj české kinematografie / State Fund for Support and Development of Czech Cinematography Statutární město Jihlava / City of Jihlava Media Programme Kraj Vysočina / Vysočina Region Mezinárodní visegrádský fond / International Visegrad Fund Státní fond kultury ČR / State Cultural Fund of the Czech Republic ROP Jihovýchod / ROP South-East Evropský parlament Informační kancelář v ČR / European Parliament Information Office in the Czech Republic Zastoupení Evropské komise v České republice / European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic Velvyslanectví USA / Embassy of the USA Velvyslanectví Nizozemského království / Embassy of the Netherlands Velvyslanectví Norského království / The Royal Norwegian Embassy Francouzský Institut v Praze / French Institute Prague Švýcarské velvyslanectví / Embassy of Switzerland Velvyslanectví Filipínské Republiky / Embassy of The Philippines Velvyslanectví Kanady / Embassy of Canada Slovenský institut / Slovak Institute Polský institut / Polish Institute Hlavní mediální partneři / Main Media Partners: Česká televize / Czech Television Český rozhlas / Czech Radio Lidové noviny, lidovky.cz Respekt Hlavní regionální partner / Main Regional Partner: Corbada / Jihlavské terasy Partner industry programu / Partner of Industry Programme: Skupina ČEZ / CEZ Group Oficiální festivalový vůz / Official Festival Car: Hyundai / AC Rozkoš Oficiální přepravní partner / Official Shipping Partner: TNT Express Partner festivalové architektury / Festival Architecture Partner: Dřevovýroba Podzimek Spolupořadatel industry sekce / Co-organizer of the Industry Section: Institut dokumentárního filmu / Institute of Documentary Film Spolupořadatel Emerging Producers / Coorganizer of Emerging Producers: MEDIA Desk v České republice, Dánsku, Finsku, Chorvatsku, Kypru, Litvě, Maďarsku, Maltě, Norsku, Polsku, Rakousku, Řecku, Slovensku, Slovinsku, Španělsku (Katalánsko), Švýcarsku a MEDIA Antenna Torino / MEDIA Desks in Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (Catalunya), Switzerland and MEDIA Antenna Torino.
Partner Inspiračního fóra / Inspiration forum Partner: MIDPOINT Partnerský projekt / Partner Project: Doc Alliance Films Regionální partneři / Regional Partners: Bosch Ježek PSJ Kronospan Podzimek&Synové Yashica Oficiální dodavatelé / Official suppliers: alza.cz Biofarma Sasov Easytalk exit112 Hot AV servis Hotel Gustav Mahler ICOM transport LOSPYTLOS.cz Messenger M-soft Palet Pro Polytrade CE Pressterminal Skori Sound for People Ticket Restaurant TOI TOI Tonera T.R.I. Vinárna Vinové Internetový mediální partneři / Internet Media Partners: aktuálně.cz ČSFD.cz Mediální partneři / Media Partners: Advojka Art & Antique Cinema Cinepur Film a doba Filmstage His voice Host Iluminace Literární noviny Metropolis Nový Prostor Obálka Plakát s.r.o. Rádio 1 Revolver Revue Xantypa
Zahraniční mediální partneři / Foreign Media Partners: Film New Europe Kinečko Kinema.sk Kino Ikon Metropolis.org.hu Regionální mediální partneři / Regional Media Partners: Hitrádio Vysočina Jihlavské listy Jihlavský deník Jihlavský expres SNIP & CO Mediální spolupráce / Media Co-operation: 25 fps 7.G Artmap Festivalguide.cz H_aluze Kulčava Kult. Vice.cz Dále spolupracujeme / Cooperation: Agentura Dobrý den / The Good Day Agency DOX Centrum současného umění / DOX Centre for Contemporary Art Nakladatelství AMU / AMU Press/Publishing House Asociace českých filmových klubů / Association of Czech Film Clubs Česká centra / Czech Centres Česká společnost pro filmová studia / Czech Society for Film Studies Eventival Festival scope Galerie Půda / JAVAB Knihovna Václava Havla / Vaclav Havel Library Kulturní středisko Polná Národní filmový archiv / The National Film Archive in Prague Městská knihovna v Praze / Municipal Library of Prague Salotto café SOUL music club Silent disco Vysoká škola polytechnická Jihlava / College of Polytechnics Jihlava Jihlava Industry Programme 2012 PARTNERS and SPONSORS Supported By: Ministry of Culture Czech Republic State Fund for Support and Development of Czech Cinematography International Visegrad Fund Partner of Industry Programme: CEZ Group Co-organizer of the Industry Section: Institute of Documentary Film Coorganizer of Emerging Producers: MEDIA Desks in Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (Catalunya), Switzerland and MEDIA Antenna Torino. Inspiration forum Partner:
MIDPOINT Partner Project: Doc Alliance Films
