MAY, 2013
The Consulate General of the Czech Republic is excited to officially announce the 2nd
annual Czech film festival: “Czech That
Film 2013 presented by Staropramen” will take place in Portland on June 6-9, 2013and in Seattle on July 12-14, 2013.
Conceived in 2012, the Czech film series is dedicated to raise the profile of new Czech films by attracting interest and
celebrating Czech cinema at an international level.
Cont´d on page 2
INDEX
Czech That Film Presented by Staropramen……….....1,2
Dear Friends in Portland & Seattle……….………..…....3
Czech Student´s Film “Main Course” Succeed in the 48
Hours Film Project…………………………………….….3
Bishop Esterka celebrates 50th anniversary of his
ordination……………………………………………….....4
News from Oregon………………….…..…………...…….5
The Czech School Continues to Grow………………....5,6
News from Washington State…………..………………...6
Czech Tourism Opens New Office on West Coast………7
Franz Kafka’s “The Trial”………………………….……7
Upcoming Cultural Events in Los Angeles……………....8
Czech Films Return to Portland & Seattle – Come Czech Them Out !
Portland
In the Shadow June 6, 7:00 p.m.
Men in Hope June 7, 7:30 p.m.
Flower Buds June 8, 6:30 p.m.
The House June 8, 8:30 p.m.
Alois Nebel June 9, 6:00 p.m.
Gypsy June 9, 8:00 p.m.
Venue: Portland Art Museum1219 SW Park Avenue
Tickets: nwfilm.org or at the Portland Art Museum box
Seattle
Perfect Days July 12, 6:30p.m.
Innocence July 13, 2:00p.m.
Made In Ash July 13, 4:30p.m.
Don´t Stop July 13, 6:30p.m.
Alois Nebel July 14, 2:00p.m.
The House July 14, 4:00p.m.
Gypsy July 14, 6:30p.m.
Venue: Siff Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Avenue N
Tickets: siff.net or at the Siff Cinema box office
Page 1
Page 2
CZECH THAT FILM
presented by STAROPRAMEN Cont´d from page 1
In Portland, the program was organized by Northwest
Film Center and in Seattle by SIFF Cinema and The
Center for Czech Education and Culture and builds on a
very successful tradition of screening popular Czech films
all across the United States. A total of 12 films will tour
from Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, New York City, San
Francisco, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, Denver,
and Washington, DC.
Not only is the program a great chance to witness the best
new pictures Czech cinema has to offer – including
several winners of the Oscars of the Czech Republic, the
Czech Lion – but it is also an opportunity to personally
meet well-established Czech directors. Numerous
question & answer sessions during the festival will give
audiences behind the scenes access to filmmakers, as well
as insider information about the film creation process.
Filmmaker David Ondříček, who was recently listed by
the popular entertainment magazine Variety as one of the
top “10 Directors to Watch,” will introduce “In the
Shadow.” His film, winner of nine prestigious Czech
Lions and the Czech entry for the Best Foreign Language
Oscar in 2013, will be screened on June 6, 2013 in
Portland Art Mseum.
Czech That Film 2013 is a growing effort, and relies
heavily on sponsors, contributors, and volunteers. We
would like to thank all the organizations involved in the
process, especially Staropramen for sponsoring the entire
festival. Milk & Honey Films, Prague Studios, Czech
shipping company shipito.com, and Czech Tourism also
contributed generously to the program. Special thanks to
the Northwest Film Center in Portland, SIFF Cinema, The
Center for Czech Education and Culture in Seattle for
their invaluable help organizing the events in Portland and
Seattle.
For more information on Czech That Film 2013,
including the list and details of screenings, how to
become a sponsor or volunteer, director biographies, and
the previous festival archive, please visit our dedicated
website at: www.czechthatfilm.com
We look forward to seeing everyone at the many special
events, and enjoy the show!
Marika Šoposká & Kateřina Jandáčková in the film
„Flower Buds“
„In The Shadow“
Sponsored by
Directors David Ondříček & Zdeněk Jiráský
I am excited to confirm that the annual Czech film festival
will return to the Pacific Northwest this June and July under
its new name – “Czech That Film presented by
Staropramen”.
