Hommage to Vojtěch Jasný: All My Good Countrymen

Jasný’s enduring masterpiece chronicles the saga of Czech villagers forced into collective farms by their new Communist rulers. At the centre is the farmer Frantisek who refuses to submit, is imprisoned and in the end takes up the management of the deteriorating collective farm. A heartfelt portrait of the countryside and its inhabitants, it depicts the drama of human destiny in conflict with power, violence and cruelty. The UK premiere of the digitally restored winner of both the Best Director and the Jury Prizes at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival film.


Made in Prague: Hommage to Vojtěch Jasný
Celebrating the 90th birthday and achievements of an outstanding Czech filmmaker who has had a profound influence on films like Edgar Reitz's Heimat and Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon, the season pays a tribute to his work. Starting with a triple bill of his three Cannes Film Festival winners at the Regent Street Cinema, it presents Jasný’s key films from his 50+ portfolio shot in Czechoslovakia, Austria, West Germany, USA and Canada, demonstrating the width and diversity of his filmmaking and his distinctive auteur flavour, poetic style and spiritual values.
Part of Made in Prague Film Festival, 3 – 29 November 2015, www.czechcentre.org.uk

Vojtěch Jasný, Czechoslovakia 1968, 116 mins, subtitles
With Radoslav Brzobohatý, Věra Galatíková, Vlastimil Brodský and Marie Málková