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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
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‘Broken Voices' Dissects a Toxic Environment in All Its Complexity, Inspired by a Girls' Choir Sexual Abuse Scandal Long Before #MeToo
'An exclusive world, in which desirable prestige goes hand in hand with premature coming of age.' That is how the website of the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) summarizes some of the conflicting factors that lead to, and enable, the traumatic in psychological drama Broken Voices (Sbormistr), the new film from Czech writer and director Ondřej Provazník (Old-Timers, A Town Called Hermitage) that world premieres in the fest's main Crystal Globe Competition on Sunday, July 6. The cast of the Czech-Slovak co-production includes Juraj Loj (Agnieska Holland's Charlatan) and an ensemble of mostly non-professional actors, led by Kateřina Falbrová. Other cast members include Maya Kintera, Zuzana Šulajová, Marek Cisovský, Ivana Wojtylová and Barrandov Studio. More from The Hollywood Reporter Dakota Johnson Gets Karlovy Vary Award and Love, Calls Celine Song "Probably the Best Filmmaker of Our Time" Dakota Johnson Wants to Direct Her First Feature, Avoid "Toxic Sets" and Play a Psychopath 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' TV Series, Told Through the Eyes of Chief Bromden, in the Works 'It's the early 1990s, and 13-year-old Karolína, a gifted novice singer, is given the chance to become a member of a world-famous girls' choir,' reads a synopsis that turns darker when it mentions that 'Karolína's exceptional talent has caught the attention of the formidable and much-admired choirmaster.' Even ahead of its world premiere, the drama, whose Czech release via CinemArt is set for July 10 and for which Salaud Morissetis is handling world sales, has been highly anticipated in the Czech Republic, drawing attention and magazine covers. The reason: It calls to mind 'the notorious case of Bambini di Praga, but also other devastating situations involving the clash of innocence and abusive authority,' as the KVIFF site notes. The famous Bambini di Praga girls' choir was a household name in the country and was for many years led by Bohumil Kulínský Jr., who took over from his father. In 2004, Kulínský Jr. was arrested and charged with various acts of sexual abuse of minors, with a tally of 49 victims between 1984 and 2004. In 2008, he was sentenced to three years in prison with parole, which was later extended to five and a half years in prison, a sentence that he started serving in January 2009. In June 2011, shortly after Kulínský's conditional release from prison, Bambini di Praga was shuttered. Kulínský died in September 2018. So much of this story happened well before the hashtag #MeToo started coming into broader public view in 2017. 'When #MeToo started, it came back to me, and I said this is something very important for Czech society, and I think that there's material in this for a movie,' Provazník recalls to THR. 'So, I started doing lots of research and interviews with former choir girls, watching things etc, and I started to work on the script.' Provazník approaches the difficult themes and topics raised in the film 'without sensationalism,' as the KVIFF website highlights, and with much sensitivity, which he says his first-time actors needed to feel safe and flourish. 'I had to change a lot of things during the shooting to make it safe for them. We were really focusing on the safety and environment for all the actresses and for all the parents, and making sure they understood what the script was about,' the writer-director recalls. 'We knew I had to do it all in such a way that it would not traumatize our 13-year-old lead actress and the others.' In a lot of scenes, power imbalances, competitive spirits, jealousy and more are hinted at through camera work, framing, looks, gestures and movements. 'I really like to tell stories gently and to only give the audience hints or some signs, because it provokes the imagination and thinking,' explains the director. 'So, my aim from the beginning was to do that and to tell a story that even a broader audience can understand.' This was more than a storytelling style choice, though. 'I think that it's somehow imprinted in all these scandals and cases when they come out later, 15, 20 years after. There's always some kind of mystery hidden in it. Not everybody knows everything,' highlights Provazník. 'Most people always only know part of the information. People guess some. Somebody knows more, somebody less. And this lack of full information and this mystery is what I wanted to put into the story.' In the Bambini di Praga scandal, for example, some girls and parents sided with the choirmaster and praised him. The filmmaker originally wanted to write the script from the point of view the older sister. 