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Mutual Inspirations Festival 2019 - Marta Kubišová


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FESTIVAL LAUNCH: The Velvet Effect

FESTIVAL LAUNCH: The Velvet Effect

September 12, 2019, 6:00 PM

The Czech Embassy will launch the Mutual Inspirations Festival 2019 – Marta Kubišová with the opening of the exhibition The Velvet Effect on September 12, 2019, at 6 pm.  This year, the festival coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, a civic movement started by students in former Czechoslovakia. The exhibition, created by today’s students of Media and Didactic Illustration from the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art at the University of West Bohemia, illustrates the revolution and its courageous students as well as dissident leaders such as Václav Havel and Marta Kubišová. To complete the program, exceptionally gifted Czech mezzo-soprano Pavlína Horáková and pianist Camilla Mráz will perform Marta Kubišová’s most moving and renowned songs.  Remember and relive the power of the powerless and hear the melodies and lyrics that united the masses through it all.

Happy Hour: Barks and Beer

Happy Hour: Barks and Beer

September 14, 2019, 4:00 PM

The Czech Embassy and City Dogs Rescue & City Kitties are partnering to hold a Happy Hour: Barks & Beer with the opportunity to adopt local dogs and cats at the Czech Embassy on September 14, 2019, from 4 pm-6 pm. After the Velvet Revolution, Marta Kubišová focused on her love for animals, hosting an overwhelmingly popular show about abandoned pets called Do You Want Me? (Chcete mě?).  In her spirit, the Czech Embassy will host the local non-profit City Dogs Rescue & City Kitties and their canines and felines in need of loving homes. Come enjoy a refreshing Czech beer and get to know cuddly, adoptable furry friends. 

Film & Beer Series: Larks on a String

Film & Beer Series: Larks on a String

September 17, 2019, 7:00 PM

Bistro Bohem will screen director Jiří Menzel's Larks on a String (Skřivánci na niti) on September 17, 2019, at 7 pm, as part of the ongoing Film and Beer Series. The film follows a group of middle class citizens sent to work at an industrial junkyard in order to be ‘rehabilitated.’ The film was initially banned and released in 1990 after the fall of the communist regime. The film won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival (1990). Delve into this classic film from the late 1960s. (Dir. Jiří Menzel, 1969, 100 min., Czech with English subtitles)

Book Launch: ABCZ or All You Need to Know about Czechia and the Czechs

Book Launch: ABCZ or All You Need to Know about Czechia and the Czechs

September 19, 2019, 6:00 PM

The Embassy of the Czech Republic will host the US launch of the illustrated book ABCZ or All You Need to Know about Czechia and the Czechs with author Denisa Šedivá on September 19, 2019, at 6 pm. Nostalgic while living abroad, the Czech author initially began conceptualizing a children’s book to remember her beloved homeland. As the project grew, the book in its published form is meant for everyone of all ages. It profoundly explores modern Czech cultural identity, using each letter of the alphabet to represent keywords in topics such as history, technology, gastronomy, geography, art, and design. Via concise descriptions and chic graphics, the book beautifully encompasses all you need to know about the Czech Republic and its people. The book was named the Most Beautiful Czech Book of 2018 in the category of textbooks and scholastic resources for all levels by the Ministry of Culture and Museum of Czech Literature. 

Documentary: Magic Voice of a Rebel

Documentary: Magic Voice of a Rebel

September 24, 2019, 6:00 PM

The Embassy of the Czech Republic will screen veteran filmmaker Olga Sommerova's documentary Magic Voice of a Rebel (Magický hlas rebelky) on September 24, at 6 pm. The brilliant career of Marta Kubišová, a talented singer and three-time winner of the Golden Nightingale music award, ended with the occupation of Czechoslovakia. In 1977, Kubišová signed Charter 77 and also became its spokesperson, making her a target of the secret police. After twenty years of enforced silence, however, she was able to stage a spectacular comeback during the Velvet Revolution. View key episodes from the private, professional and dissident chapters of Marta Kubišová’s life through archival footage and interviews with friends, such as Dana Němcová, Pavel Kohout and Jaroslav Hutka. (Dir. Olga Sommerová, 2014, 85 min., Czech with English subtitles)

EUROBEATS Festival - Night 1

EUROBEATS Festival - Night 1

September 27, 2019, 6:00 PM

The EUROBEATS Festival will feature 10 European electronic musicians from 10 countries at Union Stage in Washington, DC, from September 27–28, 2019, from 6 pm to 1:35 am. The festival highlights top European artists at the forefront of the electronic music scene. Tickets are free, but RSVP is required. The first night of the festival includes visual artist and chanteuse MIGLOKO (Lithuania), the electric energy and robotic precision of Stockholm-based KISSEY (Sweden), the self-made, electro-jazz drumming wizard CID RIM (Austria), Afro-Portuguese electronic producer and DJ NÍDIA (Portugal); techno aficionado with over 30 releases SAMULI KEMPPI (Finland). 

