Archive of films DONT STOP / DONT STOP

Czech Republic / Slovak Republic
2012, 98 min

Section: Czech Films 2011–2012
Year: 2012

It’s 1983 and punk has finally clawed its way to Normalization Czechoslovakia. Inspired by punk’s natural power, a group of friends discovers that music can help them stand up to the grueling reality of everyday life. This tragicomic picture succeeds in capturing both the weight of the times and the legitimacy of playing in a band.

Synopsis

Forget parents or teachers – it’s The Clash’s album London Calling which gives young adults Miki and David some kind of motivation to carry on in the Communist wasteland of the early 1980s. Not everyone is indifferent to the situation, as the slogan "No Future” might suggest, and a group of young lads decide to start up a band; for a while at least, they let everything else go out the window. But playing punk in normalization Czechoslovakia isn’t the best idea they could’ve come up with, an opinion shared not only by their horrified parents. And let’s not forget that many decisions made under the influence of cheap alcohol and compulsive music could be more fatal than they initially seemed. While DONT STOP joins the wave of films which look back to the 1980s with a sense of light nostalgia, it also clearly demonstrates what appalling times they were. Moreover, it shows great understanding for the aspirations of its heroes, who are portrayed as a group of distinct personalities that are nevertheless united by common ambitions. And rebelliousness is one of them.

About the director

Richard Řeřicha (b. 1964, Prague) graduated from FAMU’s cinematography department in 1997. He was involved as a cameraman in a number of major films, including Tom Tykwer’s Perfume (2006). He works most frequently with David Ondříček, with whom he shot both Loners (Samotáři, 2000) and Grandhotel (2006), which was screened at the Berlin IFF; he was nominated for Czech Lion awards for both these projects. He also filmed the videos for the bands Buty, November 2nd and Clou, and he has shot more than 200 commercials since 1997. DONT STOP, for which he also wrote the screenplay, is his feature film debut.

Contacts

Evolution Films
Senovážné náměstí 10, 110 00, Praha 1
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 222 240 770
Fax: +420 222 240 770
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.evolutionfilms.cz

Bontonfilm, a.s.
Na Poříčí 1047/26, 110 00, Praha 1
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 257 415 111
Fax: +420 257 415 113
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.bontonfilm.cz

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About the film

Color, DCP

Section:	Czech Films 2011–2012

Director:	Richard Řeřicha
Screenplay:	Richard Řeřicha
Dir. of Photography:	Martin Žiaran
Music:	Michal Pajdiak, Roman Helcl, Richard Řeřicha
Editor:	Petr Mrkous
Producer:	Ondřej Zima
Production:	Evolution Films s.r.o.
Cast:	Patrik Děrgel, Lukáš Reichl, Jiří Kocman, Jakub Zedníček, Oliver Cox, Viola Černodrinská, Kristina Svarinská, Klára Trojanová, Stanislava Jachnická, Jiří Štrébl, Daniel Zulčák
Contact:	Evolution Films, Bontonfilm, a.s.
Distributor:	Bontonfilm, a.s.

www:	www.dontstop.cz