At first glance, what could be more inanimate – and therefore anti-cinematic – than the mineral kingdom? Nora Štrbová challenges this declaration, turning it on its head and making stones into a highly kinetic subject. In this humorous essay film shot in 35 mm, stones are finally given a voice as they observe us, judge us and, above all… put up with us.
In this mockumentary, the European Space Agency forms a team of scientists to craft a message to send to alien civilizations. As they work to compile a comprehensive report on humanity, the team is faced with unexpected challenges, including debates on what should be said and how it should be expressed.
When the world was on fire, they called Hans Blix. This is how the Swedish diplomat is introduced in ‘Blix Not Bombs’. And if there is one fire he is particularly associated with, it is the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Prior to the invasion, Blix led the delegation of UN officials to find out whether weapons of mass destruction were present in Iraq. And it is the invasion and its consequences that we get Blix’s formidably insightful analysis of in a thorough and honest conversation with director Greta Stocklassa. Few others understand the complexities of international politics on the world stage like Blix, and none can explain it with his intellectual elegance. But Stocklassa’s film is also a portrait of the man himself, now an elderly gentleman, writing his memoirs, walking with a cane and watching birds through the window of his apartment. His outlook and commitment is as urgent as ever, as Blix takes stock of the invasion of Iraq and the state of the world today.
Riky, a club bouncer who recently broke up with his girlfriend, has another shift ahead of him “working the door”. While it’s just a Tuesday, this is no ordinary night – it’s Valentine’s Day, a night when nobody wants to be alone. Riky is happy to be spending the evening in the company of his co-workers Modřín and Mates, and they’ve got their hands full. Underaged kids want to get in, drunks don’t want to get out, and everyone keeps losing their cloakroom tickets. In the middle of all of this, Riky’s ex shows up, and she isn’t alone.