The Czech Consulate will again cooperate with Northwest
Film Center in Portland and SIFF Cinema and The Center
for Czech Education and Culture in Seattle. Together, we
will present six new Czech films at the Portland Art Museum,
beginning on June 6, 2013 and seven films at SIFF Cinema
Uptown, starting July 12, 2013.
It took a lot of work from everybody here at the Consulate to
bring you this exciting program. I hope you will find it
stimulating, both from a cinematic as well as a storytelling
point of view. Director David Ondříček, recently named
among the Top Ten Directors to Watch by Variety, will come
to Portland for the Opening Night of the festival on June 6th
2013 and to Seattle on June 7th for screenings at the Seattle
International Film Festival. He will personally present his
film “In the Shadow,” which won an incredible nine Czech
Lions. Please, find a detailed program on the previous page.
I look forward to seeing you all at the screening at the
beautiful Portland Art Museum and SIFF Cinema Uptown in
Seattle.
I am also thrilled that the Czech Republic will open its new
Honorary Consulate in Seattle. The Minister of Education,
His Excellency Tomáš Chalupa and the Czech Ambassador
to the United States, His Excellency Petr Gandalovič will
officially introduce Mr. Wayne Jehlik as the new Honorary
Consul of the Czech Republic in Washington State on June
28, 2013.
Last month, the Czech Tourism office in Orange County,
which serves all the Western United States, officially opened
and begun to promote travel to the Czech Republic. We at the
Consulate look forward to this important cooperation. If you
know of anybody interested in visiting our beautiful
homeland, please feel free to direct them to the Czech
Tourism office and its friendly director Vojtěch Kačerovský.
Page 3
I also would like to congratulate Bishop Peter Esterka
on the golden anniversary of his priesthood and on the
Gratias Agit Award. The celebration in Yorba Linda was
very inspirational and all the visitors were appreciative
of the work and service that Bishop Esterka did for the
Czech community in California. I wish him good health
and I would like to thank him for all those years he
served mass in the Czech language for his countrymen
here.
To get more information about our events, please visit
our website www.mzv.cz/losangeles and our Facebook
page. To subscribe to our newsletter, please, contact us
Michal Sedláček
Czech Student´s Film “Main Course”
Succeed in the 48 Hours Film Project
The Consulate General of the Czech Republic would like to
congratulate to the Czech team “Láska”, whose short “Main
Course” won on the international finale of the 48 Hours
Film Project two awards. One for Best acting in female
lead - Kateřina Pindejová and the second for Best Use of
Prop. The awards were announced on March 10, 2013 at the
Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
The 48 Hours Film Project is an international film
competition. Contestants must within 48 hours create short
(3-7 minutes long) movie on previously assigned character,
a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre that must be included
in the movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be submitted.
To see Czech short “Main Course”:
www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m
3XwcKLkbK4
For more information about tne 48 Hours Film Project:
48hourfilm.com/en/filmapalooza/
Bishop Esterka served also as a chaplain in the US Air
Force. “When later on, there was an opportunity to come
to California, I did not hesitate. I love the community
here; they are very active and supportive. I can’t
complain!” the Bishop underlined.
A favorite of many local Czechs and Slovaks, Bishop
Esterka served for many years as bishop for all Czech
Catholics in North America, Western Europe, and
Australia. He resigned formally at the occasion of his
75th birthday, in accordance with Catholic custom.
The Czech Catholic Bishops Conference designated
Bishop Václav Malý as the new Bishop for Czechs in
Western Europe, while Bishop Esterka was asked to
temporarily continue performing his service to North
America and Australia while ministering to the local
Czech community in California. "I am very happy that
now after 50 years I can celebrate my ordination here in
California, where a very nice and large Czech Catholic
community has been created,” the cheerful Bishop
Esterka concluded with a toast.
For his life-long devoted service to Czechs abroad,
Bishop Esterka will receive the Gratias Agit Award by
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
this year. The award ceremony will take place in Prague
in June of 2013.
