Future Gate Sci-fi Film Festival 2021
Postapocalyptic Edition
Dear viewers, welcome to the eighth year of the Future Gate Sci-fi Film Festival!
This year’s theme is postapocalypse. The idea of the end of civilization has haunted humanity since the beginning of written history. It appears already in religious eschatology – the word Apocalypse comes from the Revelation of St. John – but it can be found in all mythologies. After all, the certainty of finality applies to everything, including human civilization.
But we are concentrating on the cinematic apocalypse: the dark, dystopian visions of the destruction of the modern world. During the Cold War and the acute threat of nuclear holocaust, these became definitively established in modern fiction.
Over the past few years, it seems as if postdisaster films have been stepping off the silver screen and into reality. The rise of authoritarian regimes, the collapse of ecosystems, the depletion of resources, states descending into anarchy, and a society striving to think about pretty much anything else than the obvious global threats iit’s facing. All this isn’t doing much to encourage optimism, and preparing for the worst is no longer the preserve of the unhinged and paranoid.
At the same time, however, there are forces at work aiming to prevent the worst – modern technology and science can connect people seeking effective solutions, especially to environmental problems. With this year’s theme, we are also trying to make a contribution.
We would also like to thank our main partners because without them the festival would not be possible: JRC, Zážitky. cz, Figures.cz, MindMaze Prague, Canon, IS Produkce, SupremeXP, Stardust Production and last but not least Prusa Research. A big thank you also goes to the institutions and cities that financially supported the festival: the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Prague, Brno, Pilsen and the Prague 1 Municipal District. We are pleased that the festival will be held under the auspices of Zdeněk Hřib, Mayor of Prague, and Markéta Vaňková, Mayor of the Statutory City of Brno.
Of course, we would like to thank you, dear spectators, because without you and your support all this would not be possible.
Enjoy the festival.
Competition
Computer simulations of reality are not to be trifled with. Neill Blomkamp's new film combines intense ghost horror and suspenseful sci-fi thriller.
Demonic
Prague 16.9. 21:00 Lucerna / Main room
Brno 23.9. 20:30 Art / Main room
What can one man do against an oppressive machinery? A Turkish post-apo bite-sized snack that also functions as a metaphor for clinical depression and a critique of capitalism.
In the Shadows
Prague 16.9. 18:15 Lucerna / Small room
Prague 17.9. 20:30 Lucerna / Small room
Brno 21.9. 18:00 Art / Main room
To support himself and his brother, Ray ventures into remote woods to lay kilometres of cable. A clever and funny story about the exploitation of employees of technology corporations.
Lapsis
Prague 18.9. 16:30 Lucerna / Main room
Brno 23.9. 18:00 Art / Main room
Rudý měsíc se blíží k Zemi. Jedinou nadějí na záchranu je astronaut Paul W. R., ten ale těsně před startem zmizí neznámo kam. Vizuálně strhující francouzské sci-fi.
Paul WR’s Last Journey
Prague 15.9. 18:30 Lucerna / Main room (festival opening)
Brno 22.9. 18:00 Art / Main room
Our mothers always told us not to talk to strangers. A confusing, uncomfortably realistic cinematic dream you can't wake up from.
Undergods
Prague 17.9. 18:30 Lucerna / Main room
Brno 21.9. 20:30 Art / Main room
Košice 9.10. 20:00 Úsmev / Main room
Pilsen 16.10. 21:00 DEPO2015 / Klempírna
Documents
An unlikely bunch from England, fond of the film Alien, had a really crazy idea. To stage an amateur theatre performance of the same name on a shoestring budget.
Alien on Stage
Prague 20.9. 20:30 Lucerna / Main room
Brno 22.9. 20:30 Art / Main room
Šumperk 2.10. 17:45 Oko
Košice 9.10. 18:00 Úsmev / Main room
Pilsen 16.10. 19:00 DEPO2015 / Klempírna
A documentary about the largest nuclear accident brings new interviews with people who remember the event and were active at the site.
Back to Chernobyl
Prague 18.9. 19:00 Lucerna / Gallery
This year, Future Gate will present not only Lapsis by Noah Hutton but also his documentary In Silico, dedicated to brain research.
In Silico
Prague 19.9. 15:30 Lucerna / Small room
Brno 26.9. 13:30 Observatory
The documentary explores the core of the current financial system, unpacks the paradoxes of continuous economic growth and questions the origins of economic inequality.
Oeconomia
Prague 18.9. 13:30 Lucerna / Small room
Brno 25.9. 15:00 Observatory
A documentary that reminisces on major films of the 1990s such as Total Recall, Screamers, Terminator 2, Ghost in the Shell and doesn't forget computer games.
