A film set in Russia about Lada automobile production may not sound like the most riveting topic for a documentary. But Petr’s Horký’s directorial debut is a fascinating and wryly amusing tale. Set in Tolyatti, the city where the Lada factory is based, The Russian Job follows the attempts of hard-hitting Swedish businessman, Bo Andersson, to revolutionise the once-thriving company and drag it by the collar into the 21st century. Through intimate – and beautifully shot – glimpses into the lives of both Andersson and those factory workers he is antagonizing, we learn just how monumental his task is. He doggedly competes with corruption, xenophobia and more than anything, the grim Soviet shadow that still looms over Europe’s biggest country.

The Russian Job will be a part of the delegation led by the Institute of Documentary Film and we caught up with him to tell us all about it.

You've made a Czech film about the Russian Lada company. How did that happen?
In the fall of 2014 I was working as a journalist for one Czech economic newspaper and I was invited to visit the Lada factory in Tolyatti to write an article about it. There I met this pragmatic, hard-working Swedish manager who was bringing about very dramatic changes to this rather sleepy place. A man of the capitalist world trying to westernize a post-Soviet relic. I wrote the article, but the theme and the images stuck in my head. With my friend, who is a photographer, we asked the manager if we could make a documentary about this reform process. And he said yes.

What were the most surprising discoveries for you personally during your filming?
It surprised me how everything in the city is revolving around the factory. Almost everyone you meet has in his life worked in the plant or at least knows someone there. At every step you can feel that the city was built around the factory. There is a huge sports stadium, summer and winter resorts for the workers, the factory even has its own TV channel. And most people in Tolyatti remember the communist past as the best time of their life.

The film shows the hard-hitting business side of Bo Andersson. Do you think you managed to portray his more sensitive side also?
Mr Andersson is very straight forward in his attitude towards his employees and his task, but at the same time he is a very careful person. We got much closer than any other journalist, we had very open discussions with Mr Andersson, which is unusual for people of such high corporate position. But at the same time Mr Andersson was always very aware of the camera, we never really caught him off-guard.

In what way does the film explore Russian stereotypes?
I think you are being polite! You could even say that we exploit the Russian stereotypes! In our film the locals are sentimental of their past, sometimes they are lazy, sometimes proud, they like to do things for display, white wash. But they also can enjoy their time, they have their way of life, they dip in the frozen water and they have a good time rowing a boat on the Volga river no matter what regime comes.

How would you describe the atmosphere of the film?
I am now too close to the film and can’t see it clearly anymore, but at times I see a comedy with tragical subtones and at other times a tragedy with a comical streak. So it’s probably something in between.

The film features the Walruses – an eccentric group of Russians who swim in ice cold water. Why did you decide to include them?
The bathing club used to be part of the Avtovaz factory. We thought the micro story of the snowblower could illustrate the complicated relations between the foreign managers and the locals.

Do you find any similarities with the life and mentality of people in the Czech Republic?
I think in the Czech Republic you can also find many people who live in the past and in a state of collective denial, but it is not as concentrated as in Tolyatti.

The film is beautifully shot. What are your filmmaking influences?
I think this is a question that should be answered by our cinematographer Milan Bureš. He is a photographer and that creates a lot of the style. 99 percent of the shots were taken from a tripod and carefully composed. This style has its limitations, but also big advantages. We didn’t have any particular influence in our mind, but many people compare the style to the films of Ulrich Seidel. We also like the style of Vitalij Manskij.

What have you got planned next?
I don’t have any specific plans, but I would like to get back to the original question: where is the border between the East and the West?

Petr Horký
Studied journalism in Prague. Moved to London to graduate in photojournalism, but never pursued career as a photographer. Moved to Berlin to learn German, then to Prague. Worked for a daily economic newspaper. Spent year as a blogger travelling around Asia. After returning home, found a job at an economic weekly magazine which enabled him to go deeper in his stories. One story lead him to Russia where he encountered a subject he thought worthy to be made into a documentary film. Crucial role in this decision one meeting with his friend, photographer Milan Bureš who agreed to become the cameraman of the film.

The Russian Job is produced by Martin Jůza - Krutart, co-produced by  Kateřina Ondřejková - Czech Television
Sales: Rise and Shine World Sales

 

 

The new section, dedicated to films that are experimental or unconventional in form or style, is a competition programme with an audience award. The first edition will see 10 films, with one having its world and another its international premiere.

The selection includes the world premiere of Riga (Take One) by the French director Siegfried, a free-style composition about passion and fine arts, studied through the perspective of four women in Riga, Latvia. The rhythm of the films is based on the rules of a jazz partition.

