The Czech Film and Television Academy (CFTA) has selected its Oscar nominee for this year, a choice that surprised no one. The CFTA has chosen “Waves,” a film directed and written by Jiří Mádl, to represent the Czech Republic at the 97th Academy Awards. This historical drama revisits the turbulent year of 1968 when Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia under the guise of “brotherly assistance.” “Waves” is inspired by the true story of a group of journalists from the International Life Department of Czechoslovak Radio who risked everything to provide independent news coverage during those critical days. The film had its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and has already made a significant impact on the Czech film scene. It hit Czech cinemas on August 15. The selection process for the Oscar nominee took place from August 30 to September 8, with CFTA members choosing from 13 Czech feature films submitted by their producers. Following “Waves” in the voting were Viktor Tauš’s “Amerikánka,” which has not yet been released in cinemas, and Adam Martinec’s “Mord” (in alphabetical order). The 97th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 2, 2025. The Academy will announce the shortlist of...
This year’s Mladí ladí jazz festival is set to bring an impressive lineup of global music stars and innovative performers to unconventional venues across Prague and other Czech cities. Highlighting the festival will be Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla, who will perform for Czech audiences at the Municipal House on October 7. Santaolalla, an Argentinian composer celebrated for his work on the films Brokeback Mountain and Babel and the popular game and TV series The Last of Us, has earned numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe. You can get your ticket here. A Diverse Lineup of International Talent Santaolalla isn’t the only big name at this year’s festival. American saxophonist Colin Stetson, known for his unique musical style and contributions to the soundtrack of the video game Red Dead Redemption II, will also perform in Prague. Stetson, who has collaborated with artists like Lou Reed and the Chemical Brothers, will take the stage on October 22 at the Church of the Sacred Heart on Jiřího z Poděbrad Square. Besides these headliners, the festival will showcase several young and promising musical acts. The London-based duo Blue Lab Beats, winners of a Grammy Award and celebrated for...
Prague is set to invest significantly in its cultural landscape, with new funding allocated for the renovation of theatres and museums, as well as the organization of various cultural events. Among the notable projects, the Spejbl and Hurvínek Theatre and the Theatre in Dlouhá will receive new seating, while the historic Desfour Palace will undergo extensive reconstruction and Troja Castle will benefit from exterior restoration work. “I see this financial boost to Prague’s culture as an investment in our future. It will not only foster the development of the city’s cultural offerings but also increase its appeal to tourists and visitors,” said Jiří Pospíšil, Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and Tourism. “The renovation of Desfour Palace, in particular, is crucial. This building is currently in a state of disrepair, and its restoration will create a new cultural space designed for students, families, tourists, and other groups. It’s a great and innovative project.” The Desfour Palace has been managed by the Museum of the City of Prague since 2020. The city has committed CZK 751.3 million to its reconstruction, prioritizing the renovation due to the building’s dilapidated condition, which has rendered it unsafe for entry. In addition, Prague will provide CZK 20 million...
The internationally acclaimed band Imagine Dragons, led by frontman Dan Reynolds, is set to return to Prague next year on June 9th, with their latest album, Loom. The American rock group, known for their energetic performances and chart-topping hits, will once again electrify the Czech capital after their previous sold-out concerts drew an astonishing 120,000 fans over two nights. Their last visit to Prague saw them fill the expansive Letňany Airport venue twice. With their new tour, Imagine Dragons aim to recreate the magic and bring a memorable experience to their Czech fans. Earlier this summer, Imagine Dragons released Loom, their sixth studio album, which has already received widespread praise. The album is seen as a culmination of the band’s journey of self-discovery, blending their signature sound with fresh, innovative elements. Co-produced with Swedish hitmakers Mattman & Robin, long-time collaborators of the band, Loom strikes a perfect balance between the familiar anthems that made them a household name and the new creative explorations that emerged during its creation. Released on June 28, Loom follows the band’s two-part Mercury series (Acts 1 & 2) and marks a new chapter in their discography. According to Dan Reynolds, the album’s songs are born...
