Let's Focus on Czech animated films

Today we start the Focus on Czech animation programme, that will take place in Slovenska kinoteka and will offer an insight into everything Czech animators have to offer, from animated TV ads to the Czech cartoons for kids.

We'll start the Focus in the early years, and review Czech animated film before 1989. "Czech short-length animated and stop-motion films began appearing in the Czechoslovak distribution from the mid-1920s. These films were mainly commercials and typically promoting products by e.g. margarine manufacturers – The Winner (Vítěz, 1934) and manufacturers of radio receivers – The Wizard of Tones (Čaroděj tónů, 1936)," says Michaela Mertová, the curator of this part of the Focus programme. 

After that we'll move on to the bright new future and see what happened with Czech animated film In the newly forming democracy in Czechoslovakia, between the years 1990-2011. "The fate of the animated film was sealed for almost fifteen years when the newly-formed government rejected the law that should guarantee a continuous transition of the film industry to a market system.Having previously functioned as a closed and self-sufficient economic unit, cinematography suddenly lost its financial background and formal guarantee," says the programme curator Bára Příkaská. "Numerous small private studios were established, but without the support of the state they had no chance to survive."

If you're curious what happened then and how the turbulent political and social changes reflected on the work of animators, don't miss this programme. Starting today at 14:00 in Kinoteka!