The Staropramen Prague on Film Festival celebrates the richness and the diversity of Prague past and present. Prague is one of he most beautiful European cities with a unique atmosphere. It is the heart of Czech culture and particularly film industry which takes advantage of its exciting locations. The season uses the spirit of an exciting city and presents those films which managed to capture it successfully.

The Festival is composed of a several strands. Historical Prague is an historical retrospective exploring images of the city as revealed in feature films and documentaries from silent days to the 1980s. Contemporary Prague will feature recent films exploring the diverse, radical, multi-cultural side of the city. Prague Architecture complements the season by focusing on Prague as a unique phenomenon representing within the city almost all architectural styles.

In this unique festival, 24 films by both documentary and feature directors reflect the life of the city in different decades from the 30s to the present. The locations extend from Prague Castle to areas less explored by foreign visitors, with a range of approaches that embrace the absurd, the comic, the surreal, and the realist. From the slapstick comedy of Voskovec and Werich in the 30s to the classic 'New Wave' films of the 60s, and recent successes such as Kolya, Buttoners, and Loners, filmmakers have sought their inspiration in its life and atmosphere. A remarkable range of documentaries examines the city and its architecture, including the Baroque and Art Nouveau, with no less than three films on Prague Castle itself.

A number of features will be screened in London for the first time. Prague Stories is a multi-director approach to life in the city inspired by the French Paris vu par while the controversial and experimental Angel Exit, based on Jachym Topol's much acclaimed novel, presents a decidedly unfashionable view of life in the city.

The festival also presents the first British retrospective of Vera Chytilova, one of the Czech Republic's leading filmmakers. It features Chytilova's visually stunning Prague-Restless Heart of Europe as well as Prefab Story, one of the most controversial works made in the years after the Soviet suppression of the Prague Spring.

Dubbed as Hollywood on Vltava, Prague has become a Euro-capital of foreign film productions. A panel discussion, Prague-matic; Is the future of Brit filmmaking in the Czech Republic, moderated by by Steven Gaydos, Executive Editor of Variety, will discuss the latest trends in partnerships, coproductions, cofinancing, alliances and creative collaborations that might provide opportunities for both countries to benefit from American films shooting outside the United States.

Staropramen premium Czech lager is proud to sponsor a season of films celebrating Prague, Staropramen's native city.