Archive of films Burning / Umanutá

Czech Republic
2012, 59 min

Section: Documentary Films - Out of Competition
Year: 2012

This visually sophisticated portrait by renowned documentary filmmaker Miroslav Janek presents the life and work of one of the most original and, at the same time, controversial Czech movie directors, Drahomíra Vihanová, whose burning desire to create led her to sacrifice her personal life to the art of film.

Synopsis

Without question, Drahomíra Vihanová is one of the most original and, at the same time, most controversial Czech film directors. A fundamental turning point in her professional career came in 1969 when her debut film, Squandered Sunday (Zabitá neděle), was pulled by the censors and locked away. After a time she was allowed to resume work, at least on documentaries, but she did not return to directing features until after 1990. In his latest film, renowned documentarist Miroslav Janek captures Drahomíra Vihanová primarily at her country house in the Orlické Mountains where, in the company of her beloved cats, she looks back over her life with absolute candidness. Rounded out with artfully integrated clips from her features and documentaries, this is a visually sophisticated portrait of an uncompromising and incredibly hard-working woman, fabulous storyteller, and popular FAMU teacher, whose burning desire to create led her to sacrifice her personal life to the art of film.

About the director

Miroslav Janek (b. 1954, Náchod, Czechoslovakia) began as an amateur filmmaker. In 1980 he emigrated to the USA where he worked with a number of documentarists (e.g. Godfrey Reggio), returning to his native country in the mid-1990s. His greatest success to date is The Unseen (1996 – Best Documentary Film ex aequo at KVIFF), a film about blind children taking photographs. Janek’s extensive filmography as a documentary filmmaker includes Seven Ten Nečtiny (1993), The Rabbit and the Guests (1995), Baroque Opera (1997), Hamsa, I Am (1999), The Musicians (1999), Crimson Sails (2001), Vierka, or The Mystery of Family B’s Disappearance (2005), Kha-chee-pae (2005), Citizen Havel (2008), and The Confessions of Kateryna K. (2008). In 2000 he was one of three directors to co-write and co-direct the feature-length documentary Battle for Life (Special Jury Prize at KVIFF).

Contacts

Verbascum Imago, s.r.o.
Černá 6, 110 00, Praha
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 224 930 077
Fax: +420 222 311 238
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.ceskaradost.cz

Czech Television - Telexport
Kavčí hory, 140 70, Praha 4
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 261 137 047
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.ceskatelevize.cz

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About the film

Color, DCP
International premiere

Section:	Documentary Films - Out of Competition

Director:	Miroslav Janek
Screenplay:	Miroslav Janek, Daniela Gébová
Dir. of Photography:	Miroslav Janek
Editor:	Antonie Janková
Producer:	Richard Němec
Production:	Verbascum, s.r.o.
Cast:	Drahomíra Vihanová
Contact:	Verbascum Imago, s.r.o., Czech Television - Telexport
Distributor:	Verbascum Imago, s.r.o.

Guests

Richard Němec

Distributor, Producer

Daniela Gébová

Film Director

Miroslav Janek

Film Director