Association of Czech Film Clubs
Association of Czech Film Clubs:
- joins more than 120 film clubs and 20.000 members all across the Czech Republic
- systematically assists the film clubs with their activities
- buys and distributes about 10 new artistically significant films to Czech cinemas every year
- runs a film archive containing more than 100 titles
- presents an Annual Award of ACFC for the most artistically enterprising film of a year
- presents ACFC Annual Awards on the occasion of Summer Film School festival
- undertakes a Film and School project, media education for secondary students
- organizes Summer Film School in Uherské Hradiště
- organizes a yearly film exhibition Project 100
Summer Film School Uhershe Hradiste Summer Film School is a specific kind of festival with unique atmosphere and a more than thirty-year tradition. Many invited international as well as Czech filmmakers such as Julio Medem, Václav Havel, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Tom Stoppard, Peter Greenaway, Nikita Michalkov, Krzysztof Zanussi, Michael Haneke or Ken Loach have praised this festival. Every year is the festival attended by several thousands participants and in 2008 it reached 6120 of accredited viewers. Summer Film School provides ten film cycles on various themes and an eventful accompanying program including concerts, theatre performances, workshops and discussions.
Project 100 is a touring film exhibition presenting classics of the world cinematography. Running every year from January to May, it has been enriching cinemas’ programs all around the Czech Republic for more than one decade. To meet desires of all demanding viewers it has offered ten highly evaluated quality films every year, namely Pink Floyd The Wall, Life of Brian, Salo, or The 120 Days of Sodom, Der Himmel über Berlin, The Cremator, Burnt by the Sun, Blow-up, and The Motorcycle Diaries.
Film Club:
- pursues its activities within the scope of ACFC
- holds art film screenings, prefaces to films, and meetings
- provides student and children films screenings
- organizes film exhibitions and seminars
ACFC Member:
- is everyone who owns a member card available at every film club box office
- has a discount on all art film screenings taking place within a local film club
- gains discounts and advantages on more than 20 film events in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland
- becomes one of 20.000 viewers’ base of ACFC
History of the Association of Czech Film Clubs
The first active season of film clubs was initiated in October 1963, and within the first year of the existence of film clubs movement 87 film clubs actively participated in its activities. The “Film Art Friends Club” changed its name to the “Czechoslovak Federation of Film Clubs” (CFFC) in the beginning of spring 1964. The activities of CFFC expanded into the field of working with youth in May 1967.
The so-called “political normalization” of the first half of 1970´s affected the film clubs movement as well. Official authorities dismissed the CFFC in May 31, 1974. The Council of Czechoslovak Film Clubs was established in June 1976, completely under the control of official state authorities.
Although the state attempted to control the activities of individual film clubs in both the administrative and ideological way, many of the clubs were quite successful in overcoming these obstacles and very often came up with their own programming. At the end of 80´s, there were 250 film clubs existing in Czechoslovakia with some 100.000 individual members.
The political turn of 1989 brought distinct qualitative changes that reached its peak after the split of Czechoslovakia. The Association of Czech Film Clubs was established in 1993, untied its affiliations with the National Film Archive in 1995 and became an independent civic association. The ACFC has also become a member of International Federation of Film Societies (FICC).
