North American Premiere
Faced with the choice between staying true to his principles or risking his livelihood and freedom, the small-town notary at the centre of The Word is uncompromising in his beliefs and refuses to join the Communist Party. Set in politically turbulent Czechoslovakia during the summer of 1968, Beata Parkanová’s graceful film, inspired by her own grandparents, depicts the intimate lives of Václav and Věra, and their practical but enduring bond in the midst of political intimidation and harassment. The cinematography is stunning and precise in its close-ups and camera movement.
Long, extended takes and morally complex dialogue build tension in the scenes and underlie the main protagonist’s innate sense of justice. Martin Finger shines in a subtly powerful performance as a man who struggles with depression but remains true to his inner calling, and Gabriela Mikulková is forceful as a woman who is a tense and controlled pillar of strength.
Crystal Globe Competition Awards for Best Director and Best Actress, Karlovy Vary 2022
Martin Finger, Gabriela Mikulková, Jenovéfa Boková, Marek Geišberg, Tatjana Medvecká, Antonie Formanová
Czech Republic/Slovakia/Poland
2022
In Czech and Slovak with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Blue Heron
In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha and her Hungarian immigrant family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island. Their fresh start is interrupted by increasingly dangerous behaviour from Jeremy, the family’s oldest child.
Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music as Realized by Aram Bajakian, Stefan Maier and Anju Singh
Guitarist Aram Bajakian takes up the challenge issued to him by Lou Reed many years ago to perform the controversial noise album, Metal Machine Music. Plus Lou Reed performing Berlin from 2006.
Amrum
Twelve-year-old Nanning (Jasper Billerbeck) sets himself a mission to secure bread and honey for his mother to snap her out of her depression. It is 1945. The war is all but lost, and such luxuries are not easy to find on the remote island of Amrum...
Credits
Producer
Vojtěch Frič, Ondřej Kulhánek, Maroš Hečko, Peter Veverka, Ondřej Zach
Screenwriter
Beata Parkanová
Cinematography
Tomáš Juríček
Editor
Alois Fišárek
Production Design
Jan Vlček
Original Music
Jan. P. Muchov
Director
Beata Parkanová
Beata Parkanová is a screenwriter, director, and book author. She graduated from the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 2015. Before starting a film career, she wrote several books, including ones for children. Her first feature film was Chvilky (2018), which screened in the East of the West Competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Filmography: Chvilky (2018)