Aussie and Kiwi Film Fest in Prague will celebrate freedom and diversity

The sixth annual Aussie and Kiwi Film Fest will take place in Prague from November 1–6, with a main theme of Freedom, to celebrate 30 years since the Velvet Revolution.

The festival will have screenings at Atlas, Lucerna, and Ponrepo cinemas, as well as a screening and debate at Atlas cinema and a discussion at the Vaclav Havel Library about Czechoslovak emigration to Australia and New Zealand. All screenings are in English with Czech subtitles.

Issues raised in the
films include the clash of indigenous and European cultures,
environmental protection, and women’s rights and
self-determination. Two exhibitions will be held as part of the
festival.

His new comedy is
set in 1959, with three women who work in a department store as the
main characters. One is wary of immigrants, but the other two are
from Slovenia and Hungary. Circumstances force them all to become
friends. The film won awards for Best Actress, Best Original Music
Score and Best Costume Design from the Australian Academy of Cinema
and Television Arts in 2018.

At the opening,
audiences will hear Aboriginal mission songs sung by indigenous
Australian singer Jessie Lloyd. An exhibition of photographs from
1995 by Jiří Jírů, called “Havel in New Zealand” will also be
on display in Lucerna Café throughout the festival.

The screening will
be preceded by a live drag show from the group Hanky Panky. Following
the movie, there will be an after party at Champagneria Bar at
Průchodní Street with wines from festival partner Foltýn Wine.

The segments explore
the experiences of women who leave tradition behind in search of
education or work. The word “vai” means “water” in all
Pacific Island languages.

The Vaclav Havel Library will host an evening called “the journey of Czechoslovaks in search of freedom down under plus Havel in the Pacific” on November 5 at 7 pm.