Carmen Maura will be the third film star, after Slovakian actress Emília Vašáryová and Italian film legend Marco Bellocchio to receive the Kristián Award for Contribution to World Cinema at the Febiofest opening ceremony on March 17th. Peter Morgan, the British scriptwriter and author of The Queen, will receive his Kristián Award for Contribution to World Cinema during the course of the festival. Febiofest will welcome various international guests including one of the most remarkable contemporary European actors, Daniel Brühl.
Carmen Maura, who was born in Madrid,has portrayed about a hundred and forty film and TV roles, and was the lead actress at the National Theatre in Madrid. Maura has often starred in Pedro Almodóvar’s films and also inspired him as his muse. Maura’s portrayal of a transsexual woman in Almodóvar’s 1987 film Law of Desire made her an icon of the gay community, and both her and Almodóvar’s stars have been on the rise ever since. Almodóvar’s international success followed shortly thereafter as his film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, starring Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas, was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1988. It was 18 years later that Maura shot Volver, her next film with Almodóvar eighteen years later. Volver’s entire female ensemble (including Maura and Penélope Cruz) won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes IFF. Maura has received the Goya Best Actress Award, the Spanish Oscar, four times. For her part of Pepi in Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom, Maura received the Best Actress Award at the Cannes IFF and the Best Actress Award from the European Film Academy. Maura received the Goya Award and the European Felix Award for her lead role in the film ¡Ay, Carmela! set at dramatic end of civil war and directed by Carlos Saura, the legendary Spanish director. Febiofest visitors will not only see Carmen Maura in ¡Ay, Carmela! (1990), but also in the French/Swiss black comedy Vanity about euthanasia.
Peter Mullan is a Scottish theatre & film actor and director. One of his first starring roles came in My Name is Joe, one of the most popular films directed by the renowned director Kenneth Loach. For his part in My Name Is Joe, Mullan received the Best Actor Award at the Cannes IFF. Mullan rose to stardom well before then thanks to starring in two of Danny Boyle’s cult films Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, where Mullan portrayed the drug dealer Swanney. In the second half of the 90s, Peter Mullan began directing films in additions to acting. Mullan was internationally acclaimed for directing his second feature film, 2002’s period drama The Magdalene Sisters, set in a strict convent, which brought Mullan such awards as the Golden Lion for best picture at the Venice IFF. This year’s Febiofest will showcase Mullan’s acting talent by screening his 2015 films Hector and Sunset Song.
This year’s festival will welcome over 50 international guests. Itay Tiran, theatre and film actor, who is very popular in Israel, will present his Polish film, Demon, directed by Marcin Wrona. Bjørn Olaf Johannessen, the internationally successful Norwegian scriptwriter will also attend Febiofest. Johannessen wrote the script of Everything Will Be Fine, which was directed by Wim Wenders and featured in the main competition at the Berlinale. Febiofest will also award the Amnesty International Febiofest Award for the very first time. This award will call attention to dictatorial regimes around the world that unjustly imprison artists and journalists. The jury will consist of the actress Martha Issová, the director of Amnesty International Czech Republic, Mark Martin and the dramaturge of the Rotterdam IFF Gertjan Zuilhof. Febiofest will thus resume last year’s activities concerning the imprisoned Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov. Febiofest will also screen this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture, thejournalist drama Spotlight.
The organisers of Prague IFF – Febiofest recognise the increasing number of cases of senior neglect , and domestic violence and abuse of the elders. Febiofest has partnered with the charity Život 90, a community centre in Prague. Život 90 runs the only free and nonstop helpline for the elderly: 800 157 157, and offers the service of installing panic alarm buttons, which has helped to save thousands of lives across the Czech Republic. Život 90’s mission is to help the elderly so that they can live full lives exactly where they want – in their own home. “Of course the society condemns and disapproves of explicit senior abuse. However, this is not just about abuse, but also about limiting the seniors’ activity, denying them the right to make decisions, maintain privacy or not to lose their dignity. This abuse often appears in the form of addressing the elderly by their first names without consent, or with well-meant sentences such as: It’s better if I do it for you. There are so many elderly that are denied basic human dignity, and no deranged violent criminals are to blame. We – the children, grandchildren, friends and caretakers – are the ones at fault,” says Jan Lorman, the founder and director of Život 90.
