EPOS AND FILM

In collaboration with the Art Cinema we are organising a two-day film mini-show – the photographers of the EPOS group were directly or indirectly influenced in their work by what was going on the cultural scene in the 1960s and 1970s when they were constantly on the watch for the latest trends in Czechoslovakia and in the West – everything that resonated with their free “bigbeat” frame of mind, including the emerging trend-setting film opuses. Come and tune in to the period ambiance through the visual impact of the films and their powerful stories!

24/10/2016, 6pm
The White Dove (František Vláčil, 1960, Czechoslovakia)
A story of a boy taking care of a wounded white dove introduced a whiff of fresh air into a Czechoslovak cinematography that was weighed down with agit-prop. From the first moments of this children’s film by František Vláčil it is obvious how fresh, poetic, imaginative and unusual it is. The easy-to-grasp international and humanist theme protected the work from being denounced as formalistic. After screening, a discussion with the Epos group members.

8.30pm
The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957, Sweden)
An old story about the meaning of life and the quest for God. The film was modelled on Bergman’s play Wood Painting but it manages to avoid the pitfalls of being too theatrical with the photography of Sven Nykvist, the Nordic landscape in the middle of summer and the actors (featuring the charismatic Max von Sydow). The gloomy Nordic aesthetic of the photography in this famous film by Bergman provided some inspiration for the work of the Epos group.

25/10/2016, 6pm
Festival in the Botanical Garden (Elo Havetta, 1969, Czechoslovakia)
The lively film action is set in the environment of a wine-growing village, where the often bizarre characters play out a universal story of human apprehensions, endeavours and failures. The endless carnival merry-making completely ignored the onset of normalisation.

8.30pm
Under Your Skin (Mikko Niskanen, 1966, Finland)
The film is the first remarkable attempt to step out of the shadow of The White Reindeer (and the spirit of a Finnish soldier) heading towards the novelty trends of the 1960s – experiments with narration and improvisation which nevertheless present a veritable probe into the life of youth. In Finland Mikko Niskanen established himself as the first great film director with film writing ambitions (long before Aki and Mika Kaurismäki).

Art Cinema
film screenings
admission to each show 100 CZK/Film Club members 50 CZK