Directed by: Olga Sommerová
Czech Republic, 2019, 104min.
Section: Special Events

Jiří Suchý. Theatre personality, musician, poet, writer, graphic artist, collector, citizen. One of the key figures of the domestic cultural scene over the last six decades and a tireless campaigner for the enrichment of the Czech language. Olga Sommerová’s documentary presents a portrait of an artist and a man – a portrait of our times.

Directed by: Helena Třeštíková, Jakub Hejna
Czech Republic / France, 2019, 81min.
Section: Special Events

Forman vs. Forman is a comprehensive portrait of the Oscar-winning Czech director. The movie is unique for its ingenious compilation of images drawing on existing footage and also on hitherto unknown shots discovered in the collections of friends and colleagues. On set and in interviews the filmmaker contemplates the notion of freedom and its limitations.

Directed by: Jiří Mádl
Czech Republic / Slovak Republic, 2019, 100min.
Section: Czech Films 2018–2019

A grumpy old man happens upon a young Vietnamese lad on the roof of his Prague apartment block and offers him a temporary home in his flat. The two very different individuals initially find it difficult to get along; however, they gradually discover that they need one another. Actor Jiří Mádl demonstrates his talent as a director in this small-scale piece interwoven with gentle humour.

Directed by: Mounia Meddour
France / Algeria / Belgium / Qatar, 2019, 106min.
Section: Horizons

Algiers in the nineties. Religious radicalism is gaining ground, and, further down the line, the result will be civil war. Eighteen-year-old Nedjma resists the changes via a flashy attempt to maintain her status as an independent woman – both in her relationships and in her choice of clothes. Brimming with girl power, this debut film brought a ray of light into the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes fest.

Directed by: Franck Dubosc
France / Belgium, 2018, 107min.
Section: People Next Door

Jocelyn is a ladies’ man and lying comes pretty easily to him. Particularly when it helps win over the woman of the moment. One day he sits down absent-mindedly in an empty wheelchair, and when an attractive nurse happens to come by, it seems the most natural thing in the world to pretend that this is right where he belongs. A comedy about the preconceptions we should have discarded long ago and about a world in which pathological lying is a greater handicap than being confined to a wheelchair.

Directed by: Ron Howard
United Kingdom / USA, 2019, 114min.
Section: Special Events

In another acclaimed music documentary, Oscar-winning director Ron Howard takes a look at the fascinating life of the legendary Italian tenor. Howard presents the personal realm and more than fifty-year career of the “King of the High Cs,” Luciano Pavarotti, through rare archive footage and interviews with friends and family. The director also looks at the singer’s role in popularizing opera, and includes controversial moments from his private life.

Directed by: Todd Douglas Miller
USA, 2019, 93min.
Section: Another View

Fifty years after the first lunar landing, NASA has opened up its extensive archives and released previously unseen material of amazing audiovisual quality, including a 70mm film of the launch from Cape Canaveral and intimate footage of the otherworldly calm that prevailed in the lunar module. The nine-day mission becomes more than just Armstrong’s iconic “giant leap for mankind,” growing instead into a fascinating space odyssey.

Directed by: Nora Fingscheidt
Germany, 2019, 118min.
Section: Horizons

Nine-year-old Benni is a fragile kid filled with rage against all institutions because she believes they are keeping her from returning home to her mother. Will this young girl, who is constantly running away, find at least one person to love her unconditionally? This energetic yet painfully touching debut won the Alfred Bauer Prize at this year’s Berlinale.

Directed by: Marko Škop
Slovak Republic / Czech Republic, 2019, 93min.
Section: Official Selection - Competition

A Slovak village is getting ready for Christmas. Forty-year-old Milan travels from Germany where he works to be home with his family. However, the serene and festive atmosphere is unsettled by the suspicion that his son, a member of a paramilitary youth organisation, might be involved in a harrowing event that stunned the local community. This compelling drama, about the strength and fragility of family ties, examines our sense of moral responsibility in a world where xenophobia takes precedence over compassion for those closest to us.

Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
South Korea, 2019, 132min.
Section: Horizons

The four-member Kim family lives in a small, run-down flat and is constantly struggling with money. Recommended by a friend, son Ki-Woo gets a chance to work for the rich Park family, and he starts putting together a grand plan… Bong’s masterful genre interplay, with its strong social message, unpredictable narrative, and skillfully paced, darkly comic scenes, deservedly earned the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes IFF.