Photo: Dušan Martinček HBO
Agnieszka Holland returns to the New York Film Festival with her latest work, about the Prague Spring. This movie earned her a nomination to the Oscars from the Czech Republic and has been acclaimed as a magnificent docudrama.
Burning Bush is a three-part mini-series made in collaboration with HBO Europe and filmed in the Czech Republic. It is the story of the Soviet crackdown on the Prague Spring and focuses on the actions of one student. On the 16th of January 1969, 21-year-old Jan Palach set himself on fire in response to the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviets. Holland, a student in Prague during that time, describes the event as her first important political and historical experience:
It was something which formed me in some way for the future. My view of society and people was very much shaped by this experience. It was, in some way, an incredible gift that I was able to come back to this.
Holland’s nomination to the Oscars by the Czech Republic marks the first time the nation selected a foreign director. The support is testament to the mutual pride and investment both parties feel for Burning Bush and contributes to the legitimacy of this film as an adapted portrayal of real events.
Burning Bush has been invited to festivals in Toronto and Telluride in the U.S. as well. It will be screened in New York City on Friday the 4th of October and Wednesday the 9th. Saturday the 5th will also feature an HBO Directors Dialogue session at 16:15 pm with Agnieszka Holland at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater.
The festival is organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and serves to promote U.S. and international cinema, film education and encourage new writers. Previous editions have featured the work of world-renowned directors including François Truffaut, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jean-Luc Godard, Pedro Almodóvar and Martin Scorsese.
Agnieszka Holland's presence at the festival was made possible by the support of both the Polish Cultural Institute in New York and the Polish Film Institute.
Burning Bush
Czech Republic, 2013. 234 min.
Directed by: Agnieszka Holland
Written by: Stepan Hulik
Director of Photography: Martin Strba
Music: Antoni Komasa-Lazarkiewicz
Cast: Tatiana Pauhofova, Igor Bares, Patrik Dergel, Jaroslava Pokorna, Petr Stach, Jan Budar, Ivan Trojan, Vojtech Kotek, Adrian Jastraban, Martin Huba, Denny Ratajsky, Emma Smetana
For a complete calendar of the scheduled screenings and events, visit NYFF's website.
Sources: PAP, press materials, Polish Institute in New York, author: SMG 30/09/2013