Ahoj, Monday! 5 things you need to know this week in Czechia

From Oct. 1, a legal amendment to vehicle liability insurance cancels the need to carry so-called green cards when driving in Czechia. Drivers will also need to pay in full for liability insurance before an agreed contract is in effect. Failure to do so may result in the insurance company terminating or postponing the contract's validity. To ensure immediate coverage, payment must be made within an hour of receiving the draft contract, typically through an online card payment.

The Be2Can Film Festival will take place from Oct. 2-9, showcasing films from this year's Cannes, Berlin, and Venice festivals in cinemas across 20 Czech cities including Edison Filmhub and Kino Lucerna in Prague. Highlights include 11 Czech premieres, including Francis Ford Coppola's highly-anticipated Megalopolis. The festival will open with the animated feature Flow at Kino Lucerna and feature guest appearances by directors, alongside a curated selection of short films from FAMU students.

The newly renovated Nová Spirála theater is set to officially reopen its doors on Oct. 3 after being closed for more than two decades following devastating 2002 floods. Located at the Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds in Prague, the theater features a diverse program spanning theatre, music, and events designed for audiences of all ages. Attendees can look forward to a vibrant inaugural season that includes the opening multimedia show Resurrection, which features pop hits from across the decades.

Oct. 5 marks 88 years since former Czechoslovak and Czech President Václav Havel was born. The documentary Havel Speaking, Can You Hear Me?, which charted the anti-communist figure’s more private moments in his life, was released in April this year and is currently streaming with English subtitles on Netflix. Small commemorative events will happen around the country. 

As part of the Zažít město jinak (Experience the city differently) annual event, streets across Prague host block parties, but some festivities were postponed from late September due to recent heavy rains and flooding. The best-known example is the Americká Street block party, which celebrates Latin American culture and food, and which will now take place on Saturday, Oct. 5.