Blix Not Bombs

Director Greta Stocklassa of Czech and Swedish origins was only eight when the 9/11 attack took place and the "War on Terror" began. In the years that followed, fellow Swede Hans Blix, a UN diplomat who drafted environmental policy and brokered nuclear disarmament agreements, became a central figure in the investigation into weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Whenever the world was on fire, they called Hans Blix. So now, in our 21st century of escalating political extremism, wars, and climate catastrophe, this millennial filmmaker wonders if the 94-year-old retiree has any advice to offer. Sometimes the most innocuous questions beget the most insightful responses, as two very different perspectives collide. Blix, a humble civil servant, is comfortable presenting options, while Stocklassa is looking for heroic solutions. Blix is a realist nearing the end of his life, while Stocklassa is an optimist just beginning hers. With formidable access and conversational ease, Blix Not Bombs interrogates whether diplomacy and negotiation can foster world peace. 

The visitors (Dir.: Veronika Lišková)

There is something more threatening than climate change happening in the polar regions – people. Zdenka Sokolíčková moved her husband and three young sons to Svalbard, islands between Norway and the North Pole, to study the impact of globalization on the world’s northernmost town, Longyearbyen. For two years, she assessed how the small, homogeneous community was changing: the coal mining industry is shrinking and Arctic tourism is on the increase, both of which intensify climate degradation. Sokolíčková expected sustainability to be the main source of tension but, surprisingly, it was the community itself that was causing the most acute damage. Residents want the town to “stay Norwegian” and feel each newcomer is tipping the balance towards foreignness. As exclusionary behaviours increase and Sokolíčková’s fairy-tale Arctic stay comes to an end, the scientist must decide if she should continue strictly observing or engage and potentially change her subject forever. Stunning cinematography captures a most unexpected human experiment in the polar wild.

A Happy man (Dir.: Soňa G.Lutherová)

Marvin, a creative writer, and Ivan, a psychiatrist, relocate to Sweden from the Czech Republic to raise their young family during Marvin’s gender transition. Alongside their routine of daily life—household chores, office work and playing video games with their kids—we witness intimate conversations between the couple, who have been together for over 15 years. As Marvin becomes more confident and comfortable with himself, Ivan is supportive yet unsure how to navigate the changes in his partner: “I don’t know what is expected of me. How should I feel?” Turning an empathic lens on the physical and emotional changes Marvin is going through, candid video diaries document his transition surgery and the process of taking testosterone shots. Via Marvin’s nom de plume, Roe Horvat, we hear snippets of writing, gaining an intimate insight into his deepening masculinity. A Happy Man is a moving study in the vital importance of authentic gender expression.

Shells (Dir.:Marie-Magdalena Kochová)

Jan Minarík, the greatest Czech dancer of the 20th century, gives us a powerful and moving performance in the confines of an elevator. This unexpected solo captures in detail how the body remembers—and when it awakens, it unleashes all the virility of youth.