Ms. Třeštíková goes to Washington

For over 35 years, Třeštíková has been at the forefront of what have come to be known as “long-term observational documentaries,” films in which she condenses years of her relationships and interactions with her subjects into conventional feature-length packages (Briton Michael Apted’s ongoing Up series is probably the most prominent example of this methodology).

Třeštíková began filming René in 1989, just as the Velvet Revolution was changing the way a generation of Czechs lived their lives. In the subsequent years René (the subject of the film) became a career recidivist, even burgling the director’s flat at one point. Nevertheless, they remained close and his eloquent letters to her display an intelligence and curiosity far removed from his criminal ways.

The event is presented under the umbrella of the Mutual Inspirations Festival 2012, an ongoing tribute to the great Czech auteur Miloš Forman spearheaded by the Czech Embassy and presented at venues around the United States.

Tickets for the evening with Helena Třeštíková may be secured by emailing reservations@mutualinspirations.org. The beautiful and bucolic Czech Embassy is located at 3900 Spring of Freedom Street, just off the main artery Connecticut Avenue in the northwest quadrant of Washington DC.