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Festival to Feature Forman

(This article expired 07.03.2013.)

The Embassy of the Czech Republic will highlight Academy Award-winning director Miloš Forman during the Mutual Inspirations Festival 2012 this fall. In addition, the Embassy has planned a number of prelude events leading up to the festival highlighting the esteemed director.

The name of the festival personality was revealed at the Embassy of the Czech Republic on December 16, during A Night with Amadeus, a holiday bash that served to thank patrons and jumpstart the festival for 2012. Over 120 people attended the event at the Embassy, which channeled styles and themes from Amadeus, the feature film which garnered Forman his second Oscar for Best Director. Guests were adorned with Mozart-style wigs, long gowns and suits and enjoyed an evening of music, film, and savory dishes. Scroll down to see pictures from the event!      

To honor Forman’s 80th birthday, the Embassy also held a special screening of the documentary Miloš Forman, What Doesn’t Kill You…(Miloš Forman: Co tě nezabije…) on Febuary 23, with opening remarks from Michael Jeck,film and media studies professor and former film programmer at the American Film Institute’s Silver Theater. Over 100 people attended the event that paid tribute to Forman’s legacy. The event also served as part of the Embassy’s project: Freedom of Expression in the Contemporary World, dedicated to Miloš Forman and Václav Havel, running from February-May 2012.   

Award-winning director Miloš Forman’s (Born: Febuary 18, 1932) name is well-known in the US; however, his Czech heritage is not as widely known. He was hailed as a major talent of the Czech New Wave with films exploring social and moral issues, including Loves of a Blonde (1965) and Firemen’s Ball (1967), which was banned after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Forman later came to the United States and made several successful films, notably One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), which won five Academy Awards, including best picture, best director, best actor (Jack Nicholson), best actress (Louise Fletcher), and best adapted screenplay. Forman went on to win a second Oscar for directing the film Amadeus (1984). Some of his better known films include Hair (1979), Ragtime (1981), Man on the Moon (1999), and The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996). In his films, Forman explores the theme of the individual versus society. His films address questions of personal freedom, social conformity, and the oppression of the individual. He is among only a handful of filmmakers whose work has a constant artistic integrity with broad public appeal.          

The festival website will launch on May 12, 2012. Stay posted on www.mutualinspirations.org for featured events.

About the Festival:

The Mutual Inspirations Festival 2012-Miloš Forman will celebrate Oscar-winning, Czech director Miloš Forman’s 80th birthday, the best of Czech cinematography, and the accomplishments of the transatlantic film industry. The festival runs September-October 2012, and features over 30 films and events in prestigious venues throughout the Washington area, including the American Film Institute and Cultural Center, the National Gallery of Art, the Avalon Theater, the Katzen Arts Center at American University, among others. In addition, the festival will incorporate concerts, lectures, exhibitions, and theatrical performances related to film, photography, and/or the multimedia realm.

The festival is an annual initiative spearheaded by the Embassy of the Czech Republic, under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister and Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg, focusing on the mutual inspirations between Czech and American cultures. Last year, the festival highlighted Czech composer Antonín Dvořák and welcomed over 10,000 people at events featuring over 500 local and international artists throughout the nation’s capital.
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Amadeus