Published: July 06, 2018| 03:00 PM

The last movie in the competition category East of the West was the Czech comedy Bear with Us, filmed by Tomáš Pavlíček, a FAMU alumnus, whose debut film, Totally Talking, was screened by the festival in 2014.

“We are happy to be here, presenting the film,” said the director and co-writer to a full hall in the Pupp hotel, which rewarded him with enthusiastic applause. “Bear with Us is, first and foremost, about families, so I have several thanks to give to several families. My own, for their support and patience, for surviving this long with me. My movie family for sticking with me. Many thanks to the Karlovy Vary film festival, which I think is the best in the world. Thanks to our audience-family, without which none of this would be possible. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” said Pavlíček.

Like the family in his movie (the Czech title of which translates to “Cottage for Sale”), Pavlíček’s family, too, owns a cottage (two, in fact) and his cottage-going experiences made it into the screenplay. “I started with a list of characters, atmospheres, scenes, and activities from my stays at the cottage. Then, with co-writer Lucie Bokšeflová, we dramatized them and lined them up into an episodic screenplay with a collective hero,” the director told the Festival daily paper. “My goal was that the viewer recognizes in the individual characters’ gestures and characteristics members of his or her own family.“