Jan Novák

The story of 10-year-old boy and his family against the backdrop of the bloody events of 1956, in Budapest. Children do not yet understand what is going on, but they're happy because the schools are closed. But gradually, to adults and children comes the understanding that something terrible is happening. Disappearing relatives, friends, and even killed some. Tips sent an army to put down the counterrevolutionary rebellion.

In the 26th century the inhabitants of Utopia have so lost their individuality, which varies in number. They live in glass houses (this was written before the invention of television), which allows the political police, called “Keepers” can easily supervise them. They all wear the same uniform and usually turn to each other or as a ”cipher-so” or "UNIFEM" (uniform). They feed on artificial food and rest hour marching in fours in a row the anthem of the One State, pouring out of the loudspeakers. As they are allowed to put a break on the hour (known as the ”sexy time“), draw the curtains of their glass houses. At the head of the One State is one called The Benefactor, which are replaced every year the whole population, usually unanimously. The guiding principle of the State is that happiness and freedom are incompatible.

Rückkehr (Return) consists of two short films inspired by the director's youth: "Die Rückkehr des alten Herrn" (The return of trhe old lord) is a nostalgic dive into the memories of an old man who entrusts his grandson with stories of his youth. "Mein seliger Onkel" (My blessed uncle) then tells the story of the boy and his adventurous uncle. Both stories take place in a picturesque small town.

No Woman is allowed into Karlstejn Castle! Yet the enamoured Daniele Kolářová and the equally enamoured Jana Brejchová manage to spend one night in disguise in the Castle despite the strict royal ban.

A dark fable set in an early 1950s Czech village, a time of Soviet-style socialism which saw the implementation of collectivized agriculture and the mass closure of monasteries and convents.

Inspirada en distintos cuentos de Julio Verne, la película combina actuación en vivo, animación, trucos escenográficos y efectos ópticos variados.

Documentary about Jirí Trnka and how he works.

A hunter goes out to the forest, followed by his lady love. Things do not go well, as documented in song.

A WW2 story of a young Austrian soldier running from the Russian army and a woman whom he forces to come along in order to save his wounded mate.

Una poética historia de un hombre que durante toda su vida ha estado anhelando lo que no puede obtener y no puede apreciar lo que tiene. La imaginación es más importante para él que la realidad.

Oldrich is the runt of his village, beaten by his father, bullied by the other boys. But he has imagination of his side, and a wiry toughness they can’t defeat. The village is in turmoil, because the Nazi occupiers have just retreated and the Red Army is advancing. Oldrich dodges amid the mayhem and panic, taking his share of blows but always managing to stay one step ahead. Beautifully shot and darkly ironic, Karel Kachyna’s forgotten masterpiece jumbles reality, memory and fantasy to capture the intensity and confusion of childhood in a war zone.

Taken from Boccaccio's Decameron, this lovely puppet film tells the bawdy story of the beautiful young Venetian lady who confesses her sinful passion for the Archangel Gabriel to a lustful monk, who promptly impersonates him in her bedroom with predictable results. Amidst the film's ribaldry, the hypocrisy and false piety of the monk are mercilessly mocked.

Three small short stories, each of which was created by one of the famous Czechoslovak filmmakers of children's films: Magdalena, Fraud and Karp.

An anti-war black comedy set during the Thirty Years' War. The film combines live action with animation to suggest the artistic style of the engraver Matthäus Merian.

Jitka is a 12-year-old girl who feels the first stirring of love. She becomes friends with a young man who is hospitalized with paralysis. Jitka visits the man every day and witnesses his slow recovery, but she is unaware that she could have deeper feelings for him.

A group of outcasts, including a vagabond and a prostitute, gather at the outskirts of the industrial area of a large Czech city, one of the things that helps some of them survive is alcohol.

The poetical story, based on a late Gothic song about the serene and fulfilling relationship of two lovers, is expressed through the minimalist animation of Ludmila Jiříncová's paintings.

Trnka’s sci-fi vision of the future in which machines and robots try to substitute themselves into the most beautiful human relationships. A cybernetic robot is supposed to substitute for the loving grandmother of a little girl. The wise grandmother, however, comes back and the girl finds the warmth of her grandmother’s loving arms again. Trnka’s artistic ideas in this film can be described as both poetically fragile and dramatically cautionary.

Psychological study of country girl Jitka and her blossoming love for an older man afraid of her youth and spontaneity.

Debut film of Slovakian director Martin Hollý

This is an engaging drama by director Karel Kachyna about the growing pains of a young teen (Jorga Kotrbova) and the hardships of a noble steed mistreated by a cruel neighboring farmer. The teen is having a hard time figuring out adult modes of behavior, and at the same time her heart goes out to the horse that is suffering under the treatment of the farmer next door to her family. As the teen adopts the horse as a friend, some clarification will be sure to come on the meaning of adulthood and the benefits of compassion.

A short film about traditional crafts and culture that can still be found in the Wallachian mountains today.