The Rise of Cyberpunk
Prague 18.9. 13:30 Lucerna / Small room
Prague 20.9. 18:45 Lucerna / Small room
Brno 26.9. 16:00 Observatory
Košice 9.10. 16:00 Úsmev / Impulz
Pilsen 16.10. 17:00 DEPO2015 / Klempírna
The Birth of Synthwave is a music documentary by Iván Castello, guided by the voice of John Carpenter, that will show you the greatest musicians and artists of the genre.
The Rise of the Synths
Prague 20.9. 20:45 Lucerna / Small room
Brno 23.9. 20:15 Art / Small room
Feature Films
In 2017, South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp founded the independent Oats Studio. The aim of the studio was to create a series of short experimental films.
Neill Blomkamp’s Short Films
Prague 17.9. 16:30 Lucerna / Main room
The short-film programme brings futuristic visions of young Czech and international filmmakers. Via the short-film format, we will become participants in a space experiment, get stuck in a time loop, and will learn how to programme our ideal lovers in a dystopian setting. The thematically varied block that isn't lacking in hyperboles and inspiration was made possible, as always, in cooperation with iShorts.
Short Sci-fi Films from iShorts
Prague 19.9. 17:30 Lucerna / Main room
Brno 25.9. 19:00 Observatory
Šumperk 2.10. 16:00 Oko
Košice 10.10. 18:00 Úsmev / Impulz
Pilsen 15.10. 17:00 DEPO2015 / Klempírna
They're ravenous, have properly sharp teeth, sail through the air, and on their backs, they carry…
Sky Sharks
Prague 16.9. 18:00 Lucerna / Main room
Brno 22.9. 20:15 Art / Small room
Brno 23.9. 17:45 Art / Small room
Košice 10.10. 20:00 Úsmev / Main room
He is the fastest in all known worlds but has no friends. He can't because no one can catch up. Sonic the Hedgehog, a cult comic and gaming character, celebrated his first feature film in 2020.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Prague 18.9. 10:30 Lucerna / Main room
Šumperk 2.10. 14:00 Oko
A new addition to the programme is a block of student competition films through which we would like to connect the festival with the filmmaking community even more.
Student sci-fi film competition
Prague 18.9. 20:30 Lucerna / Gallery
Prague 19.9. 12:00 Lucerna / Gallery
Brno 22.9. 17:45 Art / Small room
Legends
Aliens not as conquerors but as refugees seeking sanctuary. One of the best science fiction films of the last 20 years.
District 9
Prague 15.9. 21:00 Lucerna / Main room
Brno 26.9. 20:30 Observatory
The rich live in paradise, the poor languish on a ruined planet Earth. Matt Damon, as labourer Max, leads humanity on a journey to redemption.
Elysium
Prague 17.9. 21:00 Lucerna / Main room
Brno 25.9. 21:00 Observatory
The birth of a legend. Mel Gibson's first big role and the essential introduction to director George Miller's gasoline-soaked life's work.
Mad Max
Prague 18.9. 18:45 Lucerna / Main room
Brno 24.9. 18:00 Observatory
Šumperk 2.10. 19:30 Oko
Košice 8.10. 18:00 Úsmev / Main room
Pilsen 15.10. 19:00 DEPO2015 / Klempírna
A classic of the post-apo genre. Mad Max as a lone avenger crosses the ravaged land. A gang led by the masked Humungus stands in his way.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Prague 18.9. 21:00 Lucerna / Main room
Brno 24.9. 20:30 Observatory
Šumperk 2.10. 21:20 Oko
Košice 8.10. 20:00 Úsmev / Main room
Pilsen 15.10. 21:00 DEPO2015 / Klempírna
A Japanese animated mosaic composed of three stories set in a dystopian future offering different perspectives on the weight of loneliness.
Memories
Prague 19.9. 20:00 Lucerna / Main room (festival closing ceremony)
Brno 26.9. 18:15 Observatory
Festival Jury
An international jury of three will select the best film from 5 genre-diverse films: DEMONIC, LAPSIS, PAUL W.R.S’ LAST JOURNEY, UNDERGODS and IN THE SHADOWS. The jury will also decide on the best student science fiction films. The members are storyboarder Kurt van der Basch, dramaturge and director of the Aero cinema Jiří Flígl and scientist Jan Lukačevič. Viewers will vote for the Audience Award winner. The awards are thematically produced by the Prusa Research 3D printing company.