EUROBEATS Festival - Night 2

EUROBEATS Festival - Night 2

September 28, 2019, 6:00 PM

The EUROBEATS Festival will feature 10 European electronic musicians from 10 countries at Union Stage in Washington, DC, from September 27–28, 2019, from 6 pm to 1:35 am. The festival highlights top European artists at the forefront of the electronic music scene. Tickets are free but RSVP is required. The second night of the festival will include such talent as drumified and symphonic sampling artist ROCHITE (Romania), 18-year-old newcomer ZAGAMI JERICHO  (Czech Republic), named most promising Czech act, a regular of the Berlin house scene – PEREL (Germany), double platinum recording artist DJ SPILLER (Italy), known for his hit single “Groovejet” (If This Ain’t Love); and electronic and experimental-pop music composer/DJ CORA NOVA (Spain).

Czech Beer Days Lecture: What's Behind the Brew?

Czech Beer Days Lecture: What's Behind the Brew?

September 30, 2019, 6:00 PM

A thousand years of brewing tradition, the world’s finest hops and malt, and highly skilled Bohemian brewmasters create the inimitable taste of Czech beer. As part of the ongoing Czech Beer Days tradition, Evan Rail, a California writer and beer expert living in Prague — who guided Anthony Bourdain around Czech breweries and pubs — will illuminate the history and tradition of Czech brewing, highlight the cultural contexts of beer in everyday life in the Czech lands, and explain why Czechs drink the most beer in the world. Find out what's behind the brew at the Czech Embassy on Sept. 30, 2019, at 6 pm. 
Theater: Audience

Theater: Audience

October 02, 2019, 7:00 PM

In honor of the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, the Davis Performing Arts Center joins the Czech Embassy in hosting Kašpar Theater Company's performance of Václav Havel's Audience, featuring director and actor Jakub Špalek and Jan Potměšil, who was a student activist in Prague in 1989. Following the play, the visiting artists join Georgetown students who visited the Prague Quadrennial and studied with Švanda Theater for a free ranging talk about Prague then and now, as well as collaboration and activism. 

Book Talk: The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, The Russian Perspective

Book Talk: The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, The Russian Perspective

October 03, 2019, 6:00 PM

Editor Josef Pazderka will present the book The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, The Russian Perspective, at the Delegation of the European Union on October 3, 2019, at 6 pm.  The edited collection is the first attempt to take a more coherent look at the Russian perception of the Prague Spring and the Warsaw Pact occupation of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. The publication is therefore a collection of interviews, memoirs and academic studies focusing on Russian soldiers, dissidents and journalists involved in and affected by the Soviet invasion. The book begins with a focus on the Soviet soldiers who came to Czechoslovakia. It depicts their inner world and the mighty machinery of the Soviet propaganda to which they were exposed. Join us at the EU Delegation for an evening taking a closer look at the 1968 Soviet Invasion. 

Workshop: Exploring Issues of Oppression through Music, Art, and Literature

October 05, 2019, 11:00 AM

Creator and director of The Jüdische Kulturbund Project Gail Prensky and Associate Producer Mark Haney will lead a workshop on art and oppression at the Embassy of the Czech Republic on October 5, 2019, from 11 am-2:30 pm. This day marks the anniversary of the birth of former Czech President Václav Havel, who through his leadership, helped to peacefully overthrow the communist regime. As part of the Mutual Inspirations Festival 2019, the workshop stresses the use of art as a tool for dealing with oppression. This year’s festival banner personality Marta Kubišová used her voice, her signature ballad A Prayer for Martha, to unite the people during the Velvet Revolution, restoring freedom and democracy to the nation.  

ROCK CONCERT: Garage & Tony Duchacek

ROCK CONCERT: Garage & Tony Duchacek

October 08, 2019, 7:00 PM

The Czech Embassy will host the legendary Czech rock band Garage & Tony Duchacek on October 8, 2019, at 7 pm. In the 1980s under communism in the former Czechoslovakia, the band was a popular underground group, a symbol of total artistic and uncompromising freedom. The band supported and played for students during the Velvet Revolution in 1989 and continued to be popular among the youth even after the revolution. In the words of late Czech President Václav Havel, “If you would like to know the sound of the Velvet revolution, then you should attend the concert of the Garage band from Prague.” Come jam with Garage & Tony Duchacek to the sounds of rock that inspired generations to rise up against totalitarianism thirty years ago.

