Final press release 
7th Festival of European Film Smiles, Mladá Boleslav 2009
(5. 9. - 11. 9. 2009) 
(www.filmsmiles.cz)

Characteristics
The Festival of European Film Smiles (FEFÚ) is a festival of competing new European comedies. The event was first held in 2003. The role of the festival is to popularise European comedy films and enrich cultural life in the Central Bohemian region. 
The festival centre is the Škoda Auto Museum in Mladá Boleslav, where the festival has created its home, benefiting from the appealing architectural environment of its screening hall. 

The 7th Festival of European Film Smiles was held under the auspices of the Minister of Culture of the CR, Václav Riedlbauch.

The General Partner of the Festival of European Film Smiles is ŠKODA AUTO, a.s 

The festival is held with the financial support of the Czech Ministry of Culture, the State Fund of the Czech Republic for the Support and Development of Czech Cinematography and with financial assistance from the Central Bohemian region and Mladá Boleslav Town Council.

Competition
The festival comprises two competitions: a competition of new Czech comedies (their date of completion is stipulated in the festival statutes – see www.filmsmiles.cz), the winner of which goes through to the international competition of comedy feature films. Film production in individual European countries may only be represented by one film.

The festival’s selection committee decides which films are entered for the competition; this committee is headed by the festival’s Programme Manager Jan Jurka.

Competition of Czech films: 
František je děvkař / Frankie Is a Womanizer
Líbáš jako Bůh / You Kiss Like a God
Peklo s princeznou / It’s Hell with the Princess
Sněženky a machři po 25 letech / Snowdrops and Aces 25 Years On
Veni, Vidi, Vici
Vy nám taky, šéfe! / Same to You, Boss!

Competition of European films
Happy-Go-Lucky / Happy-Go-Lucky (Great Britain)
Idealny Facet dla Mojej Dziewczyny / The Perfect Guy for My Girlfriend (Poland)
Sumasshedshaya pomoshch / Help Gone Mad (Russia)
5 Dienu Avantiura / 5 Day Scam (Lithuania)
La Premiere Étoile / Meet the Elisabeths (France)
Robert Zimmermann wundert sich über die Liebe / Robert Zimmermann Is Tangled Up in Love (Germany)
Mázli / Fluke (Hungary)
Que parezca un accidente / Make It Look Like an Accident (Spain)

This year’s jury comprised the following members:
Lordan Zafranovič – (director, Croatia – Chairman of the Jury)
Phillip Bergson – (film critic, Great Britain)
Mira Haviarová – (film journalist and theorist – Slovak Republic)
Irena Pavlásková – (director, Czech Republic)
Susanne Wofram – (producer, Germany)


The awards of the 7th Festival of European Film Smiles were conferred as follows:

Main Festival Prize – ŠKODA AUTO award
Happy- Go -Lucky (Great Britain)
Screenplay and direction: Mike Leigh

Award for Best European Film – Klášter Brewery Award
Idealny Facet dla Mojej Dziewczyny / The Perfect Guy for My Girlfriend (Poland)
Direction: Tomasz Konecki 

Award for Best Czech Film - ŠKO-ENERGO award
Líbáš jako Bůh / You Kiss Like a God (Czech Republic)
Screenplay and direction: Marie Poledňáková

Award for Best Actor – award presented by the Mayor of Mladá Boleslav
Andor Lukáts
For the film Mázli / Fluke by director Tamás Keményffy (Hungary)

Award for Best Actress – Barrandov Studios award
Sally Hawkins
For the film Happy-Go-Lucky (Great Britain) 

Award from the Festival Director for Outstanding Contribution to the Film Comedy Genre 
Václav Vorlíček (CR)

Special Award from the Festival Director for the Development of European Film – Award for the Hero of Children’s Hearts
Pierre Brice (France)

Special Award for the Development of Czechoslovak Film – Award from the Regional Governor of Central Bohemia
Juraj Herz (CR)

Audience Prize presented by the trade union of KOVO ŠKODA AUTO
Veni, vidi, vici (CR)


Organisers
The main organiser of the festival is the company Golem Film s.r.o. (e-mail: golembohemiafilm@pha.inecnet.cz)

The festival is headed by director Jan Kuděla, the Programme Director is Jan Jurka, the head of publicity is Jan Hladký, executive production is handled by Lenka Novotná, the director of foreign relations is Hans Filip Albrecht, and the architects are František Svoboda and Michael Dáňa (you’ll find the names of the entire production team on the festival’s web pages www.filmsmiles.cz).
The design of the festival logo and the festival trailer is the work of artist Boris Masník. The awards were designed by Robert Vaněk.

President of the festival
The honorary role of President of the festival is taken up each year by a different personality from the Czech or European film comedy genre. Presidents in the past have included: Jiřina Bohdalová, Marián Labuda, Lubomír Lipský, Zdeněk Troška, Ottfried Fischer (popular German comedian, actor behind the role of Commissioner Ben from the series “Big Ben”, and Bolek Polívka.
The President of the 7th Festival of European Film Smiles was film and television screenwriter, presenter and writer Halina Pawlowská.

Tickets
The entry fee for festival screenings remained the same as in previous years - 30 CZK. Tickets are available for purchase in the box office of the Škoda Auto Museum and the Mladá Boleslav Information Office. 

