Petr Zelenka
Encyclopedia
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
playwright and director of theatre and film. His films have been recognized at international festivals in Moscow and Rotterdam. In 2008, his film Karamazovi
Karamazovi
The Karamazovs is a 2008 Czech film directed by Petr Zelenka with a soundtrack by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek. It tells the story of a group of Czech actors who come to Polish steelworks to perform a stage adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov at an alternative drama festival...
was the Czech Republic's official Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film.
Career
An early notable work is a black comedy, Tales of Common InsanityTales of Common Insanity
Tales of Common Insanity is a play by Petr Zelenka which won the Alfréd Radok Award for Best Play. After its opening in Prague, the play received productions in other Czech cities, as well as translations and productions in Slovakia, Kraków, Poland, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Germany,...
(2004) , which he directed at Dejvické divadlo. He received the Alfréd Radok Award
Alfréd Radok Awards
The Alfréd Radok Awards are presented annually by the Endowment for the Alfréd Radok Awards in collaboration with the Aura–Pont agency and the magazine Svět a Divadlo for achievements in Czech theatre. The prize for Best Performance was first awarded in 1992...
for Best Play. The play was later staged in other Czech theatres as well as in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was also published in English and translated to Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
.
In 2005 Zelenka adapted the comedy as a film, released as Wrong Side Up
Wrong Side Up
Wrong Side Up is a 2005 Czech comedy-drama film written and directed by Petr Zelenka. It is an adaptation of Zelenka's play Tales of Common Insanity. It is a tale of people showing their internal loneliness by their choices in life.-Plot:...
, which won two movie festival awards in 2006 and was nominated for six other awards. His second most notable play is Teremin, inspired by the life of Russian inventor Léon Theremin
Léon Theremin
Léon Theremin was a Russian and Soviet inventor. He is most famous for his invention of the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments. He is also the inventor of interlace, a technique of improving the picture quality of a video signal, widely used in video and television technology...
.
His 2008 film, Karamazovi
Karamazovi
The Karamazovs is a 2008 Czech film directed by Petr Zelenka with a soundtrack by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek. It tells the story of a group of Czech actors who come to Polish steelworks to perform a stage adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov at an alternative drama festival...
, was the Czech Republic's official Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film.
His 2010 election advertisement "Přemluv bábu a dědu" caused controversy as critics believed it was offensive against elder people and "an imperfect copy of Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Kate Silverman is a Jewish American comedian, writer, actress, singer and musician. Her satirical comedy addresses social taboos and controversial topics such as racism, sexism, and religion....
's stand-up video."
Selected films
- 2008 - KaramazoviKaramazoviThe Karamazovs is a 2008 Czech film directed by Petr Zelenka with a soundtrack by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek. It tells the story of a group of Czech actors who come to Polish steelworks to perform a stage adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov at an alternative drama festival...
(screenplay and direction) - 2005 - Wrong Side UpWrong Side UpWrong Side Up is a 2005 Czech comedy-drama film written and directed by Petr Zelenka. It is an adaptation of Zelenka's play Tales of Common Insanity. It is a tale of people showing their internal loneliness by their choices in life.-Plot:...
(Příběhy obyčejného šílenství, screenplay and direction), received the Critics Award at the MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
IFF and the Don Quixote Award at CottbusCottbusCottbus is a city in Brandenburg, Germany, situated around southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree. As of , its population was .- History :... - 2002 – Year of The DevilYear of The DevilYear of the Devil is a 2002 Czech film directed by Petr Zelenka. It stars musicians who act as themselves: Czech folk music band Čechomor, musicians and poets Jaromír Nohavica, Karel Plihal and British musician and composer Jaz Coleman...
(Rok ďábla, screenplay and direction), FIPRESCI Prize at the Cottbus IFF, six Czech Lion Awards including Best film and Best director, Prize Trieste at TriesteTriesteTrieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
film festival - 2000 – Loners (Samotáři, co-author of screenplay)
- 1997 – Buttoners (Knoflíkáři, screenplay and direction), winner of a Tiger award at the RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
IFF - 1996 – Mňága – Happy End (screenplay and direction), won several awards at the film festivals in Cottbus, Plzeň and České BudějoviceCeské BudejoviceČeské Budějovice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia and the Academy of Sciences...
External links
- Short bio plus info about Tales of Common Insanity at divadlo.cz (in English)