Full-length documentary
Doctor on a Trip
Is there any human community that doesn’t have a word for depression, sadness or anxiety? How does Western culture deal with mental illness, its acceptance, and its treatment?
Czech Competition
Every year, the competition section dedicated to Czech production and co-production projects offers a diverse mix of themes and documentary approaches. This year’s Czech Competition presents eleven films, five of which will be screened in their world premiere at One World.
The competition may be separated into two main segments – the first local, focused on current Czech causes and burning socio-political issues, the second global, which moves away from the domestic scene and looks outwards into the world. Of the films set locally, Tomáš Hlaváček’s The Impossibility definitely deserves a mention for both theme and footage. In it, Hlaváček slips in among the tenants of a block of flats, where he records the harsh clash between the capitalist-oriented owner of the building and its residents. The presented analysis of the situation affords the audience an almost immersive experience in the desperate situation captured in the film. In contrast, Marie-Magdalena Kochová’s brilliant feature film debut The Other One offers an intimate portrait, almost a character study. Using the coming-of-age story of Johanna, the director explores the still insufficiently discussed topic of “glass children”.
David Čálek’s Doctor on a Trip is one of the films presenting global themes. This story, which begins at a university in Brno, gradually evolves into an expedition to the depths of the Amazon jungle. There scientists, working with local tribes, experiment with the use of psychedelics and their potential for the treatment of mental illnesses. The film Satan Kingdom Babylon is an entirely unique contribution to the Czech documentary (and also slightly experimental) film scene. In their signature style, Petr and Marie Šprincl combine footage taken during their visit to the USA with an animated computer adventure, creating a remarkably dark excursion into the bleak subconscious of modern-day America.
