Noir Film Festival presents Italian noir and David Lynch

The 8th edition of Noir Film Festival will introduce a selection of Italian and traditionally also Czechoslovak film noirs from 20th till 23rd August 2020 at the royal Křivoklát castle. The visitors will also be able to dive into the strange worlds of David Lynch, a new addition to the already announced films with lovers on the run, noir cooperation of Anthony Mann and John Alton and film adaptations of Patricia Highsmith’s novels.

Strange Worlds of David Lynch

In his films, admittedly inspired by noir classics, David Lynch dives into the hidden corners of the soul and schizophrenic minds of torn protagonists. Using their distorted perspective, he lets the audience look under the seemingly perfect surface and together with the characters, he lets them get lost in hypnotic pace in intricate labyrinths of disturbing stories. Blue Velvet (1986) will take the visitors of Noir Film Festival under the surface of the idyllic life in the suburbs, they will experience a furious ride across the US with lovers on the run, crazily in love, and Wild at Heart (1990), saxophone player Frank and auto mechanic Pete will live their noir horror with them in Lost Highway (1997) and driving around Mulholland Drive (2001), they will peek into the dark corners of the Hollywood dream factory.

Italian Noir

 Last year, the festival programmers Jana Bébarová and Milan Hain took us to exotic Japan, this year, they have decided to introduce Italian incarnation of the classic American genre. We will screen Italian adaptation of the famous James M. Cain‘s novel The Postman Always Rings Twice, which was made by Luchino Visconti as his debut as Obsession (1943). We’ll introduce in our country unknown, but refined after-heist film Four Ways Out (1951) by Pietro Germi, who later became famous as Oscar awarded director of comedies. The second part of the section will consist of two giallo films made by Italian masters of suspense Mario Bava and Dario Argento, who transformed noir inspirations into intentionally cheap, low-art horror thrillers. The viewers can look forward to Hitchcockian film The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963), which is considered to be the first giallo film, and a cult movie Deep Red (1975), which was honoured by a big fan of Argento, an American director John Carpenter, in his slasher horror Halloween (1978).

The Czechoslovak Noir with Emília Vášáryová

The traditional festival section of Czechoslovak films, full of noir aesthetic in various forms, will introduce Otakar Vávra’s The Magic House (1939) with an impressive play of light and shadow, an example of Czechoslovak neorealism At the Terminus (1957) by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos or Miroslav Cikán’s last film The End of the Road (1959), a gripping story revolving around a hidden chest filled with money. Vladimír Bahna captures a gloomy and hopeless atmosphere of a Slovak town during the WW2 in St. Elizabeth Square (1965). The main character is played by Emília Vášáryová, who will visit Noir Film Festival this year as its patron. Other festival patrons are three actresses Klára Issová, Lenka Krobotová and Vilma Cibulková.

Vilma Cibulková stars in theatre play Gidion’s Knot

Vilma Cibulková is a regular visitor of the festival and she will come this year not only as the patron, but also as Corryn, one of the main characters of the theatre play Gidion’s Knot, which will be introduced at Křivoklát on Friday, 21st August at 6:30pm as part of the festival’s accompanying programme. An emotional play about love, motherhood and genius by an American playwright Johnna Adams is directed by Petr Strnad and performed by theatre group SpoluHra from La Fabrika theatre.

Screenings at Cinema Sokol Křivoklát

Cinema Sokol Křivoklát became a new festival venue this year. This cinema, which has been closed for a long time now, was opened in 1924. Ten years later, the first sound film Madla from the Brickworks was screened here. On Friday and Saturday (21st, 22nd August), there will be six festival screenings here, including one evening screening. The cinema will open its doors with a capacity of 100 people.

You can find the complete festival program, prices of festival Passes and tickets, accommodation tips and further information on festival website and social media.

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