Prague, January 15, 2024 - Director Bille August will be in Prague’s Edison Filmhub to discuss his new film The Kiss at this year’s 10th anniversary of SCANDI - a showcase of contemporary Nordic films happening throughout the Czech Republic from January 17th to 24th, 2024 in collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark. Edison Filmhub will be the beating heart of the festival this year, and also host a number of exciting online discussions with Nordic filmmakers.
One of the most exciting things about this year’s festival is director Bille August’s visit. Although his name may not be well known, he is one of the most awarded and most unique Danish film directors. He is one of only 9 directors internationally to have been awarded with two Golden Palms from Cannes, and he’s also the proud owner of both an Oscar and a Golden Globe.
However, August actually began his career with photography which he studied at the National Film School of Denmark, from whose ranks also include enfant terrible Lars Von Trier and creative chameleon Thomas Vinterberg. August's experience with composition and imagery has strongly permeated his directorial work, which is artistically rich and stands out for the careful arrangement of characters and objects in the frame, as well as his work with depth of field and staging.
August made his directorial debut in 1979. It was the romantic drama Honeymoon, shown at the Moscow International Film Festival, which at the time, due to pressure from the Soviet Union, was competing with the Czech Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The film firmly set the direction his filmography would soon take. Honeymoon is an intimate romance drama which delves into complicated relationships, strong emotions and brokenness. Sometimes being compared to Ingmar Bergman in terms of tone and style, August has explored a number of genres and themes in his more than forty-year career. However, he is most drawn to people and their elusive relationships.
August’s new film The Kiss follows Anton, a young man in pre-war Europe who longs to clear his family's name, but instead becomes entangled in a web of promises, lies and moral obligations. Bille August will come to Prague to introduce his film in person and will participate in discussions with the audience both in Prague's Kino Lucerna and Edison Filmhub. See below for more details.
Director Bille August’s agenda
21/01/2024
Arrival to Prague
22/01/2024
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Morning slot for interviews with the Czech media
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18:00, screening of The Kiss and subsequent Q&A with presenter Robert Novotný at Kino Lucerna. English interpretation will be provided
23/01/2024
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Morning slot for interviews with the Czech media
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19:00, screening of The Kiss and subsequent Q&A with presenter Robert Novotný at the Edison Filmhub. English interpretation will be provided
Please email denisa.novakova@filmeurope.cz to book a time for interviews.
Online director discussions
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Together 99 - Lukas Moodysson - Sweden, Denmark
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January 20 at 19:00 in Edison Filmhub - director Lukas Moodysson will join for an online discussion led by Česká televize programmer Jana Čížkovská
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Songs of Earth - Margreth Olin - Norway
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January 21 at 19:00 in Edison Filmhub - director Margreth Olin will join for an online discussion led by screenwriter and FAMU teacher Lucia Kajánková.
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Birthday Girl - Michael Noer - Denmark
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January 22 at 19:00 in Edison Filmhub - director Michael Noer will join for an online discussion led by film journalist Tereza Domínová.
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Driving Mum - Hilmar Oddsson - Iceland, Estonia
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January 24 at 18:30 in Edison Filmhub - director Hilmar Oddsson attend the online discussion led by film reporter Ryan Keating
For the full Scandi programme for this year, please visit scandi.cz/en.
Viewers can also catch films from past Scandi programmes at Edisonline.cz. Note these films only have Czech subtitles.
About Film Europe
Film Europe is a distribution company founded by Ivan Hronec in 2010, which selects, buys and presents quality, award-winning European and festival films across Czech Republic and Slovakia. Film Europe organizes film showcases such as SCANDI, a festival of Nordic films, and Be2Can, a festival of the most outstanding films from Venice, Berlinale and Cannes, and operates the Edison Filmhub boutique cinema in Prague, and the Film Europe cinema in Bratislava. The goal of bringing context to films brings Film Europe across multiple platforms, including the TV channels Film Europe and Film Europe+ and the online video library Edisonline.
English Media Contact
Ryan Keating
Events and Communications Manager
ryan.keating@edisonfilmhub.cz
+420 776 238 308
Jeruzalémská 1321/2, 110 00, Prague