Aerokraťas 2009

Throughout the year, we speak to you innumerable times as an audience. But, only once a year, we address you as a potential filmmaker and creator. It's the day when our friends in Cinema Aero announce the new annual competition of short films Aerokraťas. This year marks the sixth competition, and no reasonable viewer would miss it!


Competition with new categories
This year we have some news about a major new category, Aerominutky, which gives space to those who like to reflect briefly. Entries in this category can have a maximum of 60 seconds running time. We would like to acknowledge the phenomenon of the “minute film”, whose popularity in the world, in recent years, continues to grow.
Other competition categories are the same as in past years, divided into two sections, Amateur (no film education), and Professional Filmmakers.
"There is no restriction of content or subject matter. Film can be feature films, documentaries, animation, video, film poems, flash animations or any other kind of audio-visual arts.” - Zuzana Kameníková, competition coordinator Aerokraťas.

Category Aerokraťas 2009
1. The best amateur film with a running time under 10 minutes (First Prize - a professional 3-chip SONY digital camera)
2. Best film authors to film education under 10 minutes
(VEGAS editing software with DVD authoring)
3. Aerominutky - common categories for amateurs and professionals
( Prize – vouchers from Student Agency)
4. Audience Award for the favorite film under 10 minutes ( Prize – vouchers from Student Agency)
5. Audience Award for the favorite Aerominutky (Prize – vouchers from Student Agency)

Selection of the winning films
Every year, about a hundred films are entered in the AEROKRAŤAS competition. Aero pilots will narrow the field to the best 20 films which then compete in the Finals. Then a Professional jury composed of Robert Sedlacek, Miloš Urban and Vojtěch Rynda decides on the nine winners while also selecting the best 3 films in each category.
Voting will take place on the web at www.aerokratas.cz for the Audience Awards in the categories of Films Under 10 Minutes and Aerominutky!
"Voters will have the chance to win 3 pairs of vouchers for free tickets to Aero and Svetozor!", according to Zuzana Kameníková.

What’s the incentive? How about the opportunity to participate in a shooting?
The best amateur film under 10 minutes will be awarded a SONY professional camera. All films will be shown as official projections before the feature films in Aero and Svetozor. Their authors will receive an honorarium.
As an added bonus, the winners of the first three categories will have the opportunity to experience professional filmmaking by observing an actual shoot with one of the judges!

Jury motivates creator
"Do not waste your time and enthusiasm on the parody of any genre or style. The life itself, its language and genres, already contains a parody of itself, in its authenticity and in its seriousness. Bring yourself, your style ... Only this makes it worth it to smash yourself in the face. And another thing: I am tired of being entertained. I enjoy thinking. And I only smile if someone makes me think really hard or if someone succeeds in making a big mess in my head. Good luck,“ says Robert Sedlacek.

Robert Sedlacek is a film and television director, author of a number of documents, e.g. on Miloš Zeman, František Čuba or Gustáv Husák. For his first feature film, Rules of Lie, won the 2006 Czech Lion for the screenplay. He is currently finalizing a film, Men Rutting, and preparing a new feature film about Jiří Čunek.

"What do I expect from them? Mainly a visual show, because whatever people say, the visual show is the essence of the film,“ said Miloš Urban.
Writer Miloš Urban published seven novels, his books have been translated into German, Spanish, Dutch, Hungarian, Russian. In 2001 his novel „Hastrman“ received The Litera prize and his book, Sedmikostelí, is now in production as a feature-length film. He also wrote a play „A Little Love“ as well as a play written for the Divadlo Na zábradlí, “Knives and Roses”.

A critical look at the amateur films will be provided by a film critic and columnist Vojtěch Rynda, who says: "Dear amateur filmmakers, the word " amateur" in Czech often means “dilettantish”. It's injustice. Amateur, at least according to the original meaning of the word, means a lover: a man who is doing his favorite activity with passion, love and devotion, which no money can provoke. Every professional filmmaker was an amateur filmmaker first. Many of them miss those days. Amateurs may not make the most professional looking or technically perfect films, but they still put something that’s missing more and more from professional films: their soul. I look forward to see films that might have been done by the people only in the credits - and not by an ordinary professional who makes formulaic routine films."
Vojtěch Rynda studied film studies at Charles University, and after ten years writing about films in various media he ended up in Lidové Noviny. Although he participated in shooting a wide range of student films and commercials, he never made a film in his life - and still admires anyone who did.

Deadline for registration is September 30, 2009
Films must be delivered either in person to Kino Aero by September 30, 2009; or by mail and postmarked by September 30, 2009.

Ceremonial announcement
Announcement of winners and screenings of winning films will take place in November 2009 at a special evening.

The Online Application Form can be found here.

More information can be found at www.aerokratas.cz