3 Seasons in Hell

Colour, 35 mm
Czech Republic, Germany, Slovak Republic, 2009, 110 min
IP – International premiere
Section: Official Selection - Competition

Synopsis

1947. Postwar Prague bubbles with life and energy: the period favors sensuality and extravagance. Nineteen-year-old Ivan Heinz is the embodiment of its dreams and ideals: he leaves home and his conservative father to give himself eagerly over to a bohemian lifestyle. Self-satisfied and confrontational, the young man writes poetry and finds understanding with a like-minded, freethinking rebel named Jana. Then together the couple experience the end of hope: after February 1948, the Communist regime, which Ivan once fervently celebrated as an armchair Marxist, reveals its repressive side. The lovers refuse to conform, barely surviving on the fringes of society while planning to run away to Paris. But the clash with merciless reality soon arrives, hard and unexpected.... Debut director Tomáš Mašín drew inspiration from the autobiography of leftist underground poet, prose writer, and philosopher Egon Bondy. Having gained much from the director’s experience creating acclaimed commercials, the artistically striking retro film took three Czech Lions: Best Camera, Sound, and Actor (Kryštof Hádek).

About the director

Tomáš Mašín (b. 1966, Prague) studied graphic design, conceptual art, and media at AVU, Prague’s Academy of Fine Arts (1986-93). But his interest in multimedia led him to video art, computer animation, and short, experimental movies. In 1995 he cofounded Dawson Productions, prior to which he had worked as production designer on Vít Olmer’s Nudity for Sale (1993) and Bigger Idiot Than We Thought (1994). In 1996 he shot Hotel and cowrote the script for Whisper, David Ondříček’s generational tragicomic debut. Mašín has shot commercials and music videos, and has created trailers for music programs (e.g. MTV). His work has received numerous awards at specialized film festivals.