Documentary Films - Competition 2014 / K oblakům vzhlížíme / Czech Republic 2014
Supple bodies undulating to the rhythms of electronic music, glaring neon lights on the undercarriage, and the roar of engines that won’t let you sleep. Alcohol, drugs, erotica, sex. Morning is approaching and another tuning event is over.… This nontraditional portrait explores ordinary days in the spent life of one Czech man whose car became his best friend.
Every year, thousands of "tricked-out” cars participate in massive tuning meets. Abandoned airfields, enormous parking lots, or remote campsites become the stage for gatherings of enthusiasts who have devoted their lives to fixing up their beloved automobiles – everything from expensive sports cars to old and dilapidated wrecks. Supple bodies undulating to the rhythms of electronic music, glaring neon lights on the undercarriage, and the roar of engines that won’t let you sleep. Plus drugs, alcohol, sex and erotica wherever you look – all heightening the event’s debauched atmosphere. Morning is approaching and another tuning event is over. Some people, hailing in general from rural areas, invest all their money into their cars and spend hundreds of hours every year fixing them up. What magic underlies this curious love of machines? This untraditional observational documentary – a self-contained, strongly atmospheric portrait of a Czech guy whose best friend is his car – tries to find the answer.
66 min / Color, HD CAM
World premiere
Director Martin Dušek
/ Screenplay Martin Dušek
/ Dir. of Photography Lukáš Milota
/ Music Monika Midriaková
/ Editor Josef Krajbich
/ Producer Kamila Zlatušková, Pavel Plešák
/ Production Česká televize / Czech Television
/ Contact Česká televize, Czech Television - Telexport
Martin Dušek (b. 1978, Česká Lípa, Czechoslovakia) studied TV journalism at Charles University in Prague, and documentary filmmaking at FAMU. His feature-length documentary debut A Town Called Hermitage (2007, co-dir. Ondřej Provazník) was named Best Czech Documentary at the Jihlava IDFF and was later shown at the IFF in Göteborg. Coal in the Soul (2010, co-dir. Ondřej Provazník) was shown in competition at Israel’s DocAviv festival. Last year, Dušek filmed The Resounded Village, about the descendants of Lidice survivors, and The Analogs, which focused on the illusion associated with working in TV, particularly under the totalitarian regime. The visually appealing Into the Clouds We Gaze follows a group of unemployed youth in northern Bohemia who escape from the everyday routine through their passion for car tuning. Dušek and Provazník are currently working on their feature debut Old Men.
Česká televize
Kavčí hory, 140 70, Praha 4
Czech Republic
Phone: +420 261 131 111
E-mail: [email protected]
Czech Television - Telexport
Kavčí hory, 140 70, Praha 4
Czech Republic
Phone: +420 261 137 047
E-mail: [email protected]
Martin Dušek
Film Director
Kamila Zlatušková
Festival Organizer, Producer, Tutor / Trainer
Lukáš Milota
Director of Photography
Josef Krajbich
Film Editor
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