A gardener (Oldrich Kaiser) and his wife live peacefully at the foot of a hill, caring for their small garden. But their quiet life is disturbed when a new owner moves into the nearby castle and tries to buy all the land around, including theirs. When the gardener refuses to sell, the new owner becomes aggressive, putting up a razor-wire fence and blocking their access road. Due to the police and the mayor failing to help, the gardener decides to fight back and protect their home. (2024, 95min, PG-13) (Comedy / Drama)
Year of the Widow (Rok vdovy)
Directed byVeronika Lišková
Starring Pavla Beretová ,Julie Šoucová ,Zuzana Kronerová , Tomáš Bambušek
Tuesday, April 15th, 7pm
Czech Oscar, Best Actress – Pavla Beretová
Czech Film Critics’ Award, Best Actress — Pavla Beretová
After her husband´s fatal health collapse, Petra (Pavla Beretová) overnight becomes a widow. As she soon finds out, her grief and loneliness are not the only challenges she has to face. Unexpectedly demanding are also countless practical and administrative tasks that a person’s death brings in the 21st century. The fiction debut of an awarded documentary director draws an intimate and minimalistic drama that touches a taboo topic and captures a clash between a person’s individual perception of a situation and the reality. (2024, 108min) (Drama)
LIVING LARGE (Život k sežrání)
Directed by Kristina Dufková
Starring Tatiana Dyková , David Novotný, Eliška Křenková, Marek Taclík, Simona Babčáková, Jiří Bartoška
Tuesday, April 22nd, 7pm
Czech Oscars — Best Animated Film, Best Music (Michal Novinski)
Grand Jury Prize – Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Ben is 12, he is from a divorced family and even though he is a talented chef-in-the-making, his physique leaves much to be desired. So far, the fact that he is fat didn’t bother him much. However, with the summer and school back on, he realizes the boys are tall and manly while many of the girls turned into well-endowed young ladies – Klara especially. Ben longs for her attention but his body is not helping his cause. His size makes him a target of bullying and even the school nurse issues him with a stern warning. And so, Ben, a food fanatic, has to go on a diet. Klára is his main motivation, but his family and friend Erik are there for him too. In the end and after a lot of twists and turns, Ben regains his lust for life, gains love and wins back the friendships he has almost lost. (2024, 80min) (Animation)
OUR LOVELY PIG SLAUGHTER (Mord)
Directed by Adam Martinec
Starring Karel Martinec, Miloslav Čížek, Pavlína Balner, Aleš Bílík, Albert Čuba
Tuesday, April 29th, 7pm
11 Czech Oscar Nominations
Special Jury Mention, Crystal Globe Prize – Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
A pig slaughter happens every year at the old folks’ place in Osoblaha. It’s the only day of the year when the whole family gathers to rejoice, complain, eat, drink, and just live. But this year is different because Grandpa is unsure how to tell his son-in-law Karel that this will be the last slaughter. Karel’s daughter Romana misses her mother and her sister Lucie’s marriage is falling apart. Lucie’s son Dušan is lost in the clashes of the female and male worlds, Uncle Šupina is already drunk, the butcher Tonda is hiding the fact that his bullets are damp and the neighbor is plotting revenge on everyone for his miserable life. Throughout such a day, the resilience of mutual bonds is tested, revealing the strength and fragility of relationships formed by traditions, love, and grievances. (2024, 84min, Drama / Comedy)
From Our Previous Film Selection
Buko
Directed by Alice Nellis
Czech Oscar, Best Supporting Role — Martha Issová, Official Selection – Karlovy Vary IFF
Jarmila and her husband Václav move from Prague to the countryside to spend their last years. Upon Václav’s unfortunate passing, Jarmila receives a surprise as dictated in his last will: an old circus horse named Buko she is now supposed to take care of. And with it Jarmila starts a new phase of her life. With help of an autistic Tereza, neighbour Karel and his mother, she tries to create a new home for Buko and find her way to him. But to be able to do so, she first must acknowledge her own feelings and stop hiding behind a daily routine and silly TV shows.
About The Fest!
Presented by Big Day Pictures and PolkaWorks, Czech That Film Texas annually brings the best of Czech contemporary cinema to Texas.
The festival is committed to exhibiting films that not only expose viewers to Czech culture, but also enlighten audiences, bring people together, and present inspired entertainment for all.