Bishop Esterka celebrates 50th anniversary of his ordination
Page 4
Czech Catholic bishop Peter Esterka, long time resident
of Orange County, celebrated a special mass on the
occasion of the 50th golden anniversary of his
ordination. This ceremonial service took place in the
Catholic John Paul II Center in Yorba Linda on
Sunday, March 10, 2013 and was attended by Bishop
Kevin Vann (pictured with Father Esterka) bishop of
the Catholic Diocese of Orange.
The Mass was followed by an extensive celebration
with more than a hundred fifty guests from all over
Southern California, including the Consul General of
the Czech Republic in Los Angeles Michal Sedláček.
“I remember very well the day of March 9, 1963, when
I was ordained" Bishop Esterka explained during the
Mass and continued "I was the only Czech with many
Irishmen and Italians present during the ordination in
Rome, so I felt a little bit alone. None of my relatives
were in the audience during that special occasion."
Peter Esterka was born and grew up in Dolní
Bojanovice near Hodonín. He escaped to Austria
because of Communist prosecution in 1957. He studied
in Rome and was ordained in the Basilica of St.John
Lateran. He came to the United States the same year, in
1963, on his first mission to Texas. However, after
three years he went back to Rome to study for a
doctorate degree.
“When I returned to the US, I started teaching at St.
Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and stayed
there for many years,” Bishop explained again.
Bishop Peter Esterka (left) and Bishop Kevin Vann
Bishop Peter Esterka
News from Oregon
APRIL, 2013 VOL. # 10
The Czech community in Oregon started its preparation
for Easter by decorating colored eggs called kraslice in
classes instructed by Daniela Mahoney. As she
presented several methods of making kraslice, all
attendees also enjoyed traditional Czech Easter pastry
beranek and learned how to braid zila, a whip stick
decorated with ribbons. There were plenty of boys and
girls making the Easter dash for eggs in the emerald
greenery of the great outdoors of Oregon.
The event was filmed by the Czech-American TV and
aired world-wide via the Internet. It can be viewed on
www.catvusa.com. The broadcast was conducted in
several segments that included the greetings from the
Honorary Consulate, the Czech School, and the local
Czech restaurant on Mt. Hood, the Glacier Haus. The
Glacier Haus is owned and operated by Slava and Dasa
Kropacek, whose traditional Czech cooking is sought
by skiers of the Cascade Mountains. The producer of
Czech-American TV, John Honner, visited the Glacier
Haus and filmed the making of Czech sausages called
jitrnice. The segment also shared the jitrnice recipe by
Dasa and Slava.
Preparations are being made for Vaclav Havel’s Place
at Lewis and Clark University in Portland. It will be a
commemorative site of reflection dedicated to the
former President of the Czech Republic. The memorial
will have a bench, plaque, and Czech national linden
tree located near the performing arts of the university.
The Czech Society of Oregon prepared a summary of
the history since its founding in 1916. Vlasta Barber, a
long-time member and officer of the organization,
wrote a resume of club meetings and activities. John
Velehradsky, the current President of the Czech Society
of Oregon, compiled the information into the following
statement:
“Czech Society of Oregon meets four times each year,
enjoys an annual picnic, and holds a Christmas Dinner
with Mikulasska for members and friends at the East
Portland Eagles, 4904 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland,
OR.
Page 5
The Czech Society of Oregon continues that tradition and
provides opportunities for members to socialize and to
share Czech traditions and culture with others including
family members and friends.”
We are very proud of the Czech Society of Oregon and the
help they provide even to today’s newcomers as they settle
in Oregon and continue to foster their Czech heritage.
Marie Amicci, M.Ed.
Honorary Consul
The Czech School continues to grow
The Czech School of Portland (CSP) has successfully
completed two terms of language classes for kids three to
thirteen years old, as well as one term of classes for adults.
The children of the school participated in the Easter
celebration organized by Central European Coalition of
Impact NW in Portland and presented songs and poems
welcoming Spring.
