The Made in Prague Festival delivers the best of contemporary Czech culture to London audiences

31 October – 30 November 2024

Venues: The Barbican Hall, Crazy Coqs, The Coronet Theatre, ICA, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Pizza Express Live at the Pheasantry, Regent Street Cinema, The Garden Cinema, The Gate, the Czech Embassy cinema at the Czech Centre, and Czech Centre’s Vitrínka and Bouda galleries

„Do not miss the vibrant, multifaceted celebration of Czech culture and creativity in London. This year’s 28th edition of the festival centres around three key themes: Czechia’s extraordinary musical heritage, the legacy of one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, Franz Kafka, and the marking of 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the peaceful Velvet Revolution that swept across Central Europe, delivering freedom and democracy."  Přemysl Pela, Director of the Czech Centre

Music

Keeping in line with the Year of Czech Music, the festival launches on Thursday 31 October at a concert by the LSO featuring Follow Me, a Concerto for Violin and Orchestra by award-winning Czech composer Ondřej Adámek, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No 1 and Symphony No 4. Early Beethoven’s wit and jokes pair beautifully with a cat-and-mouse chase around the orchestra from Adámek whose concerto invites listeners into a playful and increasingly wild imitation game between soloist and orchestra, resulting in a dynamic dialogue of sounds and rhythms. Composer and conductor Thomas Adès and the brilliant violinist Isabelle Faust join the Orchestra on stage for this compelling programme at the Barbican Hall.

Czech music will continue to intertwine with UK elements at the Pheasantry on 4 November, as top Czech pianist and composer Emil Viklický and UK vocalist Imogen Ryall launch their new album Songs. Known for his collaborations with Bill Frisell and Wynton Marsalis, Viklický's music suits Ryall‘s captivating vocals and exceptional lyrics, resulting in an intimate collection of original compositions blending Moravian folk songs and jazz.

Czech jazz will also make a mark at this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival with a fresh performance by award-winning Czech pianist and composer Nikol Bóková who brings her quartet to The Crazy Coqs on 18 November. Following her London debut two years ago, Bóková returns to the capital to perform compositions from her latest album Expedition, a testament to her masterful technique and compositional genius.

The festival will return to classical music for its Closing Gala at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in Southbank on 30 November, presenting the exceptional Czech violinist Pavel Šporcl performing alongside the English Chamber Orchestra. Featuring Dvořák’s Violin Concerto and Symphony No 8, the English Chamber Orchestra will be conducted by their Principal Guest Conductor, Roberto Fores Veses in this unmissable concert, which also includes works by Faure and Saint-Saens, and explores the close connection between the Prague and Paris Conservatories.

Apart from the live concerts, music also plays a strong part in this year‘s festival film programme, featuring, among others, the very first Czechoslovak film musical The Hop-Pickers, and Otakar Vávra’s acclaimed film Witchhammer with a highly atmospheric score of Jiří Srnka performed by the Czech Philharmonic.

Visual art

For admirers of visual art, the festival showcases A Shocking Experience Behind the Curtain, a solo exhibition by Jakub Matuška aka Masker, an award-winning representative of new figurative painting in Central and Eastern Europe.

Renowned for detailed combinations of digital manipulations, airbrushes and masterly use of traditional drawing and painting techniques, Matuška is the artist to watch on the Czech art scene. On show at Czech Centre’s Vitrínka and Bouda galleries until 24 January 2025.

To celebrate a centenary of the legacy of Czech-born writer Franz Kafka, the festival further features an open-air exhibition Jaromír 99: The Castle, allowing visitors (and passers-by) to immerse themselves in the fascinating world of Kafka’s novel The Castle through expressive, black and white prints by renowned Czech illustrator Jaromír 99. Capturing the essence of Kafka's surreal universe from the solitary figure ‚K.‘to the ethereal presence of the chateau looming in the clouds, this is a must-see for all fans of Kafka’s work.

Literature

In continuation with the celebrations of Franz Kafka, the Made in Prague festival hosts a UK launch of Life After Kafka, a compelling novel about Kafka’s first fiancée, Felice Bauer, and the untold story behind Letters to Felice. Author of the novel, the acclaimed Czech novelist Magdaléna Platzová, will discuss this captivating blend of fact and fiction with literary critic and Kafka enthusiast Nicholas Lezard, providing fresh insights into Kafka’s world. The launch takes place at the Czech Embassy cinema on 21 November.

Dance

Rounding up the programme honouring Kafka’s legacy will be Inspired by Kafka: Insectum K. & Joseph Kilian, an evening featuring three ‚Kafkaesque‘ films (Double Trial, Joseph Kilian, Flat), followed by a one-man dance performance in which performer Honza Malík evokes the surreal and unsettling world of Franz Kafka with exceptional fragility, transience and unpredictability, echoing the essence of Kafka’s work and one‘s fundamental position in the world.  

Film (highlights)

It’s become a tradition of the Made in Prague Festival to introduce the best of contemporary Czech cinema to London audiences. This year, film enthusiasts can look forward to true story dramas, sharp comedies, exciting family films and an exclusive new documentary about the last few years of the life of the playwright, dissident and later President Václav Havel. TOP PICKS include:

UK premiere of Waltzing Matilda, a tragicomic story about a successful debt collector whose orderly world is upended when his ageing, free spirited mother moves in. Named after Tom Wait’s song celebrating resilience in the face of life’s obstacles, this is a highly relatable story about family wounds and kindness, complemented with sharp humour and outstanding performances. Screens on Tuesday 12 November at Regent Street Cinema, followed by Q&A with lead actor Karel Roden and film director Petr Slavík.

Thursday 14 November will see the UK premiere of Petr Jančárek’s Havel Speaking, Can you Hear Me? at the ICA. On Havel’s invitation, the filmmaker was granted unlimited access and creative freedom to capture the last few years Havel’s life, resulting in an extraordinary time-lapse documentary reflecting on Havel’s political legacy and universal human issues with absolute openness through previously unseen footage. Followed by Q&A with director Petr Jančárek.
Programmed to mark the 35^th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.

On Saturday 23 November, the festival returns to its usual hub at The Gate cinema in Notting Hill with Matěj Chlupáček’s sensitive period drama We Have Never Been Modern. Set on the brink of WWII and dealing with a once-taboo subject of intersex biology, the film explores topical themes of privilege, prejudice, women’s liberation and gender identity. Followed by Q&A with director Matěj Chlupáček, lead actress Eliška Křenková, and producer Maja Hamplová.

For those unable to attend live screenings and debates at the cinema, the festival has teamed up with BFI Player to offer three Czech classics for free as part of the 3 You Must See programme. These films include Otakar Vávra’s iconic Witchhammer, Miloš Forman’s 1963 debut Audition, and Oldřich Lipský’s musical parody Lemonade Joe (akaHorse Opera), all contributing to the "Year of Czech Music" theme.

Full festival programme