Masters of Dox

Vojta Lavička: Ups and Downs

Helena Třeštíková
Screening time  
01.03. / Saturday, 18:00 - 20:00 Theatre 5  
With a sweeping Romany music soundtrack, Helena Trestíková’s intimate documentary about the troubled life of musician, activist and reporter Vojta Lavička unfolds over 16 years and does double duty as a thorough examination of the marginalized Roma living in the Czech Republic today.

Despite enviable accomplishments – Lavička was a pioneer of Romany TV and radio broadcasting, an activist with an NGO on behalf of the Roma and, most famously, a master violinist whose popular Romany hip-hop group Gipsy.cz played Glastonbury in 2007 – he is still trying to get things right. A more general picture of the life of Gypsies in the Czech society is gradually pieced together with events in his personal and professional life, forming its background.

Helenatrestikova_profile

Helena Třeštíková

Helena Třeštíková graduated in documentary direction at FAMU. She has made more than fifty documentary films since 1974. She puts emphasis mainly on interpersonal relationships and social problems. Time-lapse documentaries are her specialty, where she observes the human destiny for a longer period of time. Helena belongs to the most successful documentary filmmakers from Czech Republic, winning the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s Documentary competition twice (in 1998 with Sladké století, in 2015 with Mallory), winning the Czech National Award in 2010 for Katka and triumphing with the documentary René in 2008 at the European Film Awards. She won the My Generation Award at ZagrebDox 2013 with her film Private Universe. Her recent film Forman vs. Forman premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2019.

General sponsor

VOJTA LAVIČKA: NAHORU A DOLŮ

Czech Republic
2013, 80', DCP

Directed by:
Helena Třeštíková

Cinematography:
David Cysař, Jiří Chod, Vlastimil Hamerník

Edited by:
Jakub Hejna

Producer:
Hana Třeštíková

Produced by:
Production Třeštíková

Festivals & Awards:

DOK Leipzig 2013; Krakow Film Festival 2013; Vancouver International Film Festival 2013; One Wold International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival 2013; Film Festival Cottbus – Festival of the East European Cinema 2013