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V4 /Washington DC, March 25-April 15, 2014/
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Visegrad Four (V4):
The The Visegrad Group, also known as the Visegrad Four or simply V4, is a group of four Central European countries – Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia – created in 1991. These countries have always been part of a single civilization that shares cultural and intellectual values and common roots, which they wish to preserve and further strengthen. The group's activities aim at fostering stability in the region, presenting common ideas at various international fora, and encouraging optimum cooperation with each other as well as with other countries. Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the V4.
It is our great pleasure to present the V4 Embassy film festival, which is now in its third year. As in previous years we have a theme that connects the selection of films from our countries. This year's theme is „societies in motion". We will show films portraying the rapid social changes in these Central European countries following the fall of the iron wall and how these countries deal with the ghosts of their Communist past. The movies will reflect on liberty, love, heroes, secrets, high hopes, illusions and delusions. Each screening will begin with a short introduction by an Embassy representative that explains key cultural and historical elements of the film.
FILM SCREENINGS:
March 25, 2014 at 7 pm: Kontroll at the Embassy of Hungary
The screening will be followed by a reception.
April 1, 2014 at 7 pm: Mosquitoes´ Tango/Tango s komármi at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic The screening will be followed by a reception.
April 8, 2014 at 7 pm: Kawasaki's Rose | Kawasakiho růže at the Embassy of the Czech Republic The screening will be followed by a reception.
April 15, 2014 at 7 pm: The Mole (Kret) at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland
Kontroll (2003)
DIR: Nimród Antal, 105 min, in Hungarian with English subtitles
„So unique and memorable that it sits alongside classic first features like Sexy Beast, Reservoir Dogs and Shallow Grave. Kontroll is just such a movie."
Edward Douglas comingsoon.net
Synopis: A tale about a strange young man, Bulcsú, the fellow metro ticket inspectors on his team, all without exception likeable characters, a rival ticket inspection team, and racing along the tracks... And a tale about love. The film, which was Antal's debut, won numerous awards, including the Award of the Youth at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Hugo (main prize) at the Chicago International Film Festival, as well as a European Film Award nomination for Best Director.
About the Director: Nimród Antal was born in Los Angeles, California of Hungarian ancestry in 1973. He moved to Hungary in 1991 to study at the Hungarian Film Academy. After graduating, he went on to work in the film and television industry. In 2005, he moved back to his hometown of Los Angeles to pursue success in Hollywood.
Antal's first American feature film, Vacancy (2007), starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, was released on April 20, 2007. His second American film, Armored (2009), was released in December 2009. He also made the Predators (2010). Most recently Antal directed Metallica: Through the Never (2013).
Location: Embassy of Hungary 3910 Shoemaker Street NW Washington, DC 20008
RSVP: rsvp.was@mfa.gov.hu with „Kontroll" in the subject line.
Slovakia
Mosquitoes´ Tango/Tango s komármi
DIR: Miloslav Luther, 2009, 97 min., in Slovak with English subtitles
Synopsis: Two emigrants return for a brief visit to Slovakia after spending long years in abroad. Karol needs to get divorced because he wants to remarry. His well–to–do 
fiancée, Lucia, is afraid that Karol might fail in his intentions, and so she hires a second–rate actor, Rudo, to keep an eye on him. Their mission gets unpredictably complicated after they arrive in Bratislava. Their past has been waiting for them and now they must show who they really are. An ironical mosaic of a few days uncovers the secrets of a number of different stories.
The tango is a unique expression of human emotion – it embodies passion, tension, conflict as well as harmony of the two sexes, irritation and pain – like a bite of a mosquito, which persistently demands the drop of blood to survive. We have made Mosquitoes' Tango for the perceptive spectator, who can have fun watching the troubles of the characters, maybe comparing them to his own.
