Supporting others

THE 2005 BIENNALE

The 2005 International Biennale of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery in Prague has arranged a new art exhibition – Second Sight.

The Prague Biennale focuses on the transitional phenomena of post-modern culture and is a response to new creative ideas resulting from the profound changes taking place in contemporary civilisation.

The Biennale focuses on new trends in contemporary art and photography.  It illustrates a revival of the painting genre and provides opportunities to view and evaluate new genres such as video, theatrical, and musical performances.

Visitors can view almost 800 works of art by more than 400 artists from 20 countries around the world.  This wide-ranging exhibition of the current trends in the artistic environment brings with it a completely new way of looking at contemporary art.

Czech Airlines is pleased to participate in this significant exhibition, as the Official Carrier of the Biennale.

Czech Airlines and Prague Spring

As in previous years, Czech Airlines played the role as Official Carrier of the Prague Spring music festival.  In supporting this unique musical, event Czech Airlines wishes to help promote cultural activities, and bring people together in our often complicated world.

It is quite symbolic that the Official Carrier of this very important music festival is Czech Airlines, a company which has always aimed at shortening great distances and bringing people together.  The Prague Spring Festival and Czech Airlines have even more in common than this – they both also symbolise long, grand traditions closely attached to the Czech Republic and its beautiful capital city, Prague.  Both guarantee credibility, professionalism, and quality that people can rely on.  Both names conjure up ideas of respect and pride – be it accompanied by the tones of masterful music or the boundless blue skies.

Febiofest

Over its 11-year run, the Febiofest international film, television, and video festival has won a position as an important public event.  For this reason its many fans expected it to take place once again in January, as usual.  But this year there was a little surprise.  The organisers of the 2005 edition of FEBIOFEST took the decision not to trouble its fans by making them brave the winter cold, and it will thus instead open its doors in March.  And this is not the only innovation that the organisers have in store for us.  Prague screenings of the festival will move to the VILLAGE CINEMAS ANDĚL located in Smíchov, where the more spacious premises there can better accommodate the ever-growing programme.

In addition to all this, Febiofest has planned the Febiofest Music Festival and is introducing “Febiofest JUNIOR”, a kind of "teenfest".  Every day, in the mornings, there will be two screenings for up to 4,000 young people.

Czech Airlines is very pleased to participate in the cultural life of the Czech and Slovak Republics and will be carrying many interesting personalities and films to both countries, as Czech Airlines is the official Febiofest 2005 carrier.

More information at www.febiofest.cz.

The Film World Comes to Karlovy Vary

The beginning of the summer holiday season is that time of year when thousands of young people from the Czech Republic and abroad change the otherwise quiet spa town of Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) into a true gathering of film lovers.  Karlovy Vary will once again host its International Film Festival, one of the biggest in Central and Eastern Europe.

The 40th annual festival will bring us films from around the globe, 200 of them made only in the last year, and most of them being shown in the Czech Republic for the very first time.

Czech Airlines is traditionally the Official Carrier of the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary and this year, as in the past, Czech Airlines will bring many film celebrities to the Czech Republic.  This year, we can look forward to seeing stars such as Robert Redford and Liv Ullmann, among others.

More information on the 40th International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary to be held on 1-9 July 2005, may be found at www.mffkv.cz.

One Big World

We really are just “one” world.  One blue planet with many different countries and nationalities.  Czech Airlines connects the Czech Republic with more than 120 destinations worldwide.  Thanks to the phenomenon of air transport, distances are constantly growing shorter and thus the role of the Czech Republic and of individual Czechs in the world is changing.  All of us can now see for ourselves the vital changes taking places in today’s world.  Yet a great many problems still remain hidden from sight.

One World – an international documentary film festival focusing on human rights – travels too, to 14 different cities all over the Czech Republic.  The festival is celebrating its seventh anniversary this year: about 130 documentaries will be shown, and discussions, seminars, and concerts will also be a part of the festival.  And what do Czech Airlines and the One World festival have in common?

České aerolinie jsou společností, které záleží na hodnotách  jako je zodpovědnost, vzájemné porozumění a svoboda. A právě dokumentární film umožňuje vidět realitu bez příkras, odbourává předsudky a podněcuje k přemýšlení. A to je první krok k tomu, aby došlo ke změnám, aby lidé změnili své postoje, vzepřeli se násilí a bezpráví.

Czech Airlines cares about values such as responsibility, mutual understanding, and freedom, and documentaries about such topics are shown at One World.  They allow us to see reality without any adornment, and they help to remove prejudice and stimulate reflection.  And reflection is the first step in initiating change – to make people change their attitudes, so that they will stand up against violence and injustice.Another reason why Czech Airlines became a partner of the One World festival is because of its association with the year-round projection of documentaries at more than three hundred primary and secondary schools, which allows young people to expand their vision, and which presents to them the values of freedom and a democratic society.

For more information about the festival visit www.jedensvet.cz.

The 2005 Strings of Autumn

The 10th anniversary of the Strings of Autumn Festival will be held from 25 September to 5 December in Prague.  The festival will live up to its traditions and will present premiere performances by international performers, as well as projects initiated by the festival in its characteristic INSPIRATION – CROSSOVER – LUMINARIES programmes.  This year's festival will witness the Czech debut of the coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay, and the post-modern accordionist Teodoro Anzellotti.

INSPIRATION

The INSPIRATION Series is a venue for the debuts of significant international performers and the premieres of new projects initiated by the festival.  This year, the festival, in cooperation with the National Theatre, will present opera and theatre as the new inspirational elements.

CROSSOVER

The term "crossover" can be perceived as a synonym for the whole of the Strings of Autumn Festival's programme.  The CROSSOVER series of concerts is characterised by an understanding of music which transcends styles.  The CROSSOVER concert series is a platform for creative interpretations of genres, the linking of distant musical worlds, and the presentation of well-established works in unexpected contexts or interpretations.

LUMINARIES

In this special anniversary year, the festival's LUMINARIES Series is built around the names of significant national and selected international personalities, such as Dagmar Pecková, Gary Burton, and Makoto Ozone.  As well as top performers of classical music, the LUMINARIES Series also presents some of the most significant performers from the international jazz scene.

We are pleased that Czech Airlines will be accompanying the Strings of Autumn in its thrilling flights through the lands of music in this special year. www.strunypodzimu.cz