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showcased in central London venues throughout November. This year, the popular multifaceted festival reflects the Year of Czech Music with fantastic classical and jazz concerts, celebrates a centenary of the legacy of Franz Kafka through the means of visual art, literature, film and performance, and remembers the 35th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution with a UK premiere of a new documentary about the dissident playwright turn President Václav Havel.
Keeping in line with the Year of Czech Music, the festival opens on 31 October with a performance by the London Symphony Orchestra playing contemporary classical music by Ondřej Adámek at the Barbican. The concert will commence a five-week long programme showcasing an array of various cultural events, culminating in the festival’s closing night on 30 November at the Southbank Centre, featuring world-renowned Czech violinist Pavel Šporcl accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra. His performance promises to be a spectacular conclusion to this musical journey, embodying the dynamic and timeless spirit of Czech music.
The festival also commemorates one hundred years since the death of Franz Kafka, one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century. Born in Prague, Kafka’s work, filled with existential themes and a deep sense of alienation, continues to inspire readers around the world. This year, the festival honours his legacy through a dance performance at the Coronet Theatre, a literary evening and an open-air exhibition.
A core component of the Made in Prague Festival remains its dedication to showcasing contemporary Czech cinema. This year’s film programme is particularly exciting, with screenings of films such as Brothers, the Czech nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film; She Came at Night, the Czech Lion Award winner for both Best Director and Best Actress in a leading role; and Waltzing Matilda, followed by a Q&A with the film’s leading actor Karel Roden, offering UK audiences a window into the diverse and innovative world of modern Czech filmmaking.
To remeber the 35th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, the festival honours the leading figure of the revolution, the dissident playwright turn President Václav Havel, with the the UK premiere of Petr Jančárek’s Havel Speaking, Can you Hear Me? screened at the ICA on 14 November. On Havel’s invitation, the filmmaker was granted unlimited access and creative freedom to capture the last few years Havel’s life, resulting in an extraordinary time-lapse documentary reflecting on Havel’s political legacy and universal human issues with absolute openness through previously unseen footage.
For those unable to attend live screenings and debates at the cinema, the festival has teamed up with the BFI Player to introduce three Czech Classics for free as part of the 3 You Must See programme. Featuring Otakar Vávra’s iconic Witchhammer, Miloš Forman’s 1963 debut Audition, and Oldřich Lipský’s musical parody Lemonade Joe (aka Horse Opera).
Full festival programme: https://bit.ly/28thMadeInPragueFestival
