Signal (Signál)
2012, 113 min., Czech with English subtitles
DIR: Tomáš Řehořek

About the film:
Two young technicians, Filos and Kája, come to a small village in order to find the best place to install a new station for the reception of a cell phone signal. Their arrival understandably arouses a feeling of expectation among the locals, especially when they learn of the interesting financial reward for the owner of the land on which the transmitter will stand. A fight flares up in the village over this reward, and all weapons, those permitted and those not, are put into use. Of course, there is also the question of whether Filos and Kája will be able to live up to the expectations that have been placed on them. Maybe they aren't even who they claim to be...

About the director:
Tomáš Řehořek (b. 1987, Kyjov, Czechoslovakia) graduated from the Zlín Film School. In 2009, he surprised Czech audiences with the drama Changes (Proměny), for which he also served as screenwriter, cameraman, and editor. A year later, he shot the raw docudrama One Way Ticket (Piko, 2010), which brought him a Discovery of the Year nomination at the Czech Film Critics' Awards. The black comedy Czech Made Man (2011) demonstrated Řehořek’s stylistic variability, further confirmed by the acrid tragicomedy Signal (Signál). In his work, the director makes use of genre techniques, and displays an ambition to transform current social phenomena. ~ Karlovy Vary International Film Festival website

Quotes:
"I believe the time of successful Czech comedies is far from being over. This time we are trying to make a very human comedy with a heart that could be reminiscent of the old Menzel film My Sweet Little Village (Vesničko má středisková, 1985, which received an Oscar nomination)," producer Tomas Hoffman said in an online interview (www.filmneweurope.com).

About the Lions of Czech Film Series:
This marks the seventh year of collaboration with the Avalon Theatre to present the Lions of Czech Film Series. This film series gives the Washington, DC, community an opportunity to view Czech films that are popular hits in Europe and have received numerous honors and awards at film festivals. Most of the films have received the prestigious Czech Lion Award, the Czech equivalent of an Academy Award. All of the films have limited distribution in the United States. The Lions of Czech Film Series offers an invaluable opportunity to see the best of Czech cinema in the nation’s capital.

Location:
The Avalon Theater
5612 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20015

Tickets may be purchased at the box office or online at www.theavalon.org.
For more information, call the box office at (202) 966-3464, or to hear general information about films playing at the Avalon, call (202) 966-6000.

Upcoming Czech Films - 2013

Feb. 13: Perfect Days
(I ženy mají své dny)

March 13: District League - Pepik Hnatek's Last Stand Sunday League
(Okresní přebor – poslední zápas Pepika Hnátka)

April 10: Gypsy
(Cigan)

May 8: Matchmaking Mayor
(Nesvatbov)

June 12: Lidice
(Lidice)