Jan Lukačevič
Jan Lukačevič is a NATO2030 Young Leader, a member of secretary general Jens Stoltenberg's advisory board. Since 2017, he has been working at the Czech Academy of Sciences, and in addition to his PhD studies at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University, he founded the Marsonaut laboratory, a project for growing plants in Mars-like conditions. He also brings science closer to the general public on social media where he belongs among one of the most successful popularizers in the Czech Republic. He works at the Neuron Foundation as Neuron Founder. For his earlier research under the European Space Agency, he was selected by Google and the Financial Times for the New Europe 100: a list of 100 people from Central and Eastern Europe with the greatest influence on our future.
Jiří Flígl
The current director of Prague's iconic Aero cinema, festival dramaturge and former film publicist. He co-creates the programme of the Shockproof Film Festival and the Summer Film School, and in the past, he has also collaborated with film and TV series events Serial Killer, Filmasia, Febiofest and Fresh Film Fest. He has contributed essays to the anthologies Krev, slzy a sperma: Čítanka filmového braku (Blood, Tears and Semen: ABC Book of Trash Cinema) and Made in Japan: Eseje o současné japonské popkultuře (Made in Japan: Essays on Contemporary Japanese Pop Culture). His articles on cinema and video games have appeared in Cinepur, A2 and Aktuálně.cz. A few years ago, he co-founded the website about Asian films Rejže.cz. He has also worked as a TV dramaturge for Czech Television.
Kurt van der Basch
Kurt van der Basch, 1975, a Prague-based storyboard artist and illustrator, grew up in Canada's East coast maritime region, where he studied classical piano. In 1999, he entered the film and television industry as an office assistant but was soon designing and illustrating props, working as a scenic painter and later conceptualizing and illustrating props and sets on "Alien vs Predator" and Terry Gilliam's biographical fantasy film "The Brother's Grimm". With a knack for quick drawing, Kurt turned to storyboarding in 2003. He has since applied his drawing skills to a wide range of media in Europe and the United States, from production illustrations on music videos for Janet Jackson, Kanye West, and Madonna's 2009 "Sticky and Sweet" tour, to drawing storyboards for J.J. Abrahms’ monumental 2015 reboot “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. Kurt's most recent projects include the hugely anticipated fantasy series “The Lord of the Rings”.
Main Guests
Marc Fehse
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Prague Lucerna / Main room 16.9. 18:00 Sky Sharks + Q&A
Marc Fehse is a graduate art director, focusing on Film & Design. Because of his love for moving and not moving images, he studied design at Academy of Fine Arts in Braunschweig. Before his bachelor's degree, he spent one semester in Los Angeles, to work in various companies and schools. After 20 years working in the professional music business he founded the film and design agency Marctropolis, realizing various advertising and feature film projects. His own fim productions include Sex, Dogz and Rock 'n' Roll, Spores, The Power of Soul and Sky Sharks. To the Agency a publishing house is connected which successfully published audio books and radio plays. Since 2013 several international films for the German market were published under the label Marctropolis Film Entertainment. Marc won two Lionel Design Awards and for his publishing products, he was awarded several times for the radio play of the year! Eight years ago he founded the Genre Film Festival "Cinestrange". Star guests of the last editions were Dario Argento, Joe Dante, John Badham amm...
Chino Moya
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Prague Lucerna / Main room 17.9. 18:30 Undergods + Q&A
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Brno Art / Main room 21.9. 20:30 Undergods + Q&A
Chino Moya, takes a multidisciplinary approach to his work, combining filmmaking, photography and comic book writing. His short films, music videos and commercials have screened in competition at festivals around the globe winning multiple awards, including a Cannes Lions. Chino directed St. Vincent’s Digital Witness music video which was voted one of the top 10 music videos in 2014 by Rolling Stone. Undergods is Chino’s film feature debut.
Danielle Kummer
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Prague Lucerna / Main room 20.9. 20:30 Alien on Stage + Q&A
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Brno Art / Main room 22.9. 20:30 Alien on Stage + Q&A
Danielle Kummer, born in North London studied film and media at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, she has been working as a videographer and editor in London for the past 8 years on short films and promos. Alien on Stage is first feature documentary film directed by Danielle Kummer and Lucy Harvey.
Neill Blomkamp
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Prague Lucerna / Main room 15.9. 21:00 District 9+ Q&A
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Prague Lucerna / Main room 16.9. 21:00 Demonic + Q&A
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Prague Lucerna / Main room 17.9. 16:30 Neill Blomkamp's Short Films + Q&A
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Prague Lucerna / Main room 17.9. 21:00 Elysium + Q&A
South African born writer-director Neill Blomkamp moved to Canada at the age of 18, beginning his career as a visual effects artist in film and television. He is best known as the co-writer and director of District 9 (2009), Elysium (2013), Chappie (2015) and his latest feature film Demonic (2021). Since 2015 he has been developing experimental films for his independent studio, Oats Studios. The most notable works include Rakka (2017), Firebase (2017) and Zygote (2017).
