Czech film art focuses on: Discover the variety in Cottbus!

Czech film art focuses on: Discover the variety in Cottbus!

The Cottbus Film Festival, which takes place from November 5th to 10th, focuses on the Czech Republic and Armenia this year. In the competition, Adam Martinec's "Our Lovely Pig Slaughter", a film that shows the dark, tragicomic side of Czech film art. Here the tradition of annual pork slaughter is used as a reflection of family relationships and communication difficulties. Another highlight is the animation spell "My Sunny Maad" by Michaela Pavlátová, which tells the adventure of a Czech student in Kabul and thus opens up a whole new world.

women in the focus of the discussion

A central theme of the festival is the role of women in the film industry. In a panel on the study "Women in the audiovisual industry: Feature film", directors discuss the stagnant figures of female specialists in key positions. Despite a minimal increase of 16% in the 90s to 20% in recent years, frustration remains great. The co-author of the study, Hana Voleková, demands a rethink and more measures for equality.

Another emotional moment was the talk of Daria Kascheeva, which was awarded for her short film "Electra". During her acceptance speech, she spoke openly about the pressure to survive as a working mother in the film industry. Her appearance was abruptly interrupted, which led to heated discussions about the right framework for personal topics. These incidents show that the film festival is not only a platform for films, but also for important social issues.

The selection of films is diverse and shows strong female protagonists. In "Her Body" by Natálie Císařovská, the story of a tower jumper is told that decides after an injury to the porn industry. In her documentary, Klára Tasovská illuminates the life of the famous photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková, who was looking for freedom in a time of oppression. Apolena Rychlíkovás "Limits of Europe" thematizes the conditions of economic migrants in Western Europe and reveals the dark side of western prosperity.