Days of European Film 2005

What is Days of European Film?

It's a festival of films from European Union countries. The festival's Czech name is Dny Evropského filmu, or DEF for short.

What's the point?

The festival, now in its 12th year, was dreamed up by a group of Prague-based EU diplomats as a way of offering Czech audiences a chance to see a wider range of European films than is otherwise available in domestic cinemas.

When is the festival taking place?

It runs from Wednesday, January 27th until Sunday, February 6th in Prague before moving onto Brno (February 7th-15th). Some films will also be shown, at a later date, in three other Czech towns: Olomouc, Uherské Hradiště and České Budějovice. For a full program, see the official Days of European Film website.

How many Prague cinemas will be screening DEF films?

Two. Screenings will be held at Kino Aero and, new for this year, replacing Kino Lucerna, Kino Světozor.

How many films will be shown?

Thirty-four feature films and 21 shorts will be screened at this year's festival.

Are there any special events attached to the festival?

Kino Světozor will be holding an all-night screenings, the "Marathon of European Film," from midnight on Friday, February 4th and will feature screenings of four festival films.

Světozor will also host a roundtable discussion of the problems facing single-screen cinemas, on January 31st, and an exhibition of Aleš Duda's photos from the increasingly prestigious Summer Film School in Uherské Hradiště.

How much do tickets cost?

Tickets to individual screenings in Prague are 90 Kč. Tickets for the film marathon are 150 Kč.

What if I don't speak any foreign languages?

Don't worry. Most foreign-language films will be subtitled in English, and nearly all films will also be simultaneously translated into Czech. The only films not simultaneously translated into Czech will be those shown at the all-night film marathon.