Czech film weekend at the Goethe Institute

On the 17-18 October 2020, the "Czech Film Weekend" took place in cooperation with the traditional partner Goethe Institut. There were two screenings, the classic Oscar-winning film by Jiří Menzel in 1967 “Closely Watched Trains” and more recent production in the form of Václav Marhoul's “Painted Bird”, which was nominated for an Oscar in 2019. Screening of films related to the Second World War in Goethe Institut brought Thai viewers another level of perspective on the complex history of the Central European region and Germany's relationship with its nations.

Commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of V4

On 28 October 2020, under the Polish Presidency, a reminder event was held in the Alliance Francaise to mark the 30th anniversary of the founding of the V4 regional organization. It included, among other things, the screening of selected short animated films produced by the V4 member countries. The Czech Republic was represented by the film Daughter by Daria Kashcheeva.

Film duo for students of Chulalongkorn University

On 9-10 November 2020, two screenings of the films “Closely Watched Trains” and “Painted Bird” were also held for students of Thailand's oldest Chulalongkorn University. The screenings took place again with our collaborating professor and Gratias agit Award winner Verita Sriratana. Representatives of the Bachelor of Arts in Language and Culture (BALAC) program, guest film scientist Katarzyna Ancuta (Poland), and film critic Kong Rithdee also took part. Ambassador Marek Libřický and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts of Chulalongkorn University Suradech Chotiudompant were also present at the screening of The Painted Bird.

The screening of the film Closely Watched Trains was conceived as a tribute to the late Jiří Menzel who passed away this year. The screening was therefore preceded by a short discussion of his work and a recapitulation of the work in the historical context of the then Czechoslovakia, including the topic of Menzel's personal friendship and cooperation with the writer Bohumil Hrabal.

The highlight of the screening of the film Painted Birds was the subsequent online debate with the film's director, Václav Marhoul. For most of the student audience, it was a great opportunity to get to know the director himself, but especially the background of the creation of such a visually and emotionally complex film as Painted Bird. The debate with V. Marhoul lasted more than 60 minutes, which, given the length of the film itself, clearly shows the enormous interest of students in the discussion. From our point of view, this discussion was very successful and we would like to thank Mr Marhoul for it.

Theater performances based on Hrabal and Kafka in Bangkok

On the 23-25 October and 13-14 November 2020, the Bangkok International Artists Guild (BIAG) presented theatrical performances inspired by the works of Bohumil Hrabal and Franz Kafka.

In the case of Hrabal's work, the artists chose a theatrical rendition (accompanied by music) of the work “Too Loud A Solitude”. Franz Kafka was presented in the form of a theatrical performance based on his novel “Trial”.

Cooperation of the Embassy with BIAG began in 2019 in the form of a presentation of Kafka's Message to the Emperor. Due to the great popularity of Kafka among the Thai audience he was also chosen for one of the performances in 2020. Hrabal was chosen for a change for his subtle poetics and nostalgia.

We hope to continue working with all our cultural partners in the year 2021!