Lions of Czech Film: Talks with T. G. Masaryk

Lions of Czech Film: Talks with T. G. Masaryk

October 09, 2019, 8:00 PM

The Avalon Theatre will screen the film Talks with T. G. Masaryk (Hovory s TGM) on October 9, 2019, at 8 pm, as part of the Lions of Czech Film Series. The film follows two leading men of the 20th century - Czechoslovak President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and visionary writer Karel Čapek. It reconstrucs a single conversation between the "father of the nation" and the author. In an interview with Czech Radio, the director said, “I wanted to approach these two major figures of Czech history not as they appear in history books – where they are placed on pedestals – but more as real people. Their meeting takes place in a gorgeous park in Topolčianky, where Masaryk had a summer residence and where Čapek visited him. As well as holding a clever, philosophical dialogue, they also silently looked at the countryside and discussed everyday issues." Savor an evening at the Avalon watching this psychological drama. (Dir. Jakub Červenka, 2018, 80 min., Czech with English subtitles)

Freedom to Ride: Skateboarding Talk & Documentary

Freedom to Ride: Skateboarding Talk & Documentary

October 17, 2019, 6:00 PM

The Czech Embassy will host Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the DC Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure Jonathan M. Rogers to speak on uban planning, followed by the screening of the  documentary King Skate on October 17, 2019, at 6 pm.  The program willl shed light on skateboarding, from being an expression of freedom in the past to becoming a sustainable mode of urban transportation today.
 
Concert: Classical Duo Marek Švejkar and Lenka Korbelová

Concert: Classical Duo Marek Švejkar and Lenka Korbelová

October 21, 2019, 6:00 PM

In a special concert leading up to Czech National Day, the Embassy of the Czech Republic will present the classical duo Marek Švejkar (clarinet) and Lenka Korbelová (piano) on October 21, 2019, at 6 pm. For the last nine years, the duo has performed a wide range of classical music from the Baroque era to the present. The concert will include works by Bohuslav Martinů, Zdeněk Fibich, LuigiBassi, and Charles-Maria Widor. Enjoy an evening of classical music at the Czech Embassy.

Puppet Theatre: Daddy is a Hero

Puppet Theatre: Daddy is a Hero

October 30, 2019, 6:00 PM

The renowned puppet theatre company LokVar will present Daddy is a Hero on October 30, 2019, at 6 pm, at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. This is a humorous, immersive story centers on the bonds between parents and their son and daughter, who stick together even though they argue. Love helps them to overcome dragons, illnesses, and more. The one-hour show is performed live to music in English. Savor an evening of puppet theatre in the heart of Washington. 

Film: Fairy Tales for Emma

Film: Fairy Tales for Emma

November 03, 2019, 10:00 AM

Fairy Tales for Emma (Pohádky pro Emu) will screen at the Hillwood Estate, Museum and Garden on November 3, 10 am. One month before Christmas, a call changes one man’s life forever. Peter Miller has been working for the Immigration Office in London for many years, estranged from his family. Out of the blue, a call from a social worker in Prague informs him that he has been identified as the father of an eight-year-old child named Emma, whose mother has been in a serious car accident.  Peter can’t believe it, but what if Emma really is his daughter? In Prague, he meets Marie, a hotel manager consumed by her job. She offers her help during a critical time. So begins the game of love ... Will this be a “fairy tale” ending after all? (Dir. Rudolf Havlík, 2016, 112 min., Czech with English subtitles)

Theater: Protest / Vaněk Unleashed

Theater: Protest / Vaněk Unleashed

November 05, 2019, 8:00 PM

Alliance for New Music-Theatre will open the doubled bill of Václav Havel's seminal play Protest and Susan Galbraith's Vaněk Unleashed, on November 5, 2019, at 8 pm at the Dupont Underground. In Protest, Vaněk pays a visit to the lavish home of former colleague Staněk, who has invited the renowned activist to help him secure the release of a jailed radical musician, fiancé to his daughter. Vaněk also seeks a favor: the influential man's signature in a far-reaching protest. Vaněk Unleashed is a uniquely American response to the same, most beloved central character of Vaněk. In this work, Alliance adds to the tradition that includes playwrights Samuel Beckett and Tom Stoppard of paying tribute to Havel by making Vaněk a universal character. Audiences will find Vaněk still struggling with issues of the slipperiness of identity as he careens imaginatively between prison and the more terrifying and absurd world outside. Step inside the Dupont Underground as we explore a play performed in the underground and one inspired by Havel's endearing character.

Film Preview & Panel: Havel Speaking, Can you Hear Me?

Film Preview & Panel: Havel Speaking, Can you Hear Me?