In early April CSP participated in the worldwide event
Night with Andersen (http://www.nocsandersenem.cz/)
organized by schools and libraries in the Czech Republic
and abroad. The goal of the event was to promote reading
and love for books from a young age. Fifteen kids
participated in the evening program focused on Hans
Christian Andersen’s fairytale “The Princess and the Pea”
and stayed at school overnight.
On April 18th CSP celebrated its first birthday! We
celebrated by working to prepare silent auction items for our
first annual fundraising event. The event took place on April
27th at Portland Brewing Company where the Czech
community from Portland metro area meets every first
Tuesday of the month.
Cont´d on page 6
Page 6
We are now well into 2013, and I am excited to report a variety
of upcoming events on the immediate horizon. Most immediately
is the New Century Theatre Company’s staging of Franz Kafka’s
“The Trial” at Inscape Arts. The production is garnering rave
reviews in the local media, including the Seattle Times declaring
“...this production beautifully captures the preposterous, bizarre
human condition as Kafka views it...The acting is precise, finely
honed...exactly right for this spellbinding piece.” The production
is performing so well, in fact, that it has been extended through
May 5th.
Next on the agenda, the Seattle Symphony’s Wyckoff
Masterworks Season presents Jakub Hrůša, conducting the works
of Smetana, Dvořák, and Beethoven on May 30th,
June 1st and
June 2nd
at Benaroya Hall. Jakub Hrůša was named by
Gramophone in 2011 as one of ten conductors “on the verge of
greatness”, and the program features not only a Pre-concert Talk
one hour to each performance but also is part of the Seattle
Symphony’s Family Connections program, which offers free
companion tickets for children.
Looking ahead to June, I am pleased to report that the Seattle
International Film Festival, the largest, most highly-attended film
festival in the United States, will be including “In the Shadow”
in its program on June 7th and 8
th. Director David Ondříček, who
was recently listed by Variety magazine as one of the “Top 10
Directors to Watch”, will be in Seattle for the screenings, as well.
“In the Shadow” is a winner of nine prestigious Czech Lions and
was the Czech entry for Best Foreign Language Oscar in 2013,
and promises to be a popular screening at the Festival.
Later in June, we look forward to welcoming His Excellency
Ambassador Petr Gandalovič and Minister of the Environment
Tomáš Chalupa to Seattle on Friday, June 28, for the official
opening of the Honorary Consulate of the Czech Republic in
Seattle. We are hard at work on the evening’s program, and
expect to see a large turnout from the local Czech community to
meet our special guests.
Finally, in July Seattle will host its screening of “Czech That
Film presented by Staropramen”. Presented in cooperation with
the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles and
SIFF, the Seattle screening will feature seven films over three
days, from July 12-14, at SIFF Cinema Uptown.
The program represents a great opportunity to experience some
of the best new films that Czech cinema has to offer – including
several Czech Lion winners – and kicks off in Seattle with the
screening of “Perfect Days” on Friday, July 12.
I not only look forward to seeing everyone at the many local
events, but also to being able to announce more activities in the
near future!
Wayne Jehlík
Cont´d from page 6
The Czech School
Continues to Grow
Recently we reached out to the Polish and Hungarian
Saturday schools with similar program and goals to form
an alliance called Visegrad Group PDX. We hope to
participate together in the upcoming Junior Parade,
which is a part of the Portland Rose festival, and in the
future organize projects related to the common history of
our nations.
For Mother’s Day CSP will present a special breakfast
theatre show. There will be Czech songs and interactive
theatre for kids, family, and friends presented by
Liedertheater. Please join us!
Read about CSP at www.czechschoolportland.org
Like us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CeskaSkolaPortland
Easter Celebration at Czech School in Portland
Hello from the new office of the Czech Tourist Authority –
CzechTourism in Southern California
I am proud to announce that we have successfully
established the second office of the Czech Tourist Authority
in the United States, our very own Czech Tourism in Los
Angeles. In addition to our New York office on Madison
Avenue, there is now a new, local spot based in Orange
County.
We are here to promote travel to the beautiful Czech
Republic, and show our American hosts all the important
historical Czech landmarks that have been preserved over
the centuries. On Saturday, March 23, 2013 the Czech
Tourism launched opening party at the Aquatic Center in
Newport Beach.
