Filmové žně. The Birth of the New Form of Film Propagation on the Basis of Film Exhibitions, Film Awards and Film Weeks

Abstract

Práce se zaměřuje na souvislosti vzniku filmové přehlídky v letech 1940 a 1941 ve Zlíně. Filmové žně byly prvním filmovým festivalem v Československu, ale svou funkcí, vnější podobou i dalšími vlastnostmi navazovaly na dřívější aktivity na propagaci domácího filmu. Filmové žně jako podnik zaměřený na český film zároveň založily tradici poválečných mezinárodních filmových festivalů v lázeňských městech.

This paper is focused on the problem of propagation in the thirties and during the World War II with overlap to the postwar period in Czechoslovakia. The keypoint of the work is a film festival called Filmové žně held in 1940 and 1941 in the industrial city of Zlín. It was perceived as the first film competition linked also with Venice Film Festival, even thought it was only national and every presented movie was priced. The goal of organizers was to present the best works of czech filmmakers and show them to the czech audience. There was need for this type of festival especially becase of the whole cultural, political and economical situation during the Nazi occupation. But eventually, the film festival became a place for national manifestations and secret meetings in order to construct the project of nationalization of czech cinematography. The first year of festival was a huge success and thus very dangerous considering the situation. The second year was much more limited in national manifestations and more controlled by Germans. The third volume was never held. However new the model of film festival in Czechoslovakia was, the function, structure of organizing and features of Filmové žně rose from older activities, namely film expositions, so called film weeks, film awards and participation in abroad film festivals in Venice or Moscow and film exhihitions, where the first success in 1913 was achieved. The film festival in Zlín shared with exhibitions organized in interwar Czechoslovakia function of propagation of czech movies, public character, presentation of movies and some of involved individuals. It also had some features with film weeks associated always with another cinematographic activity in common - public projections, sometimes first-run movies and again function - propagation. The exportation of film production abroad for competitions served the similar purpose - propagation, in this case production of the highest artistic quality. It also took the unofficial title („Zliennale“, „the first czech film festival“ and the like) and the practice to reward every single competitor (in Venice every country) from the film festival in Venice. But Zliennale was both inspired by Venice film festival and stood in opposition to it. Firstly the organizers emphasized the working and folk character (in opposition to pompous style of Venice), not competitive but cooperative principle, not political but pure artistic criterions. Besides all the mentioned similarities and differences there was also the increasing interest and support of the government, which started in late twenties and led to the formation of two institutions - Film studio controlling and increasing the level of screenplays and Filmový poradní sbor distributing financial subvention. These two organizations and government itself participated in activities supporting czech film and this went up with time. Filmové žně represent the top of it. After the second World War the cinematographic industry was nationalized and shortly after that appeared a large number of film festivals of different kinds. The most important film festival was held in Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně and drew from the tradition of the Zlin film festival. It had also certain things in common - it supported czech films and had noncompetitive and working character.