Operation Danube was the cover name for the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact armies in August 1968. The fleet of Polish tanks which arrive to liberate their neighbor, ostensibly threatened by a counter-revolution, includes the old tank nicknamed Ladybird, which is the last to leave the barracks.
Two families, Sebkovi and Krausovi, are celebrating Christmas, but not everyone is in a good mood. The teenage kids think that their fathers are totally stupid, and the fathers are sure that their children are nothing more than rebels, hating anything they say.
This movie is about strange relationships in one "noname" gymnasium in Czech republic.
Artist Bedřich Mára (Bolek Polivka) is unable to find much secure work due to his public antagonism toward the ruling Communist Party. He has a wife and two children. Life begins to change when art historian Alois Fábera (Jiři Pecha) begins working on a piece about Bedřich, leading to a job offer from a Party official. Things are looking up, until the wrong people hear portions of the historian's writing.
A motley of vacationers on a bus headed for a week long vacation at a seaside resort. Among them: a single, moderately famous singer; a nerdy, onanistic man; a couple of old ladies reaching senility; a couple of young gals looking for an amorous adventure; a family with a boy unsure about where he fits sexually; a beautiful woman that, besides working as a trip guide, has pretensions of being a music composer; a couple of gay men; and another family where the parents are stuck in a sexual ice age while their twentyish daughter is looking to connect with a man.
The forester's lodge in a remote area they live in sin has four generations of family Hanák. Grandmother overflowing zest for life and her passion for writing detective stories. Her daughter, Ms. Hanáková, spirited woman with a big heart, loves to sing, but because he has no talent, all his life was the cook. Mr. Hanak's dispatcher, his lifelong loves animals of all kinds and sizes, which grows in the house and its surroundings. Paul has an older daughter with husband Peter, occasional handyman who usually sleeps or her hyperactive two sons, whom no one tells you differently than blackguard. Informal family member then Mr. Kestrel, who in the house for the town to spend a lot of time suspicious! One completely normal family afternoon notify the younger daughter Kate family that is expecting a baby.
It is a film consisting of six short stories, which mostly tell in a black humorous, ironic, often bitterly bitter form about an ancient curse, human infidelity, strange deviations, an unexpected miracle and hypocritical forgiveness. They have their own pointed structure, specific atmosphere and way of processing, and yet they pass on motives to each other that communicate with each other and observe the same things from different angles.
A romantic comedy about love and life of young French teacher Helena.
After two troubled but powerful men rape a young hitchhiker who happens to be a vet, she drugs them and removes their testicles.
A fourteen-year-old girl isplaced in an institution for mentally ill instead of a foster-home due to an official mistake. Here she gets a most cruel treatment which is governed by high-handedness of the spineless and perverse nurses. The girl attempts a desperate escape.
Short musical comedy from Tomas Vorel.
After a blind date gone horribly wrong Jim and Lauren agree they never ever want to see each other again. Well that's all about to change when the two find themselves and their respective families (including children) all stuck together in one suite at an African Safari vacation spot.
The film is based on a legendary school film of Tomáš Vorel, called INg (1985). The storyline stays the same - a young engineer finds a new job and wants to work, this proves to be impossible in the last days of the communist era.
A bitter sweet comedy that follows a highly appointed Chancellor who set to step down from his position after years of service to his country. With just two last days left to enjoy his palatial villa before he is finally evicted, his situation gradually goes from bad to worse.
A good king rules this land, but still things are going from bad to worse. The point is that the greedy Minister of State has an interesting pact with the Devil — for bringing the kingdom into a state of dire poverty and the king to hell, he himself would sit on the throne. And he would have been well nigh successful, were it not for Princess Annie, Filip and magic Apolena — because true love cannot be quelled even by the Devil's machinations.
The film consists of five parts - a live-action framing story and four distinct animated episodes - each by a different creative team and in a different animation style, from Pojar and Koutský’s semi-plastic “Princess Who Never Smiled,” through Žabka’s puppet fable “The Fairy and the Bookkeeper,” Dlouhá and Váša’s paper-cut “Fisherman, His Wife, and the Golden Fish,” to Pixa’s near-future parable “Mr. Vincent”.
A story about a life of a group of children in the foster home.
Lubos, an Alpine rescue worker, surprises his delighted daughter Amálka with an early return to Prague. Her joy leads her to skip school, prompting Lubos to join her class on a Tatra mountains trip. Amidst family chaos and comedic mishaps, their reunion hangs in the balance.
