German engineer Schmitke’s life is turned upside down when he has to leave his comfortable research position to go back on site and repair ancient wind turbines he designed in the 1990s. The particular turbine he’s sent to, along with his idiotic assistant Thomas, is in the deep woods of the Ore Mountains, a natural…
| November 13, 2016
In 1985 Nicolae Ceaușescu, the Romanian dictator, was in his twentieth year of Communist rule. The country was culturally isolated, all forms of external media choked off, and in a cost and energy-saving exercise Ceaușescu cut state TV from two channels to one, limiting broadcasting to two or three hours a day. As in other Eastern Bloc…
| November 3, 2016
Sixty years have passed in the blink of an eye. Yet for many who are still alive, Distorting Mirrors (written by Péter Lajos and directed by Dave Spencer) brought back memories of 1956 so vividly it was as if it were yesterday when a peaceful student-spurred demonstration turned into one of the bloodiest uprisings against…
| November 2, 2016
20th Made in Prague Festival 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the Made in Prague Festival. To celebrate this special jubilee we have decided to put together an eclectic mix of films, theatre, art and music that we feel passionate about and want to share with our London audience. The varied programme also gives us…
| October 31, 2016
The play Poker Face by acclaimed Czech playwright Petr Kolečko – in Eva Daníčková’s translation and under Becka McFadde’s direction – feels like it’s happening right here right now. A great achievement, given that the action takes place in a flat in Prague and the play is both about the 1980s and the 2010s. Its…
| October 20, 2016
The theatre company Gods and Monsters and directors Nastazja Domaradzka and Phil Willmott have adapted the Polish story The Wawel Dragon: the story of a people fighting the legendary monster by the Wawel Castle – one of Poland’s foremost tourist attractions. The story goes thus: Princess Wanda inherits the throne over the Wawel kingdom from her…
| September 20, 2016
Incinerating the line between performance and real life, Belarus Free Theatre’s Burning Doors drives home that the right to express yourself, through art or even plain thought, is still behind an iron curtain in some – even European – countries. Within Soho Theatre’s flashing neon exterior, BFT shows – through the stories of Russian political…
| September 8, 2016
‘What happens when you are declared an enemy of the state simply for making art? Where do you belong when your government suppresses your basic right to expression? And how do you survive in one of the most brutal prison systems in the world? Our brand new production, Burning Doors, blends sensuous theatricality and vigorous…
| August 28, 2016
“Laaaadies and gentlemen”, a TV host’s animated voice says out of speakers in the semi-dark, “it’s time for migrants to show that theeeeey’ve got talent!”. In an instant, the host – a middle aged man with white beard and a tuxedo in the blue and yellow stripes of the Ukrainian flag – makes his way…
| August 20, 2016
Self Portrait of a Dutiful Daughter, Ana Lungu’s 2015 debut-feature, follows – or rather studies – Cristiana, its title character, in her daily environment. Long, pensive sequences give the viewer a voyeuristic impression of a young woman’s life as she pursues her PhD, her amorous and familial relationships, and the acquisition of a dog. As…
| June 25, 2016