- Czech Dream
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Czech Dream 
People moving towards a fake hypermarketDirected by Vít Klusák
Filip RemundaProduced by Česká televize
FAMU
Hypermarket Film
Studio MirageWritten by Vít Klusák
Filip RemundaMusic by Varhan Orchestrovich Bauer Cinematography Vít Klusák
Filip RemundaEditing by Zdeněk Marek Release date(s) June 3, 2004 Running time 90 minutes Country Czech Republic Language Czech Budget 19 million CZK [1] Czech Dream (Czech: Český sen) is a documentary film directed by two young Czech directors: Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda. The film was released in February 2004. It recorded a large-scale hoax perpetuated by Klusák and Remunda on the Czech public, culminating in the "opening event" of a fake hypermarket. The film was their final project for film school.
Contents
Advertising
Remunda and Klusák invented the "Český sen" hypermarket and created a massive advertising campaign around it. Posing as businessmen, the two film students managed to persuade an ad agency and a public relations agency to create a campaign for them. Billboards appeared on Czech highways, and 200,000 pamphlets were distributed in Prague. A jingle was recorded, and there was a series of television commercials. The advertising campaign slogans were "don't come" and "don't spend", etc.
Still, the filmmakers succeeded in attracting more than 3000[1] shoppers to an empty plain for their "grand opening" on May 31, 2003. What looked like a huge building from a distance was actually only a canvas facade backed by scaffolding.
The first customer arrived at about 7 a.m. for the 10 a.m. opening; she had risen to see the early-morning partial solar eclipse, which the film shows being observed by Klusák and Remunda while they set up for the opening.[2].
Hoax revealed
As customers gathered, trinkets and small gifts were available—key chains and flags—so that everyone would leave with something. A master of ceremonies kept up a commentary as people gathered and finally asked Klusák and Remunda, the "managers", to cut a ribbon. After this, the barricades were removed, and people could walk or run towards the facade.
When the "customers" finally realised that they had been deceived, they reacted in different ways. Some understood the filmmakers' message, some tried to take it optimistically ("At least we had some fresh air"), but most were angry, and many decided to blame the government.
The idea for the hoax came from a 2002 study by Incoma Research reporting that 30% of Czechs shop mainly at hypermarkets. There has been growing concern in the country about the growth of advertising and consumerism.
Other than holding a sort of a mirror up to consumer society, the film also shows how advertising companies work and what methods and tricks they use.
Prizes
The film won prizes at festivals in Kraków, Jihlava, Ljubljana and Århus.
On September 8, 2006, it was broadcast by ARTE and on September 26, 2006, by Australia's Special Broadcasting Service TV. On January 30, 2007, it was broadcast by the VPRO and on October 9, 2007, by More 4. It was also broadcast by TVR Cultural on January 20, 2009. Broadcasted on Link TV in the USA on June 2 2011.
See also
- Entropa: another Czech political, artsy hoax
Broadcasted on Link TV in the USA on June 2 2011
References
- ^ Czech Television. May 14, 2007.
- ^ Solar eclipse of May 31, 2003
External links
Categories:- 2004 films
- Czech films
- Czech-language films
- Culture jamming techniques
- Czech documentary films
- Documentary films about business
- Documentary films about consumerism
- Hoaxes in the Czech Republic
- Performance hoaxes
- 2000s documentary films
- 2004 hoaxes
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