Screened as part of NZIFF 2005

Czech Dream 2004

Cesky sen

Directed by Vít Klusák, Filip Remunda

In 2003 two Czech film students made international news when they used an arts council grant to create a huge marketing campaign for a non-existent hypermarket – and to make a film about the whole scam. This is the film!

Czech Republic In Czech with English subtitles
87 minutes 35mm

Directors, Screenplay

Photography

Vít Klusák

Editor

Zdenek Marek

Music

Hynek Schneider

Festivals

Locarno, Vancouver, London 2004; Rotterdam, San Francisco 2005

Elsewhere

In 2003 two Czech film students made international news when they used an arts council grant to create a huge marketing campaign for a non-existent hypermarket – and to make a film about the whole scam. This is the film, a mischievous exploration of the levels of delusion fuelling consumerism in an economy still finding its place in the capitalist world. With pro bono assistance from young ad agency geniuses who are happy to mislead the public, but draw the line at outright lies, they bombard the citizens of Prague with billboards, leaflet drops, and a lavish TV campaign featuring a fulsome choral score appealing to Czech patriotism. The ‘Czech’ dream of plentiful cheap goods is of course a global one – and the appeal to nationalism in this campaign is as cynical as the appeal to ‘Kiwis’ in advertising here for countless imported commodities. As we see the ease with which the two hoax artists enlist marketing industry support, the scenario becomes increasingly intriguing: how many people will be suckered – and how will the perpetrators deal with the fallout? — BG