Kolya, the 1997 Academy-award winning movie for Best Foreign Language Film, will officially launch Czech Embassy Manila’s yearlong cinematic celebration, “Czech Movie Gems”.
Open to the public, it will take place at Cinematheque Centre Manila on Jan. 10 at 6:30 in the evening. Expected guests to share the opening night are artists, directors and cinematographers from the Philippine film scene.
Oscar awardee Jan SvÄ›rák successfully directed the film, working alongside his father, legendary Czech actor, writer and playwright, ZdenÄ›k SvÄ›rák. The cast of the movie features A-list Czech celebrities with then newcomer and child wonder, Russian Andrej Khalimon who gave life to the main character of the movie, Kolya.
This SvÄ›rák masterpiece, centered on a man’s sudden “twist” in life brought by unexpected circumstances of love, is a tender comedy of genuinely endearing characters.
Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Olša, Jr. invites everyone to catch Kolya’s screening, as “it is a touching tale of friendship, love and compassion—truly a must-watch that should not be missed”.
Kolya has received high praises from the film community since its release in 1996 and was well received by audiences around the world. Critics of MovieGuide.com have dubbed the film as “Beautifully acted, deeply moving and an artistically stunning foreign language film“ while Entertainment Weekly saw it as “a heart-melter that is truly deserving of its accolades”.
Apart from the film’s international acclaim, the Czechs did not miss to recognize Kolya, as the highest award-giving body in the Czech Republic, bestowed six Czech Lion awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Editing.
The Czech movie festival organized in cooperation with the Film Development Council of the Philippines will begin this month till January 2019. Films, selected personally by Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Olša, jr., also a film enthusiast, will showcase the most interesting Czech movies of the last decades, including award-winning masterpieces, unique genre films, as well as the top grossing viewers favorites. Screening will be held every second Wednesday of the month.
