The Restored Films of Jan Špáta

Colour, HD CAM
Czech Republic, 2009, 103 min
WP – World premiere
Section: Documentary Films - Out of Competition

Synopsis

A selection from a unique project to digitally restore the films of legendary Czech documentarist Jan Špáta. One of Špáta’s first accomplishments as a director is the renowned film essay Respice finem (15 min) about old village women humbly waiting for the end of life. In 1965, during eminent trumpeter Louis Armstrong’s visit to Prague, the director created the report Hallo Satchmo (26 min). In Variations on Gustav Mahler’s Theme (Variace na téma Gustava Mahlera, 13 min) Špáta rendered his relationship to and admiration for the world-renowned, Czech-born musical genius. In 1990 he and photographer Jindřich Štreit observed the lives of the subjects of Štreit’s photographs from the border region in Between Light and Darkness (Mezi světlem a tmou, 24 min). Athletic Variations (Atletické variace, 28 min) is a sophisticated essay on winning and losing during the 1982 European Athletics Championships held in Athens.

The project, to be released on four DVDs, includes the digital restoration and transfer to HD format of 18 of Jan Špáta’s most important works.

About the director

Jan Špáta (1932, Náchod - 2006, Prague), cameraman and documentarist, graduated as a director of photography from Prague’s Film Academy (FAMU) in 1957. His first writer-director film, The Greatest Wish (Největší přání, 1964), marks the beginning of his independent directorial output, although he continued to work as a cameraman. During his 41-year film career he stood behind the lens on hundreds of documentaries by many directors. During his 34 years as a director he shot 107 films, winning over 60 awards at domestic and foreign festivals. He taught in Ulm, Germany and at FAMU, and in 2002 FAMU named him professor. In the same year he received a state decoration from President Václav Havel. He concluded his career in 1998 with the confessional film The Love I Leave (Láska, kterou opouštím). He is considered a legend of Czech documentary filmmaking.