About the director:
Miloslav Luther has graduated from feature film direction at the FAMU in Prague. He has participated on the creation of numerous movies, TV series as well as TV films, for which he was awarded with many different prizes, e.g.: Prix Europe Berlin, Critic award for direction at the IFF Shanghai, Silver nymph and prize for direction Cino del Duca at the IFF Monte Carlo, International jury prize at the MFF Karlovy Vary. Luther, as a director and scriptwriter, has created an artwork, which is thematically heterogeneous, but stylistically homogenous. Without needless hypertrophy, Luther counts as one of the few Slovak directors that have a style of their own. In the end, this style points to original filmic thinking, which is the most precious thing an artist can have. Miloslav Luther knows this very well, and therefore he cultivates his style – the proofs for this are films that delight and surprise.
Location: Embassy of the Slovak Republic
3523 International Court NW Washington, DC 20008
RSVP: rsvp.washington@mzv.sk with „Mosquitoes" in the subject line.
Czech Republic
Kawasaki's Rose | Kawasakiho růže
DIR: Jan Hřebejk, 2009, 100 min., in Czech with English subtitles
"Kawasaki's Rose peels away layers to reveal even deeper ones. This intricate, powerful, unsettling film brings us into a world of profound moral complexities."
~ Los Angeles Times
Synopsis: Psychiatrist Pavel Josek is due to receive a state honor for his courageous work as a dissident. He is loved by his wife and adored by his daughter Lucie. During the filming of a television documentary about his life, it comes to light that at the beginning of the 1970s, under pressure from the secret police, he played a part in discrediting a former friend, who was ultimately forced to emigrate. The family drama sheds light on the practices employed by the secret police to discredit its opponents. Meanwhile, Lucie discovers secrets of her father's past that may change her life forever. The film was the Czech Republic's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and won the Ecumenical Award in the Panorama Section at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The film also garnered three Czech Lion Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Ladislav Chudík and Antonin Kratochvil), Best Supporting Actress (Daniela Kolářová) and was nominated for six additional awards including Best Film and Best Director.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U-pST0ZjhE (in Czech)
About the director:
Jan Hřebejk has made a name for himself amongst the top Czech and international directors. His film Divided We Fall (2000) won five Czech Lion Awards and was also nominated for an Oscar. At the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2013, he won the coveted award for the best director and was nominated for the Crystal Globe. He has made an array of successful films including Cosy Dens (1999), Pupendo (2003), Up and Down (2004), Beauty in Trouble (2006), Innocence (2011), among many others. Furthermore, he has received over 20 international awards and 14 nominations for his films.
Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic 3900 Spring of Freedom Street, NW Washington, DC 20008
R.S.V.P.: czech_events@yahoo.com and put "Kawasaki" in the subject line.
Poland
The Mole (Kret)
Directed by Rafael Lewandowski, 2010, 108 min.,
in Polish with English subtitles
Synopsis: Pawel (Borys Szyc), a Polish man in his early 30s, makes a living with his father Zygmunt (Marian Dziędziel) importing second-hand clothing from France to Poland. On his way back from one of regular "business trips", Pawel is shocked to discover his father's photo on the cover of a Polish tabloid newspaper, with the accusation that he was a secret informer called THE MOLE by the communist regime.
All his life, Pawel had known his father as a genuine hero of the struggle against totalitarianism and a recognized member of the "Solidarnosc" labor movement of the 80s. Suddenly he begins to have doubts. Little by little, their relationships are undermined by the ghosts of the past...
For a preview to the film visit here
About the director: Rafael Lewandowski was born in 1969. Director and screenwriter. His mother is French, his father is Polish. As a teenager, he directed several amateur films, before beginning to study cinema and working as an assistant on numerous productions. In 1996, he received a degree in Directing from La fémis in Paris. After writing and directing several short films he began working on documentaries. He has also made several films about the performing arts. His films have been selected and awarded prizes at a number of international festivals including the Cinema du Réel, New Directors/New Films at the MOMA, Amascultura, the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival, Doc Review, One World, and the Bradford Film Festival. THE MOLE is his feature debut.
Location: Embassy of the Republic of Poland, 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
RSVP: washington.culture@msz.gov.pl with "The Mole" in the subject line
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