In October, Oscar-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia's 2073, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in early September, will be released. The film is difficult to classify by genre, as Kapadia draws on his experience in both feature filmmaking and documentary filmmaking, making 2073 straddle the line between the typically fictional sci-fi and the traditionally non-fiction genre of documentary. Some have called Kapadia's film a documentary thriller, others a cross-genre statement, and many a warning. And it certainly is, as it depicts a terrible, apocalyptic future, the roots of which the protagonist searches for and discovers more about her world's past. A past that she learns about through documentary footage and commentary from our lived present.
After all, hasn't it always been the function of science fiction, based on our knowledge of the contemporary world, to think through various scenarios, to predict possible developments, and not only to be fascinated by these sometimes fanciful imaginings, but perhaps even to be warned? And so isn't it only logical that the more we move away from fairy tales that took place "long ago, seven galaxies away" (some contemporary witnesses may still remember the fairytale sounding original translation of the opening credits of Star Wars) and focus more on hard science fiction based on accepted scientific theories and, as it is the case of this film, almost documentary-like narratives, the more accurate and perhaps (in the case of 2073, certainly) more frightening predictions we will see?
The Future Gate festival, the largest science fiction film festival in Central Europe, is taking on the same task, with its 11th edition taking place in the last week of September. After that, it will spread its wings of visions, promises and warnings and fly from Prague to all corners of the country. The Telegraph is honoured to be one of its stops and to present selected images from the programme for the first time in Olomouc. Olomouc residents can look forward to new films that have not yet appeared in wider cinema distribution, the best of last year's sci-fi shorts, documentaries and legends of the genre. One such will visit Prague as part of the accompanying programme. But the Olomouc section will also offer an interesting accompanying programme.
Asif Kapadia has made no secret of the fact that he was inspired by the legendary 1962 experimental sci-fi film La Jetée when making 2073. But Kapadia isn't the only one who has been fascinated and inspired by the film, told only through black and white photography and the mesmerising commentary of its narrator, a prisoner who uses a time machine to return to the past in order to obtain necessary but scarce raw materials in the future, to continue his work. It's no secret that La Jetée inspired Terry Gilliam, the famous director and co-founder of the British comedy group Monty Python, among others, to make 12 Monkeys.
In this way, the past connects with the present as stories told by Chris Marker and/or Terry Gilliam inspire contemporary, young filmmakers such as Kapadia to present us with their visions of the future. The circle is coming full. Because we don't want to just look back at the past either, but look forward with a mixture of hope and worries, we will offer the Olomouc audience, in addition to the classics of the sci-fi genre, which 12 Monkeys undoubtedly is, also the hot sci-fi new releases Daughter of the Sun and Substance, or the documentary Another Body. For a debate with Terry Gilliam, unfortunately, it is necessary to go to the Prague edition of the festival, but Olomouc will offer a different guest. As an accompanying programme to the film Another Body we will present a lecture on cyber security, which will be given by Miroslav Homer.
Short film lovers can look forward to a band of short films in the sci-fi genre iShorts and not only for children we are screening the legendary, animated film The Iron Giant right at the beginning of the festival.
The offer is varied and there is something for everyone. There's no reason to hesitate, the future won't wait either!
Full festival schedule:
Tuesday 1 October 2024
17:00 The Iron Giant
20:00 12 Monkeys
Wednesday 2 October 2024
17:00 Science in Film: The Other Body and a lecture on cybersecurity / guest Miroslav Homer
20:00 Substance
Thursday 3 10 2024
17:00 Short Films from iShorts
20:00 Daughter of the Sun