Accompanying programmes
During the festival an exhibition of paintings by František Ringo Čech was held in Mladá Boleslav’s Templ exhibition hall.
This year as well, the various events on the festival programme were held outside the premises of the Škoda Auto Museum – for the third time in Mladá Boleslav’s House of Culture, where a colourful selection of programmes produced by Czech Television were screened in three programme sections for pre-schoolers, school pupils and senior citizens. Entry to these screenings was free-of-charge. 
CT’s programme selection was watched by over 1,100 viewers, with the programme of new and earlier “Bedtime Stories” and the feature film Maharal attracting the biggest audiences. The audience was made up of children from Mladá Boleslav’s primary schools and the town’s children’s home. 
Due to popular demand, two screenings were added to the programme. The series of films for senior citizens was introduced for the first time this year. 

The accompanying programmes also included the launch of the book by Jiří Krytinář Dívám se vzhůru (I’m Looking Up). 

Partners and sponsors
Main organiser
Golem film s.r.o.

General Partner
Škoda Auto a.s.

Partners
Ministry of Culture of the CR
Central Bohemian Region
Mladá Boleslav Town Council
Czech Television
Czech Radio
The State Fund of the Czech Republic for the Support and Development of Czech Cinematography
Barrandov Studios
OS KOVO
Klášter brewery
CS Film
Ško-Energo
Dům Agency
Grand Prince
Škoda Auto Museum
Foto Škoda
KMMB – Mladá Boleslav Town Culture
Bondy Centre
Kinotechnika Praha
Radio Jizera
Kiss Delta
Jan Anders Sládek Foundation
San Benedetto 
Novák Royal Smoked Meats Producers 

Facts and figures: 
14 competition and 11 non-competition films were screened during the festival, which were watched by a total of 7,726 viewers.
The screenings for children and senior citizens in the House of Culture were attended by approx. 1,100 viewers.
Other accompanying events (exhibition opening, autograph-signing) attracted around 80,000 people. 

Film delegations: 
Selected films were presented in person by the filmmakers and the cast, including: Marie Poledňáková (screenwriter and director of the film You Kiss Like a God), Martin Duba (Director of Photography for the film You Kiss Like a God), Dominika Kadlčková (model and actress from the film Same to You, Boss!), Pavel Šimek (actor from the film Same to You, Boss!, Jan Nejedlý (Metropolitan Film – producer of the film Veni, Vidi, Vici), Sandra Nováková (actress from the film Veni, Vidi, Vici), Filip Tomsa (actor from the film Veni, Vidi, Vici), Eva Ujfaluši (actress from the film Veni, Vidi, Vici), Petr Vojnár (actor from the film Veni, Vidi, Vici), Radek John (script editor on the film Veni, Vidi, Vici), Andor Lukáts (actor from the film Fluke, Hungary), Ela Lehotská (actress from the film Frankie Is a Womanizer), Tamás Keményffy (director of the film Fluke, Hungary). 

Guests: 
The 7th Festival of European Film Smiles was also attended by: Jan Fischer (Prime Minister of the CR), David Rath (Regional Governor of Central Bohemia), Raduan Nwelati (Mayor of the Statutory Town of Mladá Boleslav), Reinhard Jung (Chairman of the Board, ŠKODA AUTO),Václav Vorlíček (director), Pierre Brice (actor), Hella Brice (wife of Pierre Brice), Jaroslav Povšík (Chairman, ZO KOVO), Juraj Herz (director), Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09), Jiří Krytinář (actor), Daniela Šinkorová (singer), Felix Slováček (musician), František Ringo Čech (artist, musician and actor), Günther Slawik (manager, Air France), Olga Lounová (singer and actress), Alexander Hemala (presenter), Marek Vašut (actor), Pavel Filip (director, MB House of Culture), Pavel Hlaváč (Human Resources Planning, ŠKODA AUTO), Jiří Blažek (script editor and screenwriter), Martin Mráz (associate of the firm Chittussi), František Hřebík (associate of the firm Chittussi), Jiří Žwak (businessman), Zdeněk Novák (owner of the firm Zámecké uzeniny), Jan Miller (Vice-Chairman, ZO OS KOVO), Josef Loučím (owner of a casting agency), Miriam Kantorková (actress), Lubomír Lipský (actor), Václav Čapek (Association for the Immortality of Jaroslav Čapek), Antonín Kopřiva (director and screenwriter, Vice-Chairman of the Board, ARAS), Tomáš Bárta (company representative, Foto Škoda Centre), Peter Kot (commercial director, Barrandov Studios), Petr Jákl (actor, producer and screenwriter – owner of the company J. B. J. Film), Marcela Mlčáková (Land of Fairy Tales), Svatopluk Kvaizar (member of Mladá Boleslav Town Council), Antonín Růžička (owner of a film database), Jaroslava Mildorfová (representative of the British Embassy), Stanislav Borek (representative of the Polish Embassy), Luděk Sobota (actor), Jan Hrušínský (actor), Tereza Herzová (actress and assistant director). 

Accredited media> 
ČTK, TV Prima, TV Barrandov, newspaper dailies Bohemia – Boleslavský deník, MF Dnes, Právo, Czech Radio, CR - Region, Kiss Delta, Rádio Jizera, PSPA, Boleslavan, Mediafax, AHA, Rozhledna – web magazine, CR – Radiožurnál, Czech Radio 7 – foreign desk, Sedmička – MF, Ventil, MB-Noviny.cz. 

Press contact: Helena Hejčová – press officer
hejcova@atlas.cz (mobil: 606 464 035)

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Festival of European Film Smiles – Mladá Boleslav 2009
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