A tragicomedy full of slapstick and vignettes, and even an unexpected shootout. A family of villagers moves up in the world - to the county seat. Dad works as a butcher at a meatpacking plant, mom is a checker at a supermarket. The daughter is at odds with her homeroom teacher, while the son - a vegetarian, anarchist, and avid pothead - is apprenticing as a butcher to please his father. The kid's in hot water with both his forewoman and the police. But dad isn't much of an example, letting himself be tempted by the charms of a lovely young butcher. However much mom tries - visiting the beauty parlor, her psychologist, or even the confessional - her husband shows his interest by moving out. Mom plots revenge. And somehow an imp gets mixed up in it all
The story of Doctor Čeněk Dobešek - a decent, kind man who seems almost out of place in today’s world. Though he’s a conscientious physician, he hasn’t learned to exploit his calling for personal gain the way many of his former classmates or hospital colleagues do. Happily settled in a modest two-room apartment with his lovely wife Zuzana and his dreadful mother-in-law Marie Košvancová, Čeněk cheerfully drops everything at any hour to answer the doorbell and tend to whoever needs him. His humble generosity scandalizes Marie, who’d much rather have a “real” Doctor as a son-in-law: someone famous, wealthy, and who never works for free, unlike Čeněk.
Gump's new journey begins exactly where the previous one ended. Together with his beloved Béďa Kozí Bobek, the main animal hero goes through a story that was written for them long ago by the stars. And while Gump's first story was sadder, in its loose sequel entitled Gump – We Are a Pair, viewers can look forward to lots of funny animal scenes. Alongside the main character, a new character will appear, Jenny the dog, who will play Gump's sister Kytička.
A poetic documentary about different sides of nature and city life.
Honza Marak has long since abandoned a career in IT and has bought a cottage on the outskirts of a small village, where he’s settled in with his wife Marketa, daughter Anyna and son Sayen. He works in the woods as a forest labourer repairing roads and enclosures, cutting wood to sell and assisting the foresters. Marketa earns a living as a masseuse and alternative healer, making use of various mind-altering plants and mushrooms, which leads to conflict with the old inhabitants and eventually with drug enforcement. Daughter Anyna attends a distant school where her grades deteriorate as she wanders the woods learning from nature rather than from her textbooks.
A behind-the-scenes look at the eleven-year process it took to make The Painted Bird. The narratives of director Václav Marhoul and actor Petr Kotlár weave their way through the various stages of the film's creation, offering their subjective views from the beginning to the last flap of a year-and-a-half long shoot.
What was supposed to be a joyful celebration over the dissolution of Czechoslovakia turns chaotic when the Varchal family discovers that their father betrayed both country and family by working for the secret police. The family members turn against each other.
Tony has been glowing since the day he was born and it causes him a lot of trouble. Just before the Christmas, a new odd girl with thick glasses moves into Tony’s house. Shelly has a strange way of expressing herself. Tony is fascinated by her but he is also being cautious at first. Together with Shelly’s flashlight, they explore their house and they are slowly getting to know each other. The kids have to join all their efforts to figure out who’s behind the circuit of dark cracks that sucks out all the light bulbs, even the daylight. It must be because of the “Spirit of the house”. A film about being different, about friendship, and first loves… But above all about light and darkness.
Eva Holubová, Tomáš Hanák, David Vávra, Milan Šteindler, Martin Dejdar, Jitka Asterová have all starred in early short films by Tomáš Vorl. Nobody knew them at the time. And they themselves had no idea that they would one day shine in the Czech film sky.
Four swimmers - water polo players find themselves at the bottom of their existence after losing a match. So desperate that they even find themselves living at the bottom of their emptied pool. To save their "dignity" they start a questionable business "Husband to rent" fixing home items for local housewives. But as time will show the household items are not the only things they end up repairing.
The lead character is a young woman who becomes close with a colleague of her husband. She finds herself at an important crossroad in life and considers whether to take a decisive step.
This film is a psychological study of a woman who chooses solitude as an escape from the duplicity and emotional barrenness of the men around her.
A naive village girl, Valentýna, arrives in Prague and, under dramatic circumstances, becomes reluctantly entangled in the Karlín underworld as a novice prostitute controlled by the slimy gangster Pavouk and his bumbling henchman Milan. She repeatedly refuses the genuine support offered by the incorruptible mounted policeman Viktor Sokol, even as two eccentric observers serve as a choric commentary on the absurdities around them. Through parodic and poetic scenes, ranging from western-inspired mounted police sequences to a surreal “war” over exporting plastic gnomes, the film satirizes contemporary Czech society.
Vita Jamie already exceeded thirty, working as a poorly paid sociologist, husband, tired father of two children. In the sociological institute involved in research attitudes of secondary school students. To better understand the target group, issued to the student daily and sits in his high school benches. Suddenly, as if they came back in time, they feel young and carefree again, she saw a lot of promises. Real life is but a fool can not log on early for their rights and duties of ...
An elderly Jewish woman, who was a teenager during the outset of the Holocaust and was forced to choose between her own life and her younger brother's, still lives with the guilt until she finally shares her nightmare experience with her own adult daughter.