'It just didn't work, and I didn't know why, because I thought there was interesting drama in her, because she has a mix of jealousy, but also wants to protect the younger girl,' he says 'But they are in a prestigious club. And the older sister is already there, but the younger one is an outsider in the beginning. So when I changed the point of view, the story developed smoothly.' Not that the two sisters' perspectives aren't both being explored. 'I knew exactly at every point what the older sister knows, or what happened to her, and I somehow tried to secretly imprint that in the film,' Provazník reveals. 'So there are some hints about what has happened or happens to the older sister.' Through the sister and other characters, the movie also explores how various people can sustain or enable a toxic system. 'That's a very important part of the story, because when you are a teenager, you just don't know the consequences. Even as an adult, sometimes you don't know the consequences of the group that you're part of,' says Provazník. 'Of course, the main villain is obvious. But I wanted to portray this environment in all its complexity and not simple black-and-white morals. The main villain is clear, but the task for an artist is to also find some inner truth, some deeper truth.' Audiences won't guess that Broken Voices lead actress Kateřina Falbrová doesn't have an acting background. The director picked a singer by design. 'She was totally a non-actor. It was the system I wanted to use from the beginning,' says Provazník. 'I want to play the real music and songs. My audience experience with many films with choirs or orchestras is that when the music starts, meaning the playback starts, the power of the film goes down 50 percent for me. So I wanted all the music scenes in the film to be live and without playback.' After six to seven years of work on Broken Voices, Provazník says, 'it's very exhausting but very satisfying at the same time to make this film.' What is next for him? 'Recently, I started to write a new story,' he says. 'It's about a university professor who goes to the Alps with 10 of his students for an anthropology seminar, and they are following the traces of the Ötzi,' sometimes also called The Iceman, a man whose mummy was discovered at the Austrian-Italian border in 1991. The man is estimated to have lived between 3350 and 3105 BC. 'It is the oldest detective story as nobody knows who killed him. And so there are these parallels between this 5,000-year-old murder and the professor who has problems that are somehow catching up with him in the mountains.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Demon, Peruvian Time Travel and the 'Czechoslovak Tom Jones': Eight Offbeat Films at Karlovy Vary
The 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), which kicks off in the Czech spa town on Friday, is once again offering up a mix of world premieres and hidden gems to discover, as well as highlights from the festival circuit of the past year. As is tradition, Central Europe's biggest cinema fest and party will feature regional and international films, with KVIFF will once again presenting some more edgy, yes, even outright bizarre sounding movies. Here is THR's look at some of the more unusual and offbeat films that KVIFF will unspool for cineasts, tastemakers and industry insiders at its 2025 edition, running July 'Czechoslovak Tom Jones'DuchoňSpecial Screenings section More from The Hollywood Reporter How Jamaal Fields-Green Took Charge of the Tony-Favorite 'MJ the Musical' and Made It His Own Why the John Garfield Retrospective at Karlovy Vary May Seem More Political Than Intended Paolo Sorrentino's 'La Grazia' Set to Open Venice Film Festival Czardas of Two Hearts, In the Slovak Valleys and I Love You — those are the titles of some of the hits that made pop singer Karol Duchoň into a household name more than four decades ago. Now, the younger generations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are discovering the legacy of the man nicknamed the 'Czechoslovak Tom Jones.'Peter Bebjak (The Line, Nineties) presents a cinematic portrait of the singer at KVIFF that is based on a stage play by Jiří Havelka and Róbert called The Earth Remembers (Zem pamätá). The festival website teases that you can expect 'subtle irony.'All in all, we get the feeling that 'It's Not Unusual' may not be the song to describe this one.A Demon Called Jimmy Jaguar, or JaguJimmy JaguarCrystal Globe Competition section 'Jimmy Jaguar, aka Jagu, is a demon who drifts from soul to soul, awakening something dark within. His hosts become vessels of revenge.'So reads the ominous synopsis of the Hungarian film written and directed by Bence Fliegauf. Wait, there's more, according to the festival website: 'Why do their victims, chosen with no clear pattern, all seem to share the same eerie trait?' They are alive only because 'it is against the law to kill them'.'The film is set in the 'vast, unforgiving plains of Hungary, where silence hangs heavy and secrets sleep beneath the soil. Listen closely, and you might hear the silence rumble with threat… or catch echoes of a buried past. Peruvian time travelThe Anatomy of the HorsesProxima Competition section How's this for a cinematic teaser with a twist? 