- Mezipatra
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Mezipatra 2007 at the Prague cinema Svetozor
Mezipatra is a Czech specialized film festival screening films with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender theme.
The name Mezipatra in Czech means "mezzanine", i.e. the space between individual floors: a symbolic space for meeting of all kinds of people, regardless of their particularities. Main organizer of the festival is STUD Brno, civic association of gays, lesbians and friends.
Contents
History
The Czech GLBT Film Festival was founded in 2000. The first edition of the festival, then named ‘Duha nad Brnem’ (Rainbow over Brno), introduced 8 feature and documentary films, 3 theatre performances and 3 fine art exhibitions to an audience of 800. The third edition, under its new title Mezipatra, expanded from Brno to Prague.
The fifth edition stressed the international ambitions of the festival by growing attendance of international artist. 8,000 viewers attended 67 film screenings and other 20 events – theatre performances, stage readings, exhibitions and music performances. The festival experienced a further expansion – the first Echoes took place in Hradec Králové.
The sixth edition took place in Brno, Prague and for the first time in Český Těšín. 90% of films were introduced as Czech premieres. The film program was broadened by four photograph exhibitions, two of which were created exclusively for the festival as reflections of the main topic, two panel discussions, and a stage reading night, literary night, two concerts and record-breaking fifteen theatre performances. The festival attracted 8,500 viewers.
The seventh edition took place in Brno, Prague and Český Těšín. In the two main cities, 85 films were screened and there were 30 events in off-program. Festival prizes were created by Zdenek Vacek, a reputable designer and winner of the prestigious competition Designblok. The festival closing was moderated by actress Ivana Uhlirova, holder of Alfred Radok Prize for Talent of the Year. The patronage was accepted by Vaclav Havel and Pavel Bém, Mayor of the City of Prague. The interest of wide range of viewers was projected in the attendance of 10,500 viewers.
Vaclav Havel and Pavel Bém accepted the patronage of the following year’s eighth edition too. In 2007, the main topic was rebellion, and 95 screenings in 9 cinemas were shown. Festival Echoes took place in Český Těšín, Olomouc and also in Bratislava, the capital of Slovak Republic. In 2007 the festival spot was created by Michal Pechoucek, one of the most outstanding figures of the young generation of artists and a laureate of the Jindrich Chaloupecky Prize. During the Prague section, the second channel of the Public Czech Television broadcast the festival daily Mezipatra Minutes.
Winners
At of the 4th edition, Mezipatra introduced jury awards. The winners have been:
Main Jury Award for Best Feature Film
- 2010: 80 Egunean, Jon Garaño & José Mari Goenaga, Spain
- 2009: Morrer como um homem, João Pedro Rodrigues, France/Portugal
- 2008: Mein Freund aus Faro, Nana Neul, Germany
- 2007: Les témoins, André Téchiné, France
- 2006: Whole New Thing, Amnon Buchbinder, Canada
- 2005: Cachorro, Miguel Albaladejo, Spain
- 2004: Do I Love You?, Lisa Gornick, UK
- 2003: Oi! Warning, Benjamin & Dominik Reding, Germany
Student Jury Award for Best Short Film
- 2010: Tom, Nimrod Shapira, Israel
- 2009: Haboged, Tomer Velkoff, Israel
- 2008: Bræðrabylta (Wrestling), Grímur Hákonarson, Iceland
- 2007: Who's the Top?, Jennie Livingston, USA
- 2006: Offerte speciali, Gianni Gatti, Italy
- 2005: Nights in Love (Kär i natten), Håkon Liu, Sweden
- 2004: Thick Lips Thin Lips, Paul Lee, Canada
References
- Vera Sokolova: Representation of Gays and Lesbians in the Mainstream Visual Media (PDF)
- Cerise Howard: Turning X in an XXY World: The 10th Mezipatra Queer Film Festival. Senses of Cinema, December 2009.
- Jan Richter: One on One: Ales Rumpel, head of the Mezipatra Queer Film Festival. Radio Praha, October 2009.
- Mezipatra- Czech GLBT Film Festival. filmfestivalworld.com
External links
Coordinates: 50°04′55″N 14°25′31″E / 50.08194°N 14.42528°E
Categories:- LGBT culture in the Czech Republic
- LGBT film festivals
- Film festivals in the Czech Republic
- Recurring events established in 2000
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