On Saturday at the official closing of the festival, popular Czech actress Jiřina Bohdalová will receive the KVIFF President’s Award. On Thursday she already received a bouquet and a secret message whispered into her ear from Jiří Bartoška, just before the gala screening of The Ear, the 1970 psychological drama about political paranoia, fear and servility.
“I’ll be watching the film with you as well today; I haven’t seen it in a long time. Two things bother me about the film: that my parents didn’t have the chance to see it because it was kept under lock and key for years; and that its gifted author, Jan Procházka, wanted to write another screenplay for me, but never managed to. Today I will be thinking of them,” said Jiřina Bohdalová in her introduction to Karel Kachyňa’s film, in which she played alongside Radovan Brzobohatý and which courageously focused its critical eye directly on the highest political circles.