'Defeated in combat, Ángel returns home to his village in a remote part of the Peruvian Andes. When he arrives, however, he finds the place has completely changed. What was the 18th century is now the present day.'In this co-production between Spain, Peru, Colombia, and France, director Daniel Vidal Toche, who co-wrote the movie with Ignacio Vuelta, dissects what the people who live in Peru today are fighting for and whether there is still a place for revolutionary thinking. Ángel is joined in his quest by Eustaquia, a girl searching for her sister. It sounds like audiences can expect a hell of a ride, both in terms of presentation and story. With cinematography by Angello Faccini, The Anatomy of the Horses 'takes the viewer on a visually and intellectually stimulating journey through the space-time continuum,' KVIFF TwinsBetter Go Mad in the WildCrystal Globe Competition section Writer-director Miro Remo's latest loosely develops a theme explored in the book of the same name by Aleš Palán and Jan Šibík, which 'provocatively asks whether it's possible to spend your whole life in a single place,' according to KVIFF. In what sounds like an absurdist ride outside the norms of society, it tells the story of twins František and Ondřej Klišík, who have decided to do just that, far away from civilization. 'Crazy eccentrics or charismatic, possessed storytellers?' asks the festival website. Either way, 'in their genuine bucolic enchantment, they offer us all the chance to distill our source of inspiration, those of us who sometimes tire of conformist adherence to order.' An 'explosive' film about a Syrian refugee camp on the outskirts of Berlin TrepaNationProxima Competition section A Syria, Germany, France co-production getting the KVIFF spotlight is one of the longest films at this year's fest, clocking in at 222 minutes. And it is likely to cause debate, as far as its summary suggests. 'Germany, September 2014. A Syrian refugee camp has opened on the outskirts of Berlin. Visual artist and filmmaker Ammar al-Beik has a cubicle assigned to him for seven months and, in order to survive here, he has to film, document and rebel against the conditions of life in exile, and also against the established rules of documentaries and features. His phone camera is always switched on; he transforms his tiny room and the entire dismal compound into a universe with its own laws. Ammar's explosive film is the result of 10 years of editing; the intensive autobiography intersects the history of Europe and the Middle East, and film history, too.'Al-Beik didn't just direct the film — he's also credited with the cinematography, sound, editing and art direction. But his story is shared by many others. Says the KVIFF website about the film: 'The singular cinematographic form is flanked with memorable individuals who, like exiled Ammar al-Beik, are merely searching for freedom and truth.' Convergence alert! Gaming becomes a playerKingdom Come: Deliverance II Cinematic CutSpecial Screenings section A world-famous role-playing game developed by Prague's Warhorse Studios makes its cinematic debut as a film specially created for the Karlovy Vary festival. 'This distinctive piece offers a powerful viewing experience — a treat both for fans of the cult computer game and for those who have yet to enter its intriguing world,' the KVIFF website promises. Daniel Vávra and Petr Pekař are credited as directors of the movie, which is bringing the fest into the gaming world. Artistic director Karel Och calls it 'an exceptionally original contribution to our long-standing goal of presenting powerful and gripping stories captured in a unique manner.' 'It's the year 1403, and the Bohemian Kingdom is in chaos. While roaming marauders sow fear and terror through a kingdom without a clear ruler, Henry of Skalitz seeks to avenge his murdered parents,' reads a synopsis. 'As an ally of the rightful king, he is sent to accompany Sir Hans Capon on a diplomatic mission. After they are brutally attacked, however, Henry and Hans undergo a series of dangerous adventures that subject them and their friendship to the ultimate test.'Forbidden loveDon't Call Me MamaCrystal Global Competition section 'Eva is a popular teacher who is married to the local mayor. Although he has betrayed her trust, she still plans to support his election campaign, and so she starts to volunteer at a local refugee center.' So far, so good. But the film from Norway's Nina Knag's, who has made a name for herself as a casting director and who co-wrote the feature with Kathrine Valen Zeiner, confronts us with a bigger challenge. After all, Eva 'grows close to 18-year-old refugee Amir, who charms her with his poetic talents,' the film synopsis adds. 