Mònica Rovira Herrero presents her film To See a Woman, an intense chronicle of a relationship in which she also plays the protagonist, that will have its international premiere at the Black Nights Film Festival.

The programme also includes the restored version of Jean-Luc Godard’s The Rise & Fall Of a Small Film Company, the Venice-premiering The Wild Boysdirected by Bertrand Mandico, the landscape-observation essay The New Wild: Life in the Abandoned Lands by director Christopher Thompson, the Russian satire Ice Hole directed by Andrey Silvestrov. The montage of magical moments in other films, depicting cinema-going in Have You Seen My Movie? by director Paul Anton Smith and the The Little Match Girl by director Alejo Moguillansky, who intertwines musical rhythms and elements  into the visual storytelling of the film.

According to the programme’s coordinator Javier Garcia Puerto the programme consists of works of filmmakers who bring up new perspectives by challenging cinematic borders. „Rebels With a Cause“ will present edgy films made by bold filmmakers, who nurture the field of cinematic language by pushing the limits and reaching new boundaries in the art of storytelling with sound and image. While sticking to the narrative they bend the rules and twist perceptions, and by doing so they make us as an audience face a challenge. Audiences will also be able to express their emotions by selecting their favourite film as part of a collective jury.”

Have You Seen My Movie?, UK, 2016, dir Paul Anton Smith
Ice Hole (Prorub) Russia, 2017, dir Andrei Silvestrov
Riga (Take One), France, 2017, dir Siegfried
The Little Match Girl (La vendedora de fósforos), Argentina, 2017, dir Alejo Moguillansky
The New Wild: Life in the Abandoned, Austria-Italy-UK, 2017, dir Christopher Thomson
The Rise & Fall of a Small Film Company (Grandeur et décadence d’un petit commerce de cinéma), France, 1986, dir Jean-Luc Godard
The Wild Boys (Les garçons sauvages), France, 2017, dir Bertrand Mandico
To See A Woman (Alguna Cosa), Spain-Italy, 2017, dir Mònica Rovira

 

 

The question of storytelling and corresponding “grammar” comes up each time a new form of immersive media sees the day of light. This was the case for stereoscopic 3D, and, without surprise, this is now the case for all currently-hot forms of immersive media, such as VR, AR, MR, XR, and 360°, all preferably with a touch of “3D” to spice them up.

At Stereopsia's Professional conference (PCON), the "story” will begin with keynote speaker Frank Rose (Columbia University, USA) on “A new grammar of storytelling for the digital age”. To be ready to immerse yourself in his presentation, you can prepare yourself by reading his book “The Art of Immersion”, … only 354 pages long!

This keynote presentation will be followed by talks on how to tell stories for immersive medias, by Miłosz Hermanowicz (Freelance Stereographer, Poland), Björn-Olav Dozo (University of Liège, Belgium), Stephanie Riggs (Sunchaser Entertainment, USA), Pola Brokiewicz (Academy of Fine Arts of Łódź, Poland), and Alvin Ho Young (Koncept VR, USA). As for all other PCON speakers, you’ll find their photos and short biographies on the PCON webpage.

 

Lithuania is an attractive destination for those foreign filmmakers who come here seeking not only flexible prices for film production and services but also a professional crew and suitable locations. Last year, Lithuania attracted the highest number of foreign productions since the introduction of its 20 percent tax incentive in 2014.  Worldwide known directors, actors and producers work with the projects partly shot in Lithuania. Films produced in this country have also been noticed on the international film market. The Founder and producer of a Lithuanian production company, ARTBOX, Kestutis Drazdauskas shares his International co-production experience.

 

Come to Warsaw and join Creative Europe Desk Poland and National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute for Images That Move – European Conference on Film Education on November 21.

During the event, presentations will  be delivered by leading Polish and European experts in film education. Moreover, the participants will have an opportunity to take part in workshops conducted by representatives of organisations involved in European projects co-financed within Film Education scheme of Creative Europe’s MEDIA Sub-programme. Keynote speech on creative media education will be delivered by prof. Wanda Strauven, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt. During panel discussions European experiences in the field of partnerships building among institutions as well as inclusion of various groups of recipients will be discussed.

The participation in the event has been confirmed by European experts: prof. Wanda Strauven (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt), Bernard McCloskey (Northern Screen Ireland), Simone Fratini (Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna), Ginte Zulyte (Meno Avilys), as well as, among others, prof. Bogusław Skowronek (Pedagogical University in Cracow), Joanna Zabłocka-Skorek, phd (KinoSzkoła Programme Director), Ewelina Waląg (School Filmoteque Programme Leader).

