A series of two short films will present Natalia Císařovská's film FRANCEK, which tells the story of young František Kupka. As the second film I will present a so-called "work in progress", i.e. a work that is still in development. It will be Johana Ožvold's documentary in progress, entitled THE COLLECTOR. The film documents the life and founder of the Telegraph, Robert Runták.
FRANCEK
The youth and artistic beginnings of the now world-famous painter František Kupka as shaped by the landscape around his native Dobruška... The directorial debut of Natalie Císařovská, a young graduate of the Department of Documentary Studies at FAMU in Prague, captures the youth and intellectual maturation of painter František Kupka, later recognized as one of the founders of abstract painting in the twentieth century. The atmosphere and environment of Dobruška in Eastern Bohemia shaped the adolescent sensitive boy who was just beginning to find his way to knowledge. The impressive camera reflects the hidden spiritual world of the future artist, strongly oriented towards visual experiences in the rich context of his native region at the end of the 19th century - in the foothills of the Orlické Mountains, in the land of spiritualism and Braun's Baroque. The script is based on František Kupka's memories of his youth spent in Dobruška and its surroundings, as recounted in letters from Paris to Josef Svatopluk Machar. As a 15-year-old, Kupka liked to wander the countryside, in the rocks and forests, looking for places that sparked his imagination. He defied the understanding of his surroundings, escaped into his own worlds, and was perceived as a recluse talking to animals or statues and images of saints. He found no support from his parents for his penchant for drawing. By his father's will, he began to train as a saddler, but he was not good at the craft. However, he was also fatefully fortunate to have a master who was typically an avid spiritualist, and the sensitive František became a powerful medium for him. It was in this environment and the escalating conflicts in his family that František grew up and began to experience his first erotic outbursts, when his feelings were finally awakened not by an ordinary girl, but by Braun's statue of a woman. Thus the young František gradually became aware of himself and the nature of his perception. His self-awareness eventually transformed his surroundings. Francis' father eventually gave up trying to get his son to take up a traditional trade and brought him to the local progressive mayor, who recognized the boy's extraordinary talent and decided to give him the funds for his studies himself. Franck thus opened an official path to art... The authors' intention was to capture an unconventional and original insight into the experience of the world by the young František Kupka against the backdrop of small-town Czech life at the end of the 19th century. Formally, the visual poetic film refers to magical realism. The director Natálie Císařovská makes documentaries for Czech Television's documentary series and has made several interesting short student features, characterised by a quest for psychological understanding of her characters and the uncovering of their motivations. In a similar vein, she approaches the figure of the painter František Kupka during his adolescence in a short documentary drama. The screenplay works with a highly sophisticated visual concept.
Short / Drama / Biographical
Czech Republic, 2020, 31 min
Directed by Natálie Císařovská
COLLECTOR
The film is still in development. The subject of the documentary is the life of Telegraph founder Robert Runtak. The film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and protagonists.
Documentary / time-lapse
Czech Republic, 2023, 20 minutes
Directed by Johana Ožvold
TEFF23 = TELEGRAPH FILM FESTIVAL
It's cinema. It's a gallery. And in between is TEFF.
This year, the third annual film showcase of films about visual art, art in film and video art is united by the theme "Within Reach." In fact, Up Close, our film festival this year will bring you up close to the personalities of the art world, and you'll even be able to enter some worlds in VR. The festival runs from Wednesday evening 18 October 2023 to Saturday night 21 October 2023.
Also visit on Thursday:
16:00 BAND 1 (films ELECTRA and PRO(S)THETIC DIALOGUES) +140 Kč
20:00 Preview of CARAVAGGI'S WALL (film) +160 CZK
--> Day Pass (DAY 2) Thursday 19 October 300 Kč / REDUCED 250 Kč
-> TEFF23 Festival Pass 680 Kč / REDUCED 600 Kč
