A recently published, explosive study on the role of women in Czech cinema provides the occasion for the new film series “The Female Gaze: New Films from the Czech Republic” at the 34th FilmFestival Cottbus (November 5-10). The study “Women in the Audiovisual Industry: Feature Films” by the Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) shows that the presence of women in Czech cinema has changed only minimally since the 1990s. Despite the widespread impression of a growing proportion of women in the film industry, the research results prove that only the youngest generation of female filmmakers is initiating a noticeable change. Curated by Lenka Tyrpáková, the FFC presents the new diversity of Czech cinema in 12 current feature-length and short films.
HER BODY by Natálie Císařovská (CZ, SK, 2023, 107 min) shows the ambitious high diver Andrea, whose Olympic dream comes to an end after an injury and ultimately leads her into the porn industry. MY SUNNY MAAD (Michaela Pavlátová, CZ, FR, 2021, 79 min) tells the story of Helena, a Czech woman who follows her lover to Kabul and has to find her way in a new, strange world full of traditions and rules. HER BODY ORDINARY FAILURES (CZ, HU, IT, SK, 2022, 84 min) by International Festival Jury member Cristina Groșan follows three women in a mysteriously exploding city that confronts them with the question of what really matters in life. I AM NOT EVERYTHING I WANT TO BE by Klára Tasovská (CZ, SK, AT, 2024, 90 min) portrays the photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková, whose eventful life tells of her search for freedom in photographs and diary entries. Jarcovjáková also spent several years in Germany.
In TINY LIGHTS (Beata Parkanová, CZ, SK, 2024, 76 min), six-year-old Amálka experiences a major change during her summer vacation that tears her out of her childish fantasy world. YEAR OF THE WIDOW by Veronika Lišková (CZ, SK, HR, 2024, 109 min) follows the grieving widow Petra through the seasons and phases of her loss. In LIMITS OF EUROPE (Apolena Rychlíková, CZ, FR, SK, 2024, 98 min), journalist Saša Uhlová goes undercover to shed light on the harsh conditions for economic migrants in Europe and questions the costs of prosperity. There is also a great short film program.
The series will be complemented by the exciting “Panel on the study: The role of women in the Czech film industry” on Thursday, November 7, at 5 pm at the Glad-House, moderated by Lenka Tyrpáková (language: English). The filmmakers of the series will be joined by the authors of the study.
“The Female Gaze: New Films from the Czech Republic”, supported by the Czech-German Future Fund, invites audiences to experience outstanding and forward-looking female voices in Czech cinema and participate in a dialog about the importance of female perspectives in the European film industry.
The FilmFestival Cottbus is supported by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the State of Brandenburg and the City of Cottbus.