This year, Febiofest and the Czech Mint will honour the Czech legendary actor Rudolf Hrušínský with a commemorative medal. Last year’s commemorative medal was coined in honour of Karel Fiala, the star of Lemonade Joe. The first two specimens of the medal will be given to Rudolf Hrušínský’s sons, Rudolf and Jan. Film fans will have the opportunity to purchase the commemorative medals at the Czech Mint. There will be a limited edition of 200 ‘quarter ounce’ gold medals and 400 silver medals each weighing about 10 grams. “The medal was inspired by Hrušínský’s abundant acting career. The reverse side of the coin depicts a film-strip with miniatures of Hrušínský’s film roles created by Martin Dašek. The film strip is lighted by a period projector,” says Lukáš Jokl of the Czech Mint. This year, Febiofest visitors can vote for the personality who should be honoured at next year’s Febiofest. For example, the nominees might be Oldřich Nový or Vladimír Menšík. After the opening ceremony on March 17th, you can vote at www.ceskamincovna.cz/febiofest, ten voters will receive the silver medal of Rudolf Hrušínský.
This year’s Febiofest will award five Kristián Awards for Contribution to World Cinema. The Tributes sections, which always include several films of prominent filmmakers or actors of the festival, will include: actor Daniel Brühl, director Jan Cvitkovič, director Marco Bellocchio, actress Carmen Maura, and scriptwriter and dramatist Peter Morgan.
Febiofest will take place in Prague and then will continue in various regions as Echoes of Febiofest. Altogether, Febiofest will feature 149 films from 56 countries in 586 screenings.
Tickets go on sale on March 9th at CineStar Anděl at 12pm (noon), and at CineStar Černý Most at 2pm.
The online sale at www.febiofest.czandwww.cinestar.czwill begin on Wednesday March 9th at 11:59pm.
Culinary Cinema tickets are now available for purchase at Ticketportal www.ticketportal.cz/nevent.aspx?id=105.
Tickets will be priced at 89 CZK, while 3D screenings will be 99 CZK. Screenings listed as “Charity partnership screenings” will cost 129 CZK with 40 CZK from each ticket to be donated to Život 90, a community centre for the elderly and their loved ones. The information desk of the festival in the foyer of CineStar Anděl in Prague will be opened March 9th.
The visitors of the Prague IFF – Febiofest can attend the festival at these places: the main cinema CineStar Anděl in Prague, Febiofest will screen every evening at CineStar Černý Most in Prague, two screenings will take place in the recently opened cinema Dlabačov, one screening will take place at the Lucerna cinema and also one screening at Kino Aero. The opening ceremony will take place in the Municipal House, and the closing ceremony will take place in CineStar Anděl and the adjacent Andel’s Hotel, which will also host the gourmet part of Culinary Cinema. Febiofest will be accompanied by the Febiofest Music Fest, which will take place in seven evenings from March 18th to 24th in the underground garage complex below CineStar Anděl. Admission to Music Fest is free. Prague IFF – Febiofest will take place from March 17th to 25th.
Film fans will have the opportunity to see selected films during the regional Echoes of Febiofest from March 29th to April 21st in fourteen Czech cities: Hradec Králové (March 29th to 31st), Pardubice (March 30th to April 1st), České Budějovice (March 31st to April 2nd), Ostrava (April 4th to 6th), Olomouc (April 5th to 7th), Plzeň (April 6th to 8th), Děčín (April 7th to 9th), Chomutov (April 11th to 13th), Karlovy Vary (April 12th to 14th), Jablonec nad Nisou (April 13th to 15th), Mladá Boleslav (April 14th to 16th), Mikulov (April 15th to 17th), Brno (April 18th to 20th) and Zlín (April 19th to 21st).
Press service:
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Klára Mixová, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +420 731 514 462
Prague IFF – Febiofest, Růžová 13, Praha 1
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