Documentary Films - Competition 2012 / Dva nula / Czech Republic 2012
For director Pavel Abrahám and writer Tomáš Bojar, soccer (specifically a game between Prague’s Sparta and Slavia teams) became "an excuse” for shooting a portrait of contemporary Czech society. The main characters of this humorous movie, rather than the players themselves, are a wide variety of fans who are totally ensconced in the football match.
The phrase "football is just an excuse” is a frequent chant heard at Czech soccer games. The fans want it known that some find the match an ideal opportunity for releasing pent-up aggression, while for others it represents a chance to meet friends united in their support of a beloved team. For the filmmakers, however, soccer (specifically a game between the Prague clubs Sparta and Slavia) became "an excuse” for shooting a portrait of contemporary Czech society. Thus the movie’s main characters are by design not those involved in the match proper, but the fans of both teams, a couple of VIP guests, Italian tourists, bettors, security personnel, and even the corner flag. Via static shots from "invisible” cameras, viewers gain a sense of how the various individuals experienced the soccer game. Beyond the primitive passions, vulgar outcries, and goal-time euphoria, we witness conversations whose unwitting humor and frequently ridiculous tone are reminiscent of the funniest moments of Czechoslovak New Wave movies.
108 min / Color, DCP
World premiere
Director Pavel Abrahám
/ Screenplay Tomáš Bojar, Pavel Abrahám
/ Dir. of Photography Jiří Chod
/ Editor Šimon Špidla
/ Producer Pavel Abrahám, Tomáš Bojar
/ Production Cinema Arsenal, s.r.o.
/ Contact Cinema Arsenal, s.r.o.
www: www.dvanula.eu
Pavel Abrahám (b. 1978) is a graduate of the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague. In 2008 he finished his degree in Jiří David’s Studio of Intermedia Art, and he is currently working on a doctorate in Federico Díaz’s Studio of Supermedia. In 2004 he produced and directed the half-hour film Starring Beer (Hlavní hvězdou jsou piva) in cooperation with screenwriter Tomáš Bojar. He followed this up a year later with the short Translation (Pře/klad), winning the Film Reflection prize at the 2005 Fresh Film Fest in Karlovy Vary. He and Tomáš Bojar debuted in feature-length film with Czech RAPublic (Česká RAPublika), released in Czech movie theaters in November 2008.
Cinema Arsenal, s.r.o.
Na vršku 8, 150 00, Praha 5
Czech Republic
E-mail: tomas@cinemaarsenal.cz
Tomáš Bojar
Film Director, Screenwriter
Pavel Abrahám
Film Director, Film Director, Production Company
Šimon Špidla
Film Editor
Jan Gogola
Film Crew
Silvie Holovská
Other
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