From 4 April, the Days of European Film (DEF) festival takes over Kino Art in Brno with a colourful selection of the most recent award-winning films by renowned directors as well as fresh debuts, including scoundrels, grave robbers, rocker Pete Doherty, surrealist Salvador Dalí, wild capitalism in the Balkans, sustainable fashion and cuddly bears.
The programme includes comedies, dramas, animated and documentary films, as well as films in which music plays a leading role. The Brno part of the festival will feature: director Jessica Hausner’s new film ‘Club Zero’; an eccentric film portrait of the world-famous painter Salvador Dalí, ‘Daaaaaalí!’; an open confession of rock’n’roll stormtrooper Pete Doherty; the winning film of last year’s Karlovy Vary IFF, ‘Blažina Lekce’; Wim Wenders’ new documentary ‘Anselm’; the historical drama ‘Kos’, and the sustainable fashion documentary ‘Fashion Reimagined’.
DEF is also giving space to debut films from first-time directors, such as ‘Without Air’ from Hungarian director Katalina Moldovai, which follows the story of a literature teacher who recommends a story about the relationship between the poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine to her students, and is immediately accused by parents of homosexual propaganda.
A major theme of the festival is music in film. Highlights include a documentary by director Katia de Vidas, ‘Peter Doherty: Stranger in My Own Skin’. The English musician and poet, the frontman of The Libertines, one of the most successful English bands of the 2000s, confesses his demons in the documentary, recalling his long battle with drug addiction. Another film in which music plays a major role is ‘Daaaaaalí!’, an unusual portrait of the world-famous painter Salvador Dalí by Quentin Dupieux. The film mixes reality with fantasy, serving the audience a story as original as the paintings of the surrealist master, accompanied with a score by electronic musician Thomas Bangalter (Daft Punk). The screening of the film in Kino Art will be complemented by a discussion with Marika Kupková, curator of the TIC Gallery and a university teacher.
DEF will also continue its long-term focus on ecology and nature. In the British documentary ‘Fashion Reimagined’, director Becky Hutner follows the work of fashion designer Amy Powney, who designs her collections in accordance with the principles of sustainable fashion and with respect to the environment.
The Days of European Film festival will take place at Kino Art from 4-9 April. Tickets and the program are available at www.eurofilmfest.cz.
