A rich past and continuity
"Eighty years of FAMU is a reminder of our rich past, but also a confirmation of the living continuity of our school, which is constantly changing along with the world around us. Across decades and historical contexts, FAMU has managed to maintain its role as a place that offers students a base for free creative thinking and the search for new artistic expressions. I am glad that today it is also a place where students and teachers can openly connect with the world," says FAMU Dean David Čeněk.
Evenings at Ponrepo
The year-long celebration includes a series of regular evenings at the Ponrepo cinema, Best of FAMU, which will offer themed screenings focusing on the best of the history of individual FAMU departments throughout the year. The series will begin on 28 January at 6 p.m. with the premiere of FAMU o FAMU (FAMU about FAMU) – a reflection on the school through the eyes of its own students across different historical periods and social contexts. The selected films show that FAMU was and is not only a school for its students, but also a living space of everyday life, sharing, conflicts and humour, the essence of which does not change over time. Among the works presented will be the legendary collective FAMU journal První občasník (1961) by Věra Chytilová, Jiří Menzel, Karel Němec and others, as well as a unique look behind the scenes and into the duties of future filmmakers, the historical mosaic Zvukový film o FAMU (1969). The screening will be accompanied by a discussion with prominent figures from FAMU. Director Václav Marhoul, cinematographer Ivan Šlapeta, documentary filmmaker Helena Třeštíková and other personalities associated with the school have accepted invitations to the event.
Other evenings planned at Ponrepo will include screenings focused on works from the departments of directing, animation, editing, documentary, audiovisual studies, production, and the foreign department FAMU International, with two evenings directed by the DAMU and HAMU faculties.
"When preparing the programme of celebrations, we emphasised dramaturgical diversity, combining sensitive probes into history with the diversity of contemporary work. We want to commemorate FAMU primarily where it feels most at home in the audiovisual world: at festivals, in cinemas, on television screens. This is not a closed cycle of commemorations of a glorious past, but an opening of doors to all those who want to celebrate film and audiovisual art as essential co-creators of how we perceive the world around us," comments Vít Schmarc, Vice-Dean for External Relations and Development.
Best of FAMU in cinemas and events at ARCHA
The celebrations also include special distribution activities that will bring FAMU's work closer to domestic and international audiences. The premiere of the international and domestic distribution programme Best of FAMU 80 is planned for October 2026, when the anniversary celebrations will culminate. The project is curated by members of Professor Jiří Voráč's research team. Last but not least, the school is preparing special programmes for selected domestic festivals.
The highlight of the anniversary programme will be the FAMU multimedia event at ARCHA, which will take place on 9 October 2026. The evening programme will feature an exhibition, concerts, film screenings and other audiovisual forms.
Source: totalfilm.cz