Moreover, we will host the official opening ceremony on
June 18, 2013 in Los Angeles with the General Director of
Czech Tourism, Mr. Rostislav Vondruška, who will come
exceptionally for this special occasion. Please, join us,
everybody is invited.
One of our main goal is to help our Travel Trade partners
create new and exciting products that involve all the
activities, culture, stories, and beauties the Czech Republic
has to offer. This partnership offers exclusive networking
with international businesses.
You can meet with us soon at the upcoming 2013 Czech
Film Festival, “Czech That Film presented by
Staropramen,” organized by the Czech Consulate in Los
Angeles. We are proud to support this program and many
other exciting activities in the US, including the Czech
School in Orange County, educational Cultural Workshops
like The-Newport-Beach-Cross-Cultural-club and others.
And we have only just started! I look forward to meeting
any professionals looking for information and support, as
well as travel enthusiasts who plan to visit our unique
homeland.
Please feel free to contact us at
[email protected] with any comments or
questions.
www.czechtourism.cz
Vojtěch Kačerovský
Franz Kafka
Page 7
Czech Tourism Opens
New Office on West Coast
Vojtěch Kačerovský, Director CzechTourism LA
Franz Kafka’s “The Trial”
Inscape Arts at Cornish College in Seattle presents its
theater performance of Kafka´s “The Trial”, one of his
finest literary works. It tells the story of a man arrested
and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with
the nature of his crime revealed to neither him nor the
reader. The Trial was never completed, although it does
include a chapter which brings the story to an end.
“The Trial” performance is extended through May 5, 2013
and takes place at Inscape Arts Building at Cornish
College in Seattle.
For more information and tickets, please visit:
www.cornish.edu/calendar/event/the_trial
Upcoming Cultural Events
Consulate General of the Czech Republic
10990 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90024
May 2013 June 2013 July, August 2013
Extended through May 5, 2013 (Thurs-Sat
at 8 pm, Sun at 7 pm) - Franz Kafka’s
“The Trial” at Inscape Arts Building, 815
Seattle Boulevard South, Seattle, WA
For more information, please visit:
www.cornish.edu/calendar/event/the_trial/
June 6, 2013 at 7:00p.m. – Opening
Night of the Czech That Film Festival
with the screening of the film “In the
Shadow” followed by reception
Venue: Portland Art Museum, 1219
SW Park Avenue
Tickets: nwfilm.org
July 12, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. – Opening Night of the Czech
That Film Festival with screening of the film “Perfect
Days” followed by reception
Venue: Siff Cinema Uptown,
511 Queen Anne Avenue N, Seattle
Tickets: siff.net or at the Siff Cinema box office
May 12, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. - Mother's Day
with Theatre at Lilikoi Coffee, 2620 SE
Powell Blvd., Portland
For more information, please visit
czechschoolportland.org
June 7, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. – Screening of
the film “Men in Hope”
Venue: Portland Art Museum
July 13, 2013 - Screening of the films
2:00 pm. – “Innocence”
4:30 p.m. “Made in Ash”
6:30 p.m. “Don´t Stop”
Venue: Siff Cinema Uptown, Seattle
May 30 – June 2, 2013 - Beethoven's Violin
Concerto, Jakub Hrůša (Conductor)
Venue: Benaroya Hall, 200 University St,
Seattle
June 8, 2013 - Screening of the films
6:30 p.m. – “Flower Buds”
8:30 p.m. - “The House”
Venue: Portland Art Museum
July 14, 2013 - Screening of the films
2:00 p.m. – “Alois Nebel”
4:00 pm. – “The House”
6:30 p.m. – “Gypsy”
Venue: Siff Cinema Uptown, Seattle
June 9, 2013 - Screening of the films
6:00 pm. - “Alois Nebel”
8:00 p.m. - “Gypsy”
Venue: Portland Art Museum
August 29 - 31, 2013 - SVU Conference, to be held on the
campus of the University of Washington in Seattle
For more details visit www.svu2000.org