The conference will take place at the premises of National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute  in Warsaw, Walbrzyska St. 3/5.

Presentations, lectures and panel discussions taking place in ZIEMIA OBIECANA Conference Room will be translated simultaneously.

For those interested in workshops, previous registration is required by choosing the preferable option in registration form. Meetings with European experts taking place in rooms Minimax 1, 2 and Wielka Gra will be held in English.

Participation in the event is free of chargé, however due to limited number of seats, previous registration is required. Registration form is available at http://bit.ly/ITM_zapisy.

 

Slovenian production grants announced by the Slovenian Film Center in September 2017

Production of feature narrative, documentary and animated films

 

Three Czech documentaries are in the programme of the 30th IDFA – International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. IDFA’s competition sections include two Czech documentaries – Nothing Like Before about four teenagers in a Czech border town, and The Russian Job about a Swedish manager who tries to salvage the Soviet car manufacturer Lada. The controversial documentary The White World According to Daliborek that follows a small-town neo-Nazi will be presented in the prestigious section Masters. IDFA takes place November 15 - 26 and the sizeable Czech delegation will be headed by the Institute of Documentary Film. IDF representatives will help filmmakers to navigate the event and promote their films among industry guests.

Screened as part of the IDFA Competition for First Appearance, the feature documentary Nothing Like Before directed by Klára Tasovská and Lukáš Kokeš delves into the lives of four teenagers in a Czech border town. The film captures the protagonists at a time when looming adulthood is beginning to cast an anxious shadow over their carefree high-school existence. “In addition to dealing with the topics and protagonists, we were equally concerned with the way the film should present its content. We were going for a natural feel and we wanted to get really close to the young protagonists, to co-exist with them and explore their environment from their own perspective. We also wanted our approach to be part of the subject matter. We aimed to portray our protagonists faithfully and we wanted to do it in an equally natural and accurate film form, while also including general issues – family, school, friendship – that shape the way we are,” explain the directors Lukáš Kokeš and Klára Tasovská. The film was produced by Pavla Janoušková Kubečková and Tomáš Hrubý (nutprodukce) in co-production with HBO Europe. “We’re happy that Nothing Like Before will be presented in the prestigious First Appearance section. This achievement is the result of the unique creative vision of the directors Klára Tasovská and Lukáš Kokeš but also the great support and creative freedom provided by HBO Europe and the State Cinematography Fund. We’re incredibly excited by the fact that a film that emphasizes authenticity, restraint and narrative minimalism is able to stand out even at this level,” say producers Tomáš Hrubý and Pavla Janoušková Kubečková.

Petr Horký’s The Russian Job will appear among 15 other films in IDFA’s Competition for Mid-Length Documentary. In an effort to save the unprofitable car manufacturer Lada, the Russian government hires a Swedish manager and several European experts. Their vision and plans eventually clash with the Soviet mentality. “I stumbled upon this story by accident when I worked as a financial journalist for a Czech magazine. I was invited to the Avtovaz plant in Tolyatti along with several other Czech journalists by the plant management to write a piece on the new CEO – the first foreigner in its history – who was tasked with saving the company. I wrote the article but I couldn’t get memories of the place out of my head. The grey, post-Soviet setting deals with the arrival of an intense manager from the capitalist world,” says Petr Horký. The film was produced by Krutart in co-production with Czech TV. “We started out as a group of young documentary filmmakers but we soon realized that this story had a lot of international potential. Thanks to development funding from the State Cinematography Fund, we were able to attend international pitch forum and workshops, such as the East Doc Platform or dok.incubator. IDFA is the culmination of our efforts over the last three years,” says producer Martin Jůza and adds: “If our premiere in Amsterdam turns out to be successful, it will be the best start for the film’s life on the festival circuit. There’s no other festival where you meet so many film and TV professionals.”

Masters is a very popular IDFA section that presents the latest documentaries by renowned international filmmakers, such as Errol Morris, Claire Simon, Steve James, Rithy Panh or Lucy Walker in this year’s programme. In the past, IDFA also included a few Czech films, Jan Svěrák’s Oil Gobblers (1988) and Helena Třeštíková’s Private Universe (2012). As a producer duo, Filip Remunda and Vít Klusák travelled to IDFA with two films by the Ukrainian filmmaker Vitaly Mansky – Pipeline (2013) and Under the Sun (2015). This year, Vít Klusák will be at IDFA as the director of his latest documentary The White World According to Daliborek. “We were very happy that this major festival picked Daliborek for its prestigious Masters screenings. We believe that the film will receive great feedback in Amsterdam, as good as in the review published by Variety after the film’s premiere at the Karlovy Vary IFF,” says producer Filip Remunda.

