September 20, 2016, 6:00 PM
Director Irena Pavlásková presents Photographer (Fotograf), a film inspired by the life and work of internationally renowned photographer Jan Saudek at the AU Museum’s Katzen Arts Center on September 20, at 6 pm. Accomplished Czech actor Karel Roden plays Saudek, a man who loved the very essence of the female form, capturing on his camera all shapes and sizes of women – daughters, wives, mistresses, girlfriends, and admirers. Interwoven with passion, humor, creativeness, and sadness as well as disappointment, the film examines the maestro’s relationship with women, particularly the initially submissive Líba (Marie Málková), who seems based on Saudek’s former real life partner Sára. (Dir. Irena Pavlásková, 2015, 133 min., Czech with English subtitles)
In short retrospectives, the film shows the crucial moments of Saudek’s life. As a child, he experienced the horrors of Nazism. During the totalitarian communist era, he struggled for his very subsistence. He was interrogated by the communist secret police, charged and convicted of keeping prohibited contacts with the West, and intimidated. He served as a printing house worker to provide sustenance for himself and his family. In a small basement flat with moldy walls, he created his photographs that were subsequently shown all over the world and brought him global fame.
A Q&A with director Irena Pavlásková and film actress Marie Málková follows the screening. Delve into the life of this erotic photographer who explored his obsession with the female form on film and in life.
Event Details:
Date: September 20, 2016, at 6 pm
Location: AU Museum at the Katzen Arts Center
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
RSVP by September 19 to
https://fotograf.eventbrite.com
Parking is free at the Katzen Arts Center after 5:30 pm.