November 06, 2019, 6:00 PM

Director Petr Jančárek will present a preview of his new documentary Havel Speaking, Can You Hear Me? on November 6, 2019, at 6 pm,  followed by a panel discussion with distinguished guests. The film captures the public and private moments of the last three years of former Czech President Václav Havel’s life.In the film, Havel travels the world, directs his feature film Leaving, and produces concerts for stars like Joan Baez and Lou Reed. Jančárek shows Havel‘s life journey as an incredible road movie, covering his fight for human rights and dignity, but also his struggle with time running out on his own life.  Delve into the life of an extraordinary leader and enter into the discussion about how his life can continue to serve as an example for today’s generation.   

Concert: Spiritual Kvintet

Concert: Spiritual Kvintet

November 10, 2019, 5:00 PM

The Embassy of the Czech Republic presents the Czech folk group Spiritual Kvintet on November 10, 2019, at 5 pm.  The group performed at demonstrations during the Velvet Revolution as well as for former Czech President Václav Havel and US Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The group's repertoire includes original compositions as well as renaissance, folk, and spiritual music.  Relish in an afternoon with these Czech founders of folk. 

Conference: Velvet Revolution @ 30: A Legacy to Uphold

November 12, 2019, 9:00 AM

The Czech Embassy and the Slovak Embassy in collaboration with Georgetown University will hold the conference Velvet Revolution @ 30: A Legacy to Uphold with keynote speaker former United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at Georgetown University on November 12, 2019, at 9:00 am. Ambassador of the Czech Republic Hynek Kmoníček and Ambassador of the Slovak Republic Ivan Korčok will open the discussions, marking the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which brought freedom and democracy back to Czechoslovakia in 1989. Reflecting on the past and the future, two distinguished panels will include those who courageously led the way during the demonstrations and those who continue to lead the society into the years to come. Please join us to celebrate and reflect on the 30th anniversary of the movement, which propelled Central Europe into the next century. 

Velvet Play & Party

Velvet Play & Party

November 16, 2019, 6:30 PM

The Alliance for New Music-Theatre, Embassy of the Czech Republic, and Dupont Underground invite you to a Velvet Play & Party on November 16, 2019, at 7 pm. The evening includes a prelude screening of a short documentary My Freedom, followed by the mainstage theatrical performance of the Alliance’s Vaněk Unleashed, and concluding with a Velvet Party featuring DJ Alyaz from Prague. The event commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, a movement that restored freedom and democracy to the Czech people. Underground movements continue to transform lives. Head to DC’s hottest hidden venue, right underneath Dupont Circle, for an unforgettable night of theatre, music, and the arts!

Films: Case for a New Hangman & The Uninvited Guest

Films: Case for a New Hangman & The Uninvited Guest

November 17, 2019, 4:00 PM

The National Gallery of Art will screen The Uninvited Guest and Case for a New Hangman on November 17, 2019, at 4 pm, marking the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. The film screenings are part of the series Welcome to AbsurdistanThe first of two allegories of life in socialist Czechoslovakia, both are imaginative, critical films “banned forever” by the regime. Produced at the Czech national film school FAMU, just months after the Warsaw Pact invasion crushed the Prague Spring, the dark-humored The Uninvited Guest portrays a couple in an apartment block who face a gruff intruder. (Dir. Vlastimil Venclík, 1969, 22 minutes) Case for a New Hangman is unique among the works of the Czech New Wave. Pavel Juráček adapted part three of Gulliver’s Travels into a sci-fi journey through socialist Czechoslovakia. The confining borders, polluted landscapes, perverted justice, and public surveillance of a socialist land transform into an unsettling new world, for discovery (in the film’s alternate title) by A New Gulliver. (Dir. Pavel Juráček, 1969, subtitles, 102 minutes)

Film & Beer Series: Listopad - A Memory of the Velvet Revolution

Film & Beer Series: Listopad - A Memory of the Velvet Revolution

November 19, 2019, 7:00 PM

 
Bistro Bohem will screen the film Listopad: A Memory of the Velvet Revolution on November 19, 2019, at 7 pm. Listopad is the story of the spirited friendship between three teenaged boys, swept up in the Velvet Revolution of 1989. Petr, Jiri and Ondrej are an unlikely trio of friends. An artist, a hockey player and a music trader, the boys survive Communism by playing sports, drinking beer, chasing girls and listening to underground music. They are bound together by their desire for freedom. Based upon true stories from the Velvet Revolution, Listopad is a timeless story of political and artistic courage. Seen through the eyes of Petr, Jiri and Ondrej, the film brings to life the exhilarating days of November 1989 when, in spite of everything and everyone arrayed against them, students, artists and dissidents filled the streets of Prague to stand up for their hopes and dreams of freedom. (Dir. Gary Griffin, 2014, 90 minutes, in Czech with English subtitles)

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