The second annual festival of documentary films about the 20th century, Unbroken and Sacrificed, will be held this November at the Museum of Memory of the 20th Century. In addition to a series of screenings, it will also offer exhibitions, debates, a concert and special blocks for schools.
This year's subtitle of the film show, which is organized by the Museum of the Memory of the 20th Century in cooperation with the City of Prague, is "The Red Century. It will be launched on 10 November 2021 at the House of Pážat in Hradčany and will continue for the next three days (11-13 November) at the BIO OKO cinema in Holešovice with a show of documentary films, which will be accompanied by talks. The festival will culminate on 14 November at the House of Pážat.
"The best way to bring young people closer to the times of our recent history is to tell the story of a specific human fate. About people who were caught in the gears of injustice, and about those for whom the freedom of the nation and freedom of conscience was a value so great that they did not bend even under brutal pressure. I find the transmission of these stories through film to be the most emotionally powerful and heartfelt. But above all, we owe it to all those brave people," says Hana Kordová Marvanová, legislative councillor and chair of the board of the Museum of the Memory of the 20th Century.
The organisers aim to create a showcase of international documentary films dedicated to dramatic events and historical figures of the last century. Prague was inspired by the Polish film festival NNW (Niepokorni Niezłomni Wyklęci) in Gdynia.
The content of the show is prepared by the Unbreakable and Sacrificed Festival's programme board, which includes mainly external experts from institutions such as the Polish Institute in Prague, the National Film Archive, the Bubny Memorial of Silence, the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes and Stowarzyszenie Scena Kultury. The programme includes not only new films, but also older films that have not been screened for some time.
"We also intend to present works created before November 1989 in the festival, through which it is possible to reflect the atmosphere and context of the time. In addition, visitors to the festival can look forward to accompanying debates on the films screened, exhibitions and a concert. We are also preparing events for high schools," says Jan Kalous, director of the Museum of the Memory of the 20th Century.
This year, the audience can also look forward to films by renowned Czech and foreign documentary filmmakers, as well as excerpts from propaganda films of the 1950s and a composite programme with amateur film footage from the Czech underground.
"At the festival we will present two prizes, just like in the first edition. One of them is the Guardian of Memory Award, which since this year has been called the Jaroslava Janderová Guardian of Memory Award. It was named after the co-founder of the Museum of Memory of the 20th Century. Another prize was named Creator of Memory. The first one was awarded in 2020 to Arkadiusz Gołębiewski, a Polish director and director of the NNW documentary film festival in Gdynia. The second prize was awarded last year to director Olga Sommer for her lifetime achievement. This year we invited documentary film directors from the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia as guests. Next year we would like to invite filmmakers from Germany, Austria and Hungary as well," adds Petr Blažek, chairman of the festival's programme board and historian.
Details about the Unbreakable and Sacrificed Festival and the complete programme will be published on the website www.nezlomniaobetovani.cz.