Published: June 11, 2019| 11:20 AM

As part of this year’s accompanying program, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival presents two performances of Amerikánka, starring Tereza Voříšková and Eliška Křenková and with music by Petr Ostrouchov. The performances will take place on Monday 1 July and Tuesday 2 July at 10:30pm at the Municipal Theatre.

Amerikánka is produced and directed by Viktor Tauš (among other things, a member of the jury at the 49th KVIFF). What can keep you alive when the entire world is against you and you are still just a child? You don’t have much of a choice. Ema Černá, the main protagonist of this play based on a true story, manages to overcome even this seemingly impossible situation.

Amerikánka is also a drama about freedom, the desire to live, loneliness, alienation, and friendship. 

Ema Černá is played by Tereza Voříšková and Eliška Křenková.

The two actresses play one and the same character, a child protagonist who must face the entire world, and who overcomes an orphanage, foster care, and reform school… because she believes that somewhere, perhaps in America, there is someone who cares about her.

Director Viktor Tauš says: “Evita Naušová spent a long time with me working on Amerikánka. She transcribed recordings of our conversations into a monologue that formed the basis for a film script thanks to which we were the first Czech authors in history to win the Krzysztof Kieslowski ScripTeast Award for the Best Eastern and Central European Script. I later returned to the opening monologue and asked David Jařab to rework the text and turn it into a theatre dialogue.”

Who is Ema Černá?

“Ema Černá is a highly distinctive, brave, positive woman. Indestructible. She struggles with life, and every failure only makes her stronger,” says Tereza Voříšková.

“Fragility. Strength. Fear. Fortitude,” adds Eliška Křenková.   

Amerikánka premiered on 13 September 2018 at Jatka78 in Prague, and was nominated for a 2018 Mark Ravenhill Award.

In Karlovy Vary, Amerikánka will be presented with a new stage design. Tickets (CZK 200) will be available starting on 29 June at the main festival box office at the Hotel Thermal.