Twenty-two people and two skateboards arrived at the Grand Hall of the Hotel Thermal to attend the world premiere of the documentary King Skate, a cheeky yet wise account of the rise of skateboarding in communist Czechoslovakia in the 1980s. “I would like to thank the festival for the warm welcome and the opportunity to screen the movie in this Hall, which I consider one of the most beautiful in the country. On this enormous screen, our stories look larger-than-life,” director and screenwriter Šimon Šafránek, and also the editor of the Festival daily, noted before the screening. He also expressed his gratitude to the crew, especially editor Šimon Hájek, “for having sustained the constant niggling. And thanks to the skaters for inviting us into their youth".
Producer Kateřina Černá also appreciated the festival for having organised the premiere, “because this group is rather difficult to co-ordinate”. “Šimon talked me into it, I did not believe that we would be able to capture that specific atmosphere to fit the movie screen”. The audience can assess the result on Thursday, Friday at the festival and in September in Czech cinemas.