Milan has already achieved a respectable career, holding an important position as a sales representative in Morocco and living the life of an exclusive diplomat. Dana enjoys herself with her lover and, in her "spare time," naturally torments Milan. A marital quarrel at the most inopportune moment during an important business visit causes their premature departure, and Milan, who caused Dana numerous injuries in the heat of the moment, is hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. Dana naturally takes advantage of his mental shock and, with the help of her maid Bohunka and a weak-willed head physician, regains absolute control over Milan. However, a young psychologist named Táňa is also doing her internship at the sanatorium, and she immediately takes a liking to the intelligent patient…
Even after twelve years, Štěpán, Kendy, and Karas have remained true to themselves. They are inseparable friends with an inexhaustible sense of humor and a knack for self-irony, albeit with a slight touch of skepticism.
When a typical English mansion is sold, it turns out that an American ambassador is buying the castle with an unusual inhabitant - a 15th-century ancestral ghost, the husband of the original owner, Eleanor de Canterville. The ghost is serving a sentence for a violent act committed against his own wife. And only romantic love, in this case a poetic young man's love for Virginia, the ambassador's daughter, will free the ghost from the curse and the castle from the ghost.
A drug dealer named Mikes, who lives in Prague and longs to escape his own clichéd life.
The story is about a plumber, who is called Good man from the bones. He is not afraid of any work, he manages all the work he gets. Wittily responds to every situation that befalls him.
Milan's relationship with Dr. Eliška is developing promisingly, and when Milan finally decides to propose to her, it seems that nothing stands in the way of the wedding. Well, apart from one small "trifle" - Milan is still married to Slovakian woman Janka, Kryštof's mother, with whom he somehow forgot to divorce years ago! Apart from Milan's misgivings, there is another problem - the foursome's return to playing water polo is not going very well. There are only three left... and that's a hell of a lot... To save the group and pull his friend Jakub out of his depression, Kryštof decides to bring the aquabels to the pool with whom he wants to practice his performance. Honza is not too enthusiastic about Kryštof's plan at first, but later with the vision of rescuing a friend (and the possibility of being in the presence of beautiful aquabels) everyone starts preparing a performance called "Husband of the Hour".
Unexpectedly widowed costume designer Eva discovers a child's drawing that sends her and her daughter on a road trip to uncover a family secret.
The witch is a bit of a wildflower, a bit of a witch - and she loves the prince! Silver Hata, who rules the land below Radobel, no longer believes in human kindness, or even love. She does not want to let her favourite magical forest creature, the young and beautiful Vohnice with the red shining hair, among the people. That they would not disappoint and betray her. But Vohnice looks out at the human world day after day from the tallest tree in the forest. Until one day her curiosity gets the better of her and she secretly goes straight to the castle where Prince Kilian lives. The love between the two of them ignites like a wild fire. But Kilian is the heir to the throne and Vohnice is a bit of a wildflower, a bit of a fairy and a bit of a witch...
A comedy about well-hidden children, a diabolical plan, and how it all came to light in the end. There are situations in life when everything gets tangled up somehow. People, especially when they are still young and inexperienced, sometimes break up and get together too quickly, and the consequences may only become apparent many years later. In this particular case, they came to light when Gábina and Petr decided to get married. Everything would have been fine if Petr's father and Gábina's mother hadn't realized during their introduction that they had actually known each other for a long time and, worse still, that their children were siblings who had been well hidden until then. The mistake had been made, and now what? How to separate the young couple without arousing their suspicions, and especially those of the rest of the family? Yes, a diabolical plan must be devised...
Tomáš Vorl's short film captures a few minutes of inner monologue in the body of Eva Holubová, who returns from shopping and lovingly thinks about her husband Láďa, how they met, how they got together, how they were expecting a child... and Láďa was, is and will always be the best... A cheerful, original and in its own way instructive spectacle.
Alice Nellis's small-scale debut tragicomedy spotlights small-town elections. The protagonist, a university student name Jana (Theodora Remundová) who is trying to solve a troubled relationship with a married man, takes her mother's place on the election commission. In the meantime the mother (Iva Janzurová) is going through her own small domestic crisis with her husband (Leos SucharÃpa). Thanks to excellent acting performances and restrained direction, the film convincingly outlines interpersonal relations and their light social overtones.
The short stories about marriage that Vít Olmer wrote for Playboy magazine when Arnošt Lustig was its editor-in-chief are witty, often with absurd punchlines, and clearly show that the author is a keen observer of life around us. He selected five of them for his new Czech comedy, whose common denominator is actor Jiří Krampol, the main character in each of them.
The ambulance doctor František moves away from his wife Bohuna to his new love Helena. She has been married for several years to the successful writer Karl. However, thanks to her husband's philandering, she was by no means happy in it. It seems that František and Helena are finally waiting for peaceful days and now, on the threshold of fifty, they will finally be able to experience their satisfied love. However, their enthusiasm is not shared by their past partners.
