This year’s edition of the Prague IFF – Febiofest will bring a number of world famous names to the Czech capital, including the US film star Peter Fonda. The actor, perhaps best-known for his role in the cult film Easy Rider, which he wrote and starred in alongside Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson, will attend the festival’s gala opening on 21 March. The Golden Globe winner will receive Febiofest’s Kristián award for lifetime contribution to world cinema during the ceremony.  

Peter Fonda’s programme to include Easy Rider screening and master class 

Peter Fonda will come to Prague for the very beginning of the festival. During his stay he will present Easy Rider, the film that kick-started the New Hollywood era in the laidback 1960s and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay. The actor, who is 79, will also introduce Outlaw Blues (1977), a romantic drama set behind the scenes of the country music business and Ulee’s Gold (1997), which earned him a Golden Globe as well as an Oscar nomination. Fans of the acting great will also be able to attend a master class given by him on Friday 22 March.

French actor-director Louis Garrel brings latest work to Prague  

Another major guest at this year’s Febiofest will be the French actor and director Louis Garrel. The 35-year-old, who received a César for his performance in Regular Lovers, will present his latest directorial work,

A Faithful Man, at the festival. Garrel himself stars in the picture, in which he cast Laetitia Casta and Lily-Rose Depp as his partners. Model and actress Casta, who is married to Garrel, is expected to accompany him to Febiofest. Alongside his latest picture, which will be distributed in Czech cinemas from 4 April by Film Europe, the festival will also present the filmmaker’s feature debut Two Friends (2015), as well as Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers (2003), which he starred in as a young actor.

Redford’s The Old Man & The Gun for curtain raiser, Stan and Ollie to close festival

This year’s Febiofest will be opened by the latest film by Hollywood legend Robert Redford, The Old Man & The Gun. Based on a true story, director David Lowery’s picture stars one of the most respected actors of the last half century as a criminal and specialist in jail breaks, which has earned him the admiration of the public. Redford himself announced that it would be the final film of his career. 

The closing film will be a drama based on events in the life of the famous comedic duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The film reveals the little-known story of a joint tour of English theatres the pair undertook in the post-war era with a view to healing a professional rift between them.

Czech Mint medal for Jiří Menzel

In conjunction with the Czech Mint in Jablonec, Febiofest has this year honoured one of the greatest of Czech directors, Jiří Menzel, with the minting of a special memorial medal. His wife Olga Menzelová will be presented with the Silver Jiří Menzel Memorial Medal at the main press conference prior to the launch of the festival. With this medal, the Czech Mint builds on similar tributes paid to actors Karel Fiala, Rudolf Hrušínský, Vladimír Menšík and Jiří Kodet. 

The festival will receive its gala opening on Thursday 21 March 2019 at Prague’s Municipal House and run until 29 March. The closing ceremony will take place at CineStar Anděl on Thursday 28 March. As is traditional, screenings will be held at the CineStar Anděl and CineStar Černý Most multiplexes and at the Ponrepo and Municipal Library cinemas. 

Author: red