'But the closer they get, the less control she has over the situation.' Fireworks sound likely. Or, as KVIFF puts it more philosophically: 'A drama about forbidden love, Don't Call Me Mama confronts its protagonists with a moral test while provocatively exploring how hypocrisy can masquerade as generosity.'The Wim Wenders-Inspired Czech Movie ProjectThe Czech Film ProjectSpecial Screenings section If you are looking for a blast from the past with a local twist or are curious how Wim Wenders keeps inspiring Czech creatives, this project from directors Marek Novák and Novotný may be for you.'At the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, Wim Wenders invited several of his esteemed colleagues to a hotel room, where he filmed their reflections on the future of film,' highlights the KVIFF synopsis. 'This exclusive documentary survey, Room 666, inspired two Czech producers to engage in a similar undertaking in collaboration with the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. During last year's festival, they thus invited around 30 Czech or Czech-based filmmakers from all generations and asked them 'what makes Czech film Czech?'' The result is in and ready for its world premiere. The fest teases 'an exciting mosaic not just of views and opinions, but also of mannerisms and personalities.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Arthur Berry's last play performed in Stoke-on-Trent for his centenary
The last play written by a leading dramatist from the Potteries is receiving its world premiere as part of commemorations marking the centenary of his Berry grew up in Stoke-on-Trent and became a prolific writer and artist before his death in final play Whatever happened to Pheobe Salt is being staged at the New Vic Theatre. The New Vic opened in 1986 with a performance of one of Berry's poems by Freddie Jones, father of actor Toby city is also marking its centenary - with Stoke-on-Trent Day being held on Thursday. The production of Whatever Happened to Phoebe Salt features local Rossi, who is making her stage debut, said it was an honour."To be able to be here which is a theatre which I grew up in coming to watch shows and now to be on the stage, doing a show and for such a celebration - for Arthur - for Stoke - it is just a full circle." As well as being a renowned writer, Berry was a notable artist, using the inspiration he drew from his hometown as a thread that ran throughout his Heskins, artistic director of the theatre, said he loved the area he was from."The very first word spoken on this stage by Freddie Jones, [film and TV actor] Toby Jones' dad, was the word 'yes' as part of a poem called Yes by Arthur Berry - what a thing to be part of our history."He made these plays about Stoke-on-Trent really. The place that he loved and all of his work was about it."It's all full of the grit and humour of Stokie life." Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
National Arts Centre reveals diverse lineup for 2025-26 season
There is always something new and creative to discover at the National Arts Centre, whether it's an edgy modern-dance show or a surprising take on an orchestral classic. With four stages under its hexagonal roof and a skilled team of specialized artistic programmers in charge of six different genres of performing arts, the NAC's schedule gets filled with gems well in advance. The 2025-26 calendar is no exception. Between September 2025 and spring of 2026, dozens of concerts, theatrical productions and dance events will be shoehorned into the building, including no fewer than nine world premieres. One show calls for a skateboard ramp at centre stage, while another is described as a Macbeth-meets-biker mashup. The season will also mark a farewell for maestro Alexander Shelley, who has been leading the NAC Orchestra for more than a decade — and whose two young sons were born in Ottawa. Shelley has designed a final season that will include a big opera production of Puccini's Tosca, an all-Canadian edition of the Great Performers series, a seasonal presentation of Handel with an all-Canadian cast of vocalists, four world premieres and more. Two more world premieres occur during the English theatre season, both directed by the department's artistic producer, Nina Lee Aquino. The first, scheduled for January 2026, is co-produced by Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre and written by Natasha Mumba, a graduate of Ottawa's Canterbury arts high school and now based in Toronto. Entitled Copperbelt, it's the story of a Zambian-born woman who's made a life for herself in Toronto, but is compelled to return to her homeland when her estranged father falls ill. The second Aquino-directed world premiere is cicadas, created by David Yee and Chris Thornborrow. Commissioned by the NAC, it's an eco-thriller set in Toronto in 2035. The English theatre season also features a family play described as a live theatrical cinema experience starring Canadian DJ Kid Koala, who performs live on piano and turntables every night of the Dec. 3-13 run. The tale of a small-town mosquito trying to make it big in music also uses puppeteers, miniature sets, a string trio and cameras to tell its story. Another six shows will be presented by the Indigenous theatre department under the artistic leadership of Kevin Loring. They range from the inter-tribal collaboration that drives Nigamon Tunai to the world premiere of Tomson Highway's latest, Rose, to an allegorical circus piece from New Zealand, Te Tangi a Te