For the first time in its history, Signal Festival will transform the Prague Castle District into a district full of art. Prague Castle District will become one of the two routes of the twelfth edition of the festival. This year’s festival will take place from the 10th to 13th of October. This year’s Signal Festival will present 22 installations, 7 of them exclusively in the Gallery Zone, for which you can already buy tickets. In the packed program of this year’s festival, you can look forward to Filip Hodas’ video mapping of the Archbishop’s Palace, Jiří Příhoda’s monumental objects at Sternberg Palace, a project by London-based studio United Visual Artists using kinetic pendulums at Kunsthalle Prague, or an audiovisual projection by Italian artist Quayola at the Centre for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP). Another thing to attract your attention will be The MERCEDES-BENZ AURA installation by Monument Office & Signal Creative. This year, Signal Festival is once again opening the Gallery Zone, which offers the opportunity to experience art in a unique atmosphere. With limited capacity, this paid part of the festival brings a diverse program that you won’t see at any other time. For four days, places...
The 17th annual Dvořák Prague International Music Festival will kick off on Friday, September 6, with a captivating performance of Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor and the renowned New World Symphony. The opening concert will feature soloist Julian Steckel and the Bamberger Symphoniker, under the baton of conductor Jakub Hrůša. This year’s Artist in Residence, Julian Steckel, will perform four times throughout the festival, including an open-air concert titled “Connected by Mahler” at the Prague Exhibition Centre on September 11, as announced today by the festival director, Jan Simon. In celebration of the “Year of Czech Music,” the festival will honor not only Dvořák but also Bedřich Smetana and other prominent Czech composers. Every year ending in four is designated the Year of Czech Music, celebrating the anniversaries of famous Czech composers such as Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904), Leoš Janáček (1854-1928), Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959), and Josef Suk (1874-1935). The central theme this year is the 200th anniversary of Bedřich Smetana’s birth. On September 7, the Czech Philharmonic will perform under principal guest conductor Jakub Hrůša, including Leoš Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass, which recently received acclaim at the BBC Proms. The festival will also see the world premiere of Peter Wajsar’s...
A new street in Prague 7 has been named after Nicholas Winton, who relentlessly cajoled and shamed immigration authorities to provide visas for 669 children, sparing them the horrors of the Holocaust. Jan Čižinský, the mayor of the Prague 7 district, spoke of Winton’s “heroism, courage, and humility”. When complete, the street will pass by the railway station and memorials to “the dark side of world history”. The naming of the street coincides with the 85th anniversary of the last planned Kindertransport from Prague, which was prevented from departing due to the outbreak of the second world war. The 250 children onboard the train were deported to Nazi concentration camps; two survived the war. Winton’s heroic actions were depicted in a recent film, One Life, starring Anthony Hopkins. The former stockbroker, who was knighted in 2003 and nominated for the Nobel peace prize in 2008, died in 2015 at the age of 106. Among those attending the naming ceremony in Prague on Tuesday were four surviving “Winton children”, members of Winton’s family, and a delegation from the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR). Michael Newman, the chief executive of the AJR, said: “It is hugely symbolic that [Winton’s] endeavours are recognised...
Prague’s City Hall has approved a plan to explore the possible return of the statue of Johann Graf Radetzky von Radetz to Malostranské náměstí. The monument, which originally stood on the square from 1858 to 1919, would be a replica since the original statue is preserved in the Lapidarium of the National Museum. If restored, the statue would be positioned near the tram stop, as trams currently run through the original site. The proposal is controversial and did not receive unanimous support, particularly from the Pirate Party coalition members. The Prague City Council discussed the restoration proposal on Monday and agreed to collaborate with the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague to evaluate the technological and financial aspects of producing a replica of the Radetzky statue. “This step by the Council marks a crucial part of our efforts to return the statue of Marshal Radetzky to its rightful place,” said Jiří Pospíšil (TOP 09). “Restoring this monument will not only commemorate a significant historical figure but also honor the Czech soldiers who fought bravely under his command. We have taken great care to respect the site’s historical integrity and minimize any impact on the archaeological layers. The restoration will...
