DOCS IN SALUTE: Four Pairs of Shoes (Čtyři páry bot)

October 17, 2012, 12:00 PM

On October 17, at 12 noon, documentary filmmaker Pavel Štingl will present his film Four Pairs of Shoes (Čtyři páry bot), a documentary portrait on the life of Jan Wiener, at the Library of Congress in the Pickford Theater. Wiener fled war-torn Europe during World War II and returned as an RAF serviceman. He was sent into forced labor for five years during the 1950s, and left for the USA in the 60s, becoming a professor of history. A Q&A with director Pavel Štingl follows the screening. (DIR. Pavel Štingl, 1997, 55 min., Czech with English subtitles).

About Pavel Štingl:
Pavel Štingl (born in 1960 in Prague) studied at the documentary film department at FAMU in Prague. His graduation film Naučit se bát/ Learning to Fear from the environment of young doctors received a whole range of awards and determined one of the main directions of his filmmaking. In 1990, he started a long series of political documentaries from the countries of the former Soviet block awarded at numerous festivals: Japan Prix for Země bez hrobů (The Land without Graves), Prix Italia for Pozdrav ze země, kde včera znamenalo zítra (Greetings from the Country Where Yesterday Meant Tomorrow) and others. He filmed in Romania, Albania, various parts of the former Soviet Union, Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh, China, South Africa, Israel and many other places of political conflict. In 1995, Štingl launched his own production company K2 through which he produced several documentary series and a number of extensive coproduction documentaries. Among the most extensive are historical accounts of the twentieth century: Deník pana Pfitznera (The Diary of Mr. Pfitzner); Čtyři páry bot (Four Pairs of Shoes); Příběh trosečníků Patrie (The Survivors of the Shipwrecked Patria), film of the year at FIAT/IFTA; Příběh o zlém snu (A Story About a Bad Dream), MTF Japan Award. His films were screened at numerous international as well as domestic festivals, receiving a number of awards. K2’s largest projects include the feature-length film Mír jejich duši (Peace to their Souls) and the extensive multimedia exposition of the new museum at the memorial of the town of Lidice, burned to the ground by the Nazis, A nevinní byli vini (And the Innocent Were Guilty), to become the most modern exposition on war history in the Czech Republic.

About Docs in Salute:
The new ongoing film series focuses on interesting personalities that have been touched by themes surrounding their Jewish heritage. The series salutes not only these extraordinary people, but also pays tribute to Forman's parents, who were killed in concentration camps. Share an afternoon uncovering courageous stories, triumph in the face of adversity, and memorable moments that changed the course of history. The series is presented in collaboration with the Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation at the Library of Congress, the Embassy of the Czech Republic, Washington Jewish Film Festival and the Hebrew Language Table.

Event Details:
Location: Library of Congress, Pickford Theater
101 Independence Avenue
James Madison Building, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20950

Admission is free.
For more information, contact Gail Shirazi at gshi@loc.gov.

Photo courtesy of Pavel Štingl