Docs for Sale

Having a finished film doesn’t mean that the work is over. On the contrary, being able to sell it and find the right audience has been increasingly difficult. Every year, IDFA hosts the industry event Docs for Sale that tries to facilitate the sales of some of the best documentaries by inviting over three hundred sales agents, distributors and festival representatives and offering a selection of the latest films. Filmmakers can arrange meetings with the industry guests to pitch their films. The three Czech films mentioned above and another four films with Czech involvement will be presented at Docs for Sale this year, which takes place from November 17 to 23. The longitudinal documentary film A Marriage Story produced by Negativ in co-production with Czech TV, the Latvian-Czech co-production film D Is for Division by filmmaker Davis Simanis (produced by Guntis Trekteris and Radim Procházka), the creative documentary film The Lust for Power by the Slovak director Tereza Nvotová, produced by PubRes (Slovakia), and co-produced by HBO Europe and Negativ, and Batalives directed by Karolína Zalabáková and Petr Babinec (produced by Lukáš Gargulák, Cinebonbon).

IDFA will host a two-day pitching session for TV professionals organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). On November 19, director Bohdan Bláhovec and producer Anna Herza Tydlitátová will pitch their project Satanic Girls, developed for Czech TV by Petr Kubica's production team. 

Institute of Documentary Film

IDFA takes place November 15-26 and the sizeable Czech delegation will be headed by the Institute of Documentary Film. IDF has been supporting creative documentary films from Central and Eastern Europe since 2001. IDF provides both emerging and experienced filmmakers with training, networking and pitching opportunities, helps them get international attention and co-production partners, and improves their orientation in the international market. At IDFA, IDF representatives will help filmmakers navigate the event and promote their films among industry guests. "We feel that participation of so many Czech documentary films at the 30th IDFA is a double success. Most of them have been supported by IDF for some time and participated in several of its activities. Some were developed at the Ex Oriente Film workshop, others were pitched at the East Doc Forum or presented at the Czech Docs...Coming Soon at the East Doc Platform. We will continue to support all of them throughout their festival life," explains IDF's Creative Director Pavlína Kalandrová.

The film industry in the Czech Republic

One of the key moments that have been instrumental in the production of quality documentary films was the passing of the amended Audiovisual Act with a more stable funding for the State Cinematography Fund. The state will annually provide the same amount that the Fund collects from TV advertising, cinemas and cable and satellite TV providers. The annual funding support now amounts to approx. EUR 13,5 million. With the new budget, the Fund’s board prioritizes granting more money to fewer projects in order to support more ambitious films.       

Another significant development for the Czech film industry and its international partners is the annual EUR 31 million approved for film incentives from 2016 to 2019. This gives Czech filmmakers more opportunities to find international co-producers. Helena Bezděk Fraňková, the Fund director, adds that the amended law reduces the minimum amount of costs eligible for film incentives, which has made access easier for documentary films. “The Fund also systematically supports documentary films in all stages of development in special calls. There are also a number of industry and educational institutions that receive regular subsidies for their activities in documentary film. I’m glad that our support translates into the success of Czech documentaries at international events,” adds Helena Bezděk Fraňková.  

 

Screenings at IDFA:

The Russian Job     

Fri        17 Nov    18:30           Munt 10          World Premiere
Sat      18 Nov    12:45           Tuschinski 4
Mon     20 Nov    14:30           Tuschinski 6
Wed    22 Nov    16:30           EYE Cinema 2
Sun     26 Nov    16:00           Munt 13
   
Nothing Like Before
Sat      18 Nov     20:00          Munt 10          World Premiere
Tue      21 Nov     18:00          Tuschinski 3
Wed    22 Nov     13:00          EYE Cinema 1
Sat      25 Nov     11:00          Munt 12

The White World According to Daliborek
Mon     20 Nov    18:45           Tuschinski 2   International Premiere

Tue      21 Nov    13:15           EYE Cinema 1 (+ Doc Talk)
Wed    22 Nov    20:30           Munt 11
Sat      25 Nov    14:45           Brakke Grond Expozaal   

Contact for media:

Marta Jallageas
Institute of Documentary Film – Public Relations
Tel.: +420 775 669 222