Tūī. Rounding out the theatre offerings is French theatre with a season programmed by Mani Soleymanlou. The centrepiece is a version of Macbeth, created with Quebec theatre master Robert Lepage, that sets the Shakespearienne tragedy in Quebec in the 1990s and populates it with members of a motorcycle gang. Speaking of Shakespeare and Lepage, the dynamic duo will resurface as part of the dance season spearheaded by NAC Dance executive producer Caroline Ohrt. In February, Lepage, the famed stage director, joins forces with renowned Canadian choreographer Guillaume Côté in tackling Hamlet. Their reimagination is titled The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Also on the dance program are big productions by Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada and Dance Theatre of Harlem, plus a piece by Danish choreographer Mette Ingvartsen that will see the theatre stage become a skatepark to show off Ingvartsen's explorations of the power and energy of skateboarding. A crew of Ottawa skaters will accompany the professional dancers. As for Popular Music and Variety, the department headed by Heather Gibson has unveiled a preliminary list of concerts confirmed between October and March 2026. Highlights include jazzfest fave Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, the Soweto Gospel Choir, a Choir! Choir! Choir! singalong, a Classic Albums Live take on Michael Jackson's Thriller and a date with the Israeli-born British chef Yotam Assaf Ottolenghi. More concerts will be announced during the season. Finally, two popular festivals are also returning. The biennial Zones Théâtrales, which showcases Francophone theatre from across Canada, celebrates its 11th edition in September, while the family-friendly Big Bang festival returns in February 2026. Existing season subscribers get first chance at tickets, with the window to renew subscriptions starting May 16. New subscriptions and individual tickets will go on sale June 12. For more information, go online to or call 1-844-985-2787. Want to stay in the know about what's happening in Ottawa? Sign up for the Ottawa Citizen's arts and life newsletter — Ottawa, Out of Office — our weekly guide to eating, listening, reading, watching, playing, hanging, learning and living well in the capital. Volunteers at the National Gallery worry about opportunities vanishing Four Ottawa restaurants crack 2025 Canada's 100 Best list
National Post
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- National Post
National Arts Centre reveals diverse lineup for 2025-26 season
There is always something new and creative to discover at the National Arts Centre, whether it's an edgy modern-dance show or a surprising take on an orchestral classic. Article content With four stages under its hexagonal roof and a skilled team of specialized artistic programmers in charge of six different genres of performing arts, the NAC's schedule gets filled with gems well in advance. Article content The 2025-26 calendar is no exception. Between September 2025 and spring of 2026, dozens of concerts, theatrical productions and dance events will be shoehorned into the building, including no fewer than nine world premieres. One show calls for a skateboard ramp at centre stage, while another is described as a Macbeth-meets-biker mashup. Article content Article content The season will also mark a farewell for maestro Alexander Shelley, who has been leading the NAC Orchestra for more than a decade — and whose two young sons were born in Ottawa. Shelley has designed a final season that will include a big opera production of Puccini's Tosca, an all-Canadian edition of the Great Performers series, a seasonal presentation of Handel with an all-Canadian cast of vocalists, four world premieres and more. Article content The first, scheduled for January 2026, is co-produced by Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre and written by Natasha Mumba, a graduate of Ottawa's Canterbury arts high school and now based in Toronto. Entitled Copperbelt, it's the story of a Zambian-born woman who's made a life for herself in Toronto, but is compelled to return to her homeland when her estranged father falls ill. Article content Article content The second Aquino-directed world premiere is cicadas, created by David Yee and Chris Thornborrow. Commissioned by the NAC, it's an eco-thriller set in Toronto in 2035. Article content Article content The English theatre season also features a family play described as a live theatrical cinema experience starring Canadian DJ Kid Koala, who performs live on piano and turntables every night of the Dec. 3-13 run. The tale of a small-town mosquito trying to make it big in music also uses puppeteers, miniature sets, a string trio and cameras to tell its story. Article content Another six shows will be presented by the Indigenous theatre department under the artistic leadership of Kevin Loring. They range from the inter-tribal collaboration that drives Nigamon Tunai to the world premiere of Tomson Highway's latest, Rose, to an allegorical circus piece from New Zealand, Te Tangi a Te Tūī.
