North American Premiere
It’s 1981 in Czechoslovakia, and a young man surprisingly reunites with his teen love on board a charter flight to Cuba. A delightful romantic period piece that captures their growing reconnection perfectly as well as the mood of the time under communist rule. With every answer, glimpse, or unintended touch, their old bond comes alive again, but little do they know that soon, they will be facing what might be the most difficult decision of their lives. Great period details, a smart script, and wonderful performances by the two leads make this little trip just zip along. One set, two seats, two people. In essence, that is what this film is, but it packs a lot into the container. Thought-provoking with a complicated ending.
Community Partner
Jiří Mádl, Judit Bárdos, Gustav Řezníček, Tereza Dočkalová, Viktória Pejkov, Aneta Klimešová, Julie Stříbrná
Czech Republic
2022
In Czech and Slovak with English subtitles
Featured in:
International Shorts: Connect/Disconnect/Reconnect
The films in this shorts program are all about connections. People connecting with one another, dealing with change, or rediscovering a part of themselves and their past.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Holdovers
Destined to become a seasonal staple, this bittersweet comedy reunites Sideways director and star Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti in the portrait of a surly classics teacher forced to babysit five "orphans" at boarding school over the holidays.
Who by Fire
Jeff, a 17-year-old aspiring filmmaker, goes on vacation with his friend Max and his family to an isolated lodge. Philippe Lesage’s film is a tense, mesmerizing tour de force that is both agonizing and cathartic. A Berlinale award winner.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Aardman Animation's handcrafted mix of dad jokes, slapstick, mock dramatics and understated emotion makes this return for the claymation odd couple a constant delight. The villainous Feathers McGraw is back to no good, commandeering Norbot the robot. Rated: G
Gremlins (40th Anniversary)
The perfect last minute Xmas gift: give your special someone a cute ball of fur and don't worry about where it came from. Just don't put it under bright lights, don't get it wet, and whatever you do, please, please don't feed it after midnight... Rated: PG
Image: © 1984 WBEI
The Count of Monte Cristo
You can't beat this evergreen Alexandre Dumas tale for adventure, intrigue and romance. This lavish French blockbuster from the writers of the recent Three Musketeers movies pulls you in from the first scene and doesn't let off for the next three hours. Rated: PG
Credits
Producer
František eF. Horvát
Screenwriter
Petr Januschka
Cinematography
Filip Blažek
Editor
Josef Erla
Original Music
dné
Art Director
Alojz Vyšlan
Director
Petr Januschka
Petr Januschka is a Czech director and screenwriter who studied at Tomas Bata University in Zlin. His student shorts earned him several international awards and were screened in Brussels, Cottbus, and Beirut. Most notable is his tragicomic documentary The Last Prior (2017), about the remnants of socialist culture in Czech Republic. Januschka is currently a PhD student at Tomas Bata University and also works as a commercial director. He has received two Effie Awards for his commercial work.