Czech This!

The Czech Republic’s ranking as cinema hothouse is longstanding, particularly since the rise of Milo Forman, Jiří Menzel and the rest of the Czech New Wave in the 1960s, and again during the resurgence of Czechoslovakia’s blacklisted artists and filmmakers following the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Czech That Film, a...

By Susan Froyd

April 3, 2014

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The Czech Republic’s ranking as cinema hothouse is longstanding, particularly since the rise of Milo Forman, Jiří Menzel and the rest of the Czech New Wave in the 1960s, and again during the resurgence of Czechoslovakia’s blacklisted artists and filmmakers following the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Czech That Film, a touring mini-festival of four new Czech films, keeps up with the Eastern European nation’s cinematic output each year, and Denver’s lucky to be one of the ten U.S. cities the fest will visit in 2014.

Tonight’s offering, Colette, takes a dark turn by adapting Pulitzer Prize nominee Arnot Lustig’s Holocaust novel and personal experiences at Auschwitz for the screen. Directed by Milan Cieslar, Colette, which screens tonight at 7 p.m. at the Sie FilmCenter, is a well-cast human story in a catastrophic setting that’s thoughtfully rendered by Cieslar through classic Czech cinematography and open-eyed storytelling.

Don Juans, a dramedy about a small-town opera troupe, closes the series at the same time tomorrow at the Sie, 2510 East Colfax Avenue; for more information about Czech That Film or to purchase tickets in advance, visit denverfilm.org/filmcenter or call 720-381-0813.
April 5-8, 7 p.m., 2014

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

Contact: Susan Froyd

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