Czech and Slovak film festival

This September Melbourne’s iconic, and newly restored, Capitol Theatre will host the annual Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia (CaSFFA).

With a jam-packed four-day schedule, running from September 19 to 22, viewers can expect a rich tapestry of films, from historic screwball comedies to insightful documentaries.

2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the famously peaceful “Velvet Revolution” when 500,000 people took to the streets to demand an end to the one-party communist rule of what was then Czechoslovakia.

CaSFFA artistic director Eleanor Colla said this year’s festival theme, Keys to the City, represented the people unlocking the doors to power and taking back control of their heartland.

“This kind of defiance is perhaps best captured in our closing night film Jan Palach; the story of the Czech student who famously self-immolated to protest the Soviet occupation of his country,” Colla said.

“This is in stark contrast to our opener, On the Roof, an uplifting story that explores universal themes of compassion, loneliness and friendship, depicted through the eyes of a stoic senior citizen and young Vietnamese migrant.”

Bringing the lighter side of Czechoslovak films is Radek Bajgar’s Shotgun Justice, the same director as CaSFFA’s 2016 hit Tiger Theory and Benjamin Tucek’s sci-fi comedy western, Trash on Mars.

CaSFFA President Marcel Mihulka said the festival presented a window into the unique cultures and landscapes of the Czech and Slovak republics.

CBD News is a proud media partner CaSFFA for the 2019 festival. Readers can win tickets by visiting facebook.com.au/cbdnewsmelbourne 

For festival ticket sales or to learn more, visit casffa.com.au