50s, Czechoslovakia, in the era of Stalinism. Kryštof lives as a fresh postulant in a community of monks. He shares with the brothers their world of contemplation, but also their role in the illegal transfer of fugitives from the communist regime across the border of Germany. One night, he witnesses a brutal police crackdown on the students while the monastic community where he lives is destroyed (Action K, April 1950). Kryštof powerlessly stands by as he observes the brother’s violent transport. He once wanted to flee from the world into a monastery, but instead he has to flee to save his very life.
Presentation with the director + Q&A
Zdeněk Jiráský — (Jicín, Czechoslovakia, 1969). He graduated in scriptwriting and dramaturgy from FAMU in 2004. His first feature film Flower Buds (2011) won four Czech Lions, including Best Picture and Direction, and he was nominated for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Newcomer of the Year at the Czech Film Critics Awards. He has made many documentaries and films for Czech television.
«To me, it is a reminder of Action K during the bleak 1950s. A time when the Czechoslovak people became prisoners on their own land. Those interested in stories from the 20th century could see it as a reminder of forgotten fates in our recent history, of injustice. The barb-wired Iron Curtain that caused the death of hundreds.»
(Zdeněk Jiráský)