APOCALYPSE FOREVER!
The Apocalypse is a motif that has been present in human literature since its beginning. The certainty of finality is applied to everything, and so it is only logical that it applies to the world as a whole. Mythical narratives about the end of the world are thus found in all the world’s religions, as the ancient texts attest.
Modern science then only confirms that one day, both our solar system and the entire universe will cease to exist. But religions rarely deal with what comes
after the end of the world – in the postapocalypse. This theme slowly emerged in literature in the 18th century and only became one of the major genres of fantasy literature in the second half of the 20th century.
Its literal boom came in the 1980s when the effects of the Cold War, resource depletion, social upheaval, and environmental destruction became fully apparent. Heroes who are spending their last breath trying to find peace and tranquillity after the collapse of civilization appear in literature, film and computer games. It is as if the end of the world were slowly approaching and the writers are aware of it.
Today, in the 21st century, it could be said that postapocalyptic science fiction has followed the same fate as cyberpunk. It has become an integral part of a whole range of stories and worlds, a prop that is more of a background element than an important element of the story. Think of Rey from Star Wars searching through the wreckage of the Destroyers, the crew of Firefly navigating moons that feel post-apocalyptic or the planet Pandora from Borderlands, which may be destroyed but the rest of human worlds is not.
Perhaps it’s because the sense of the world’s impending end is becoming more palpable. Humanity’s problems keep piling up, and trying to solve them is
insufficient even with the best will. The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released another, even more disturbing study on the evolution of climate change. The time to act is now. It may still be possible to save our planet. And that’s why we’ve chosen this year’s theme.
We would like to open a debate on how to prevent the destruction of the world. There are millions of people who want nothing less. There are hundreds of projects that can solve the problems. We believe that humanity will succeed!
Ticket Info
TICKETS PRICE: 120 CZK
EXCEPTIONS
1. Sci-fi Short Films from the iShorts, Fashion show - BeHERO 100 CZK
2. Student sci-fi film competition, Back to Chernobyl, Pub Quiz 50 CZK
FESTIVAL ACCREDITATION
1. FUTUREPASS | 900 CZK: Access to the film programme in main rooms of the venues, not to small rooms or for concerts and pub quizzes. You will also receive a small present during the festival at festival stand.
2. FUTURE ID | 1400 CZK: Support the festival! Same rules as for FuturePass but you will not receive only the present but also festival T-shirt.
LANGUAGE
Films will be screened in original versions with Czech subtitles. NonEnglish spoken films will be screened with both Czech and English subtitles.
Accompanied programme with Czech guests is only in Czech language.
Future ID
Permanentka- Festival accreditation
- Access to the film programme in main rooms of the venues.Support the festival.
- You will also receive a small present and also festival T-shirt during the festival at festival stand.
- You can buy one at the cinema box office in Lucerna (Prague) and Cinema Art (Brno).
Access to the film programme in main rooms of the venues, not to small rooms or for concerts and pub quizzes.
Future Pass
Permanentka- Festival accreditation
- Access to the film programme in main rooms of the venues.
- You will also receive a small present.
- You can buy one at the cinema box office.
Access to the film programme in main rooms of the venues, not to small rooms or for concerts and pub quizzes. You will also receive a small present during the festival at festival stand.
About Organizer
The sci-fi film festival is organized by NGO Future Gate. It aims to monitor news from the world of science fiction and share them with sci-fi fans and public on regular basis.
Our goal is to set-up theme events based on science fiction films and future technologies. It could be special projections, lectures, talks and workshops.
Festival Team
On-line marketing
Grafics
Moderator
Production manager
Festival directors
Festival Thanks
Anna Mitéran, Klára Arpa, Barbora Hacsi, Kateřina Schauerová, Kristýna Benešová, Tomáš Krejčí, Jonáš Ledecký, Michal Suchánek, Zdena Koryntová, Martin Vinš, Ondřej Filgas, Iurii Ladutko, Martin Vodička, Viktor Tesařík, Bedřich Němec, Zuzana Václavová, Jiří Dušek, Milan Šimánek, Jana Glocarová, Kristína Malíková, Martina Marešová, Kamil Navrátil, Berberich Lukáš, Martin Štefan
Press
Press releases (only in Czech language)
Contact
Marketing, partners
Media contact
Production
Future Gate z.s.
Jana Zajíce 973/5, 170 00 Praha 7, IČ: 02444933,
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