Programme tips #1: The 60th Anniversary Edition of Academia Film Olomouc is starting!
22. 4. 2025
There is only one time in both a person’s and a festival’s existence when they celebrate their 60th birthday. Academia Film Olomouc will enjoy this celebration over six whole days packed with a fantastical programme. Naturally, the opening day of the festival will celebratory, and from the very start, the audience will once again have plenty of options for how to participate and enjoy the anniversary edition.
A key point of the first day of any festival is the opening ceremony and AFO is no exception. The festival will officially open at 18:00 in Metropol Cinema in a truly colourful style. In addition to the launch of a very special 60th anniversary festival book, the audience can look forward to a deep dive into the festival archive, including old jingles and archival film weeklies. Moreover, we will also explore the history of AFO through two short science films that were awarded during previous editions of this extraordinary festival. The films Nature’s Designs (4th annual AFO, 1969) and The Sun (9th annual AFO, 1974) offer a unique look at the popularisation of science through film several decades ago.
Even before the opening ceremony, the festival will already be in full swing. The audience can, for example, explore various forms of the Czech popular science documentary film. Dissecting Mendel is a short film featured in Science in Czech Television section and focuses on the importance of examining Mendel’s remains for further scientific developments. It will be screened at 12:30 in the Czech Television Film Hall. As a special screening, it will also be possible to see a feature-length documentary film Behind the Curtain of High Mountains about Dina Štěrbová, the first woman who conquered Cho You, a mountain in the Himalayas. The screening will take place at 13:30 PM in Metropol Cinema with the participation of both Dina and the film’s director Hana Pinkavová.
If you’re craving something from the global documentary scene, a Dutch film Alice Cares will be screened at 14:00 PM in Central MUO. It shows the testing of a robotic caretaker Alice in the homes of three elderly women who miss human company. The film poses the question whether this form of companion can truly take the place of human presence. The AFO Junior programme will present the project 36 000 Years Later. 15 short films relate to the opening of the replica of the Chauvet Cave and intertwine modern works with those thousands of years old. After the screening, scientist Pavla Bauerová will discuss the intersection of art and science.
The 60th annual Academia Film Olomouc will open in style! Don’t miss it!