Prague’s famous FAMU Film School has once again been included in The Hollywood Reporter’s prestigious annual list of the 15 Best Global Film Schools, alongside institutions such as the London Film School and France’s La Fémis. The US weekly described FAMU as one of Europe’s top-tier film schools, which offers one-year intensive programs and two and three year master’s degrees in directing, cinematography and editing, including accredited programs in English. The Hollywood Reporter described the FAMU as one of Europe’s top-tier film schools, offering one-year intensive programs and two- and three-year master’s degrees in directing, cinematography and editing, including accredited programs in English. The magazine noted that the school’s alumni include Milos Forman, Vera Chytilová, Jirí Menzel and Jaromil Jires, “who created a new dark and funny take on life behind the Iron Curtain”. FAMU was founded in 1946 as one of three branches of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. In the 1960s and 1970s, several young directors from Yugoslavia were FAMU students (Rajko Grlić, Srđan Karanović, Emir Kusturica, Goran Marković, Goran Paskaljević and Lordan Zafranović). All of these directors would become very successful in the following decades, prompting the coinage of the term Praška filmska škola (“Prague...
In the second week of September (7-15th) European Heritage Days (EHD) will be held in the Czech Republic. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to visit interesting sights that are otherwise inaccessible! European Heritage Days’ goal is to make the most interesting monuments of all kinds available to the general public, i.e. architectural, archaeological, sacral, technical, as well as museums, galleries and libraries and even other areas in which incredibly extensive collections of movable cultural heritage are kept. In the context of the European Heritage Days various accompanying events – lectures, concerts, town festivals, as well as competitions and other cultural programs are held. The event will take place under the patronage of the Association of Historical Monuments of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. About 800 state-protected sites are expected to join the event. Most of them (but not all) will be free of charge for the days of the festival. These are not only castles, palaces, churches, monasteries, museums, theatres, old houses, gardens and villas, but also industrial buildings – factories, mills, breweries, craft workshops and mines. In 2024 the main theme of the festival will be ‘Sights unite the world’. A rich accompanying program awaits visitors – classical music...
The Sberatel / Collector fair is the biggest fair for collectors in all fields in Central and Eastern Europe. The 24th edition will be held in Prague at PVA Expo Letňany on 6 and 7 September. Over 230 dealers, auction houses, and postal authorities from around the globe will gather in the Czech capital for this significant event. “Every year, our fair draws around ten thousand visitors, with more than a third coming from abroad. We expect an even bigger turnout this year, as economic uncertainties like war and inflation have sparked greater interest in collecting as a form of investment among Czechs. It’s safe to say that Czechs are becoming a nation of collectors,” said Jindřich Jirásek, the fair’s director. Attendees will have the chance to buy and sell an array of rare items, from family heirlooms to exclusive collectibles. A popular feature of the fair is the free valuation service, where experts assess the value of stamps, coins, autographs, and other curiosities. “Every year, someone brings in an unexpected gem,” said Jirásek. “In previous years, we’ve seen items like the valuable St. Wenceslas ducats, which were later auctioned for tens of thousands of crowns. Once, a woman surprised us...
Mark your calendars for a delightful evening of musical enchantment! On Wednesday, August 28th, at 5 pm, the Wallenstein Garden in Prague will come alive with the melodies of the Prague Symphony Orchestra. The repertoire includes Smetana’s composition, “Dances from The Bartered Bride,” as well as evocative film music that has left a mark on cinematic history. Attendees can look forward to an overture from Giacomo Puccini’s opera “O mio babbino caro.” Furthermore, the event will transport listeners through time with enchanting melodies from cinematic masterpieces like “Forrest Gump” and “Angel of the Lord 2.” The concert is held in cooperation with the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and under the auspices of Senator Jiří Drahoš. Voluntary admission is payable at the door. More info here Here’s a glimpse of the program: Bedřich Smetana: Dances from The Bartered Bride Antonín Dvořák: Carnival Leoš Janáček: The Lachian Dances Léo Delibes: Lakmé – The Flower Duet Giacomo Puccini: Gianni Schicchi – O mio babbino caro Charles Gounod: Roméo et Juliette – Je veux vivre Georges Bizet: Carmen – Habanera, Seguidilla Film music: Angelica, Forrest Gump, Angel of the Lord 2, Arabela – Doubravka Novotná | soprano Jarmila Vantuchová | mezzo-soprano Prague Symphony Orchestra...
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