A TV personality returns home for her sister's wedding and realizes she still has feelings for an ex-boyfriend who is now her sister's fiancé.
A computer programmer and his son are going out of the city for vacation.
Symbols and political analogies abound in this dramatically frustrating first work by a recent film-school graduate. In the story, Vojtech has survived World War II in a Czech prison following an unjust sentence. Now he is free, and the world is full of possibilities.
Mária, a retired teacher, one fine day decides she no longer wants to feel like a cow, and when not even the mayor helps her against the arrogant source of local evil, she obtains a gun and resolves to do what most of us occasionally think of but immediately banish from our minds. Very soon, however, she discovers that just as murder is morally complex, it is equally complex logistically, despite her former pupil, now on probation, offering her this priceless life advice: “Crime only looks simple, Mrs. Teacher, but then something always goes to shit.”
A team of detectives bumbles and fumbles their way through an investigation that involves murder, blackmail and possibly someone they know.
With his father's memory waning, a struggling forester must confront the troubling reality about his livelihood and his family's future.
After he dies in a car crash, a policeman's ghost observes as his family grieves and learns more about his life and death than they ever knew.
"Situation of the Street" - An experimental study about Czech life, focusing on Prague's National Street, its businesses and the varied people who frequent it.
The story, set mainly in the picturesque surroundings of a First Republic swimming pool, offers many surprises in the form of unexpected performances by acting and singing stars, who pay tribute to the lady of Czech swing.
Two short stories in which novice detective Sergeant Zahrádka is tasked with carrying out trivial orders, which he fails to do due to his innate clumsiness.
A story told through the eyes of a stray dog called Gump . On a journey to find his way home to his owner, Gump encounters many challenges, meets new people, and makes a few canine friends along the way. A story about the devotion of a dog, who without hesitation will give his own life for the life of its beloved owner.
Dana is young medical student with no self esteem, she can't deal with life, people and even not with herself. After her boyfriend leaves her, she changes to selfish woman, manipulating people and making them to serve her. She plays with her husband, neighbors and friends - for her own good and for fun.
The time is 1945-46. 10 year old Eda and his friend Tonda live in a small village outside Prague. In school, their class is so wild and indisciplined that their teacher quits and is replaced by the militant Igor Hnidzo. He is very strict – but also very fair. His weakness though, is his interest in young women.
An irresponsible playboy whose life revolves around making women happy discovers that there is such a thing as paternal and partner responsibility. A seemingly perfect married couple is confronted by fate in the form of a young refugee from a children's home. A successful and confident manager has found his soul mate, but introducing her to his parents is a nightmare for him. Two lonely people who have given up on happiness and finding the right person may get one more chance.
Líba has only one birthday wish every year. She insists that the whole family come together for her celebration, which they all always do. That is, until this year's birthday. Her son Petr has other plans for this year, so he pretends to be sick in front of the family. This year, for the first time, he wants to spend his birthday with his friend Karl, who has a birthday on the same day. And Karel is Peter's long-hidden secret for the rest of the family. However, Líba is not going to give up her celebration so easily. She decides to surprise Peter and move in with the whole family. An unexpected visit forces Peter to quickly improvise. In front of your family, turning your friend Karel into a colleague from work and his sister Veronika into your girlfriend is basically a piece of cake. But Petr doesn't know yet that this is just the beginning and today will be one big rollercoaster ride.
The deportation of 4000 Jews from Budapest to Auschwitz in July 1944, as told by George Tabori, and how the narrator’s mother escaped it, owing to coincidence, courage and some help from where you’d least expect it.
Three friends go overboard with a celebration and accidentally set a local mobster's new car wash on fire. With only 30 days to pay for the damages, they decide to find a better-paying job — becoming male strippers.
Children's film about a young boy who moves from the city to the country. At first he finds it difficult to make friends, until others discovers his gift with electronics.
Director Tomáš Vorel created his experimental feature debut with members of renowned Prague non-traditional auteur theaters. The ensembles presented their own poetics and style through five "short stories" connected by satirical commentary by the "expert" Dr. Milan Šteindler, CSc.
Based on an autobiographical novella by Ivan Olbracht, the film tells the story of Hanele Safarová, who grows up just after the First World War in a little Ruthenian schtetl which, in true Hassidic fashion, awaits the arrival of the Messiah. But Hanele decides to follow the Zionists instead. She moves to the city to prepare for her departure to the Promised Land, where she meets a successful businessman named Ivo Karadzic, who has renounced Judaism to become a free-thinker. Their love for each other doesn’t only drive Hanele’s parents to distraction, it also threatens to destroy the entire community in the schetl.
