Let’s Get Spoiled as the World. Watch the Timeless Movie “Daisies” with Some like it Czech

58 years ago, Věra Chytilová released her movie ‘Daisies’, which displeased the communist dictatorship with its criticism of the materialistic and male-dominated society and was banned by the regime.

Although Czech society has made considerable progress since then, calls for equality from Czech women are often silenced, as evidenced by the recent incident involving director Daria Kascheeva at the Czech Lions Film Award ceremony.

Where does the Czech Republic stand in terms of promoting gender equality? Join us for a discussion on this burning topic while watching this Czechoslovak New Wave masterpiece with English subtitles at kino Aero on the 20th of March. Purchase your tickets here.

In ‘Daisies’ (1966, watch the trailer), Chytilová, who had made her living as a model in commercials before becoming one of the leading figures of the Czechoslovak New Wave, brings a nihilist story about two Maries who decided to be spoiled as the world they live in.

They play pranks on men, catwalk down the overflowing buffet table and swing from the chandelier. The bold aesthetic she created with the artist Ester Krumbachová and the metaphorical language was too much for the communist regime and they tried to silence her by locking this movie in the vault.

Throughout the years, the movie gained strong international recognition and Chytilová was and still is perceived as a key feminist filmmaker (although she refused to call herself a feminist).

In 2022, ‘Daisies’ ranked #28 on the prestigious Sight and Sound poll of the greatest films of all time. In the same year, this iconic picture was restored and screened at the Cannes festival.

Although Czech society has clearly made considerable progress since the socialist times of censorship and the restriction of human liberty, it appears that our Czech society still has much to learn in terms of giving space to pro-gender equality voices.

The evidence could be the recent incident that has stirred social debate. On March 9th, Daria Kashcheeva, a Tajik-born, and Czech-based filmmaker, received an award at the Czech Lions for her short film ‘Electra’. During her speech, where she tried to make a point about the position of women in the film industry, she was silenced, allegedly due to the excessive length of her speech.

Was she interrupted because she didn’t respect the rules of the show, or because our society doesn’t want to hear about these topics? Does Czech society support feminist voices? Is the Czech Republic a safe space for people with different sexualities and genders?

Come and join “Some like it Czech” project at the English-friendly screening of Daisies, accompanied by a feminist, flower power-driven introduction discussing all these burning questions. Secure your tickets now. Screened on March 20th at kino Aero.

If you want to know more about the event and the project itself, follow “Some like it Czech” on Instagram or Facebook

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