31-01-2010

Czechs announce first appearance at Clermont-Ferrand

By FNE Staff
    The Czech Film Center is set to represent the Czech Republic at the Clermont-Ferrand market for short films (Feb 1-6) for the first time, and will have two shorts in the festival.
    The Czech Film Center ( www.filmcenter.cz ) will operate a stand at the market where the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU), Fresh Film Fest, Prague Short Film Festival and Anifest will all be represented under one roof.

    The Czech Film Center and its partners will kick off their official debut at the market with a happy hour at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 1, 2010, when it will unveil CFC's first collection of short films on DVD, Czech Short Films Vol 1.

    The Czech Film Center will present a market screening at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, with a block of five short films included on the DVD (Dear Father, 59/184/84, Kingdom of Cutlery, Sahara Sands, I Fell Asleep) in the Georges Conchon cinema. Some 40 Czech short films are also available for viewing in the video library.

    At the concurrent film festival, the Czech Republic is represented by two works: Štěpán Altrichter's co-production with Germany Did Stephen Michael Knight End the Cold War? in the international competition, and Ondřej Švadlena's Czech-French MRDRCHAIN in the experimental films competition.

    "Czech Film Center's participation in Clermont-Ferrand is a result of our commitment to direct more attention to short filmmaking. On one hand, it's a great opportunity to highlight the large number of short films being made in the Czech Republic each year (almost exclusively in film schools), and on the other, to offer budding filmmakers a platform for gaining experience with international film structures, festivals and markets at the dawn of their careers," said Marketa Šantrochová of CFC.