This evening, 30 May, Helena Třeštíková will receive the Dragon of Dragons award, granted by the Krakow Film Foundation Programme Council.
This evening, 30 May, Helena Třeštíková will receive the Dragon of Dragons award, granted by the Krakow Film Foundation Programme Council.
The Czech documentarian is the guest of the 52. Krakow Film Festival since yesterday. During the meeting with journalists she talked about her films, she has shot about 60 of them, and her documentary technique of the long term observation.
”René” is her most famous film, which provokes the journalists to ask questions concerning the relations between the documentary director and the protagonist of her films. Třeštíková managed to film over 20 years of life of René Plášil, the Czech criminal, who thanks to the film, holds the status of the Czech celebrity, publish books, gives autographs and appears in popular TV shows.
The idea of filming the cycle on young criminals came to Helena Třeštíková later, after finishing shooting “Marriage Stories”. The cycle was supposed to follow the circumstances, under which the young people enter the prison reality. The cycle was planned for 6 stories, which were to present 6 different protagonists. One of them was René, who turned out to be the most interesting character.
„René” is a documentary return to the main character of the cycle “Tell Me Something About You.René”. After years, René is even more gloomy and disturbing. During the film production, the character robbed the director.
The most intimate scene of the film is the moment, when he asked the director who he is for her. Despite the sequence of the events, the relation between Třeštíkova and René remains stable. They are still in touch exchanging e-mails and letters, when René stays in prison again. The director plans to film her protagonist once more.
The film has been awarded at many international film festivals receiving the European Film Academy Award for the best documentary of 2008, the Golden Dove at DOK Leipzig, the main award for the Milan Documentary Film.
Here in Krakow, we will have a chance to see the film during the award ceremony, which begins at 6 p.m. at the Kijów.Centrum cinema at 6 p.m.
Třeštíková made as famous documentaries as “Marriage Stories” (1987 and 2006), “Marcela” (2007) and” Katka” (2010). All mentioned above could be seen as part of the Třeštíková retrospective at the 52nd Krakow Film Festival.
Her latest production “Private Universe”, which presents 37 years taken from life of the ordinary Czech family, is the longest example of using the long lasting observation technique practiced by the director since years.
The award is granted by Krakow Film Foundation Programme Council since 1998. So far the circle of its laureates includes famous artists such as: Kazimierz Karabasz, Stephen and Timothy Quay, Werner Herzog, Raoul Servais, Allan King, Jerzy Kucia, Albert Maysles and Jonas Mekas.
The Czech director is the first woman to receive the award.