Obscurantist awarded FNE Visegrad Prix for best documentary coproduction

WARSAW: Czech producer Radim Prochazka was awarded the FNE Visegrad Prix for Obscurantist and His Lineage or the Pyramids' Tearful Valleys (Tmář a jeho rod aneb Slzavé údolí pyramid.  The prix was awarded at the closing ceremony of the 15^th Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival (www.dokument-festival.com) on 29 October 2011.  The film was directed by legendary Czech experimental documentary filmmaker Karel Vachek. 

The FNE Visegrad Prix 2011 was selected by the festival jury consisting of Paolo Benzi (Producer, Italy) Pavel Jech (Screenwriter and Dramaturgist, Czech Republic), Necati Sönmez (Documentary film festival director, Istanbul, Turkey), and Aida Vallejo (Film historian, Spain) who awarded film with the following statement: "By engaging enduring philosophical themes and by constantly tinkering with the crafts of cinema the filmmaker courageously demonstrates how cinema can contribute and enrich the modes of human perception and thinking. The film reveals an uncompromising faith in humanity - especially when recognizing its innumerable failings - and an enthusiastic personal belief in cinema as an inexhaustible form of expression and experience."

The film had its world premiere at Jihlava IDFF.  It is a Czech/Slovak coproduction with support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund.

FNE Visegrad Prix 2011 with a cash award of 1,000 euros went to the Czech production company, Produkce Radim Prochazka (www.radimprochazka.cz). Director Karel Vachek was present at the Jihlava IDFF closing ceremony on 29 October 2011 to accept the award.

 The FNE Visegrad Prix for best documentary film coproduction from a Visegrad country is an initiative of Film New Europe and backed by the International Visegrad Fund (www.visegradfund.org).  The prize is awarded to recognize the artistic achievements of filmmakers in the Visegrad countries and to encourage cultural co-operation between partners within Visegrad countries and partners in other European countries of the European Union as well as internationally.  The competitive prize is organized together with the support of Jameson CineFest - Miskolc International Film Festival (www.cinefest.hu) in Hungary, International Bratislava Film Festival (www.iffbratislava.sk) in Slovakia, Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival (www.dokument-festival.cz) in the Czech Republic and New Horizons International Film Festival (www.nowehoryzonty.pl) in Poland. 

Obscurantist and His Lineage or the Pyramids' Tearful Valleys (Tmář a jeho rod aneb Slzavé údolí pyramid): Directed by Karel Vachek

Production Co: Produkce Radim Prochazka (www.radimprochazka.cz). (Czech Republic)

Coproducer: Atelier.doc (Slovakia) www.atelierdoc.sk

Coproducer: Czech TV  www.ceskatelevize.cz

With Support from the Slovak Audiovisual Fund (www.avf.sk)

Contact: fneprix@filmneweurope.com

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