Jiří Trnka’s first feature-length film, The Czech Year is a stop-motion animation depicting the traditional customs and folklore of a Czech village through the seasons.  Composed of six separate episodes, it is loosely based on the eponymous collection of illustrated folk poetry by Czech artist Mikoláš Aleš: ‘Shrovetide’, ‘Spring’, ‘Legend of St. Prokop’, ‘The Fair’, ‘The Feast’ and ‘Bethlehem’. 

By means of hand-crafted wooden puppets and intricate, bucolic set design, Trnka presents magically tactile images of life in the Czech countryside. Set to Václav Trojan’s arrangement of traditional folk songs sung by a children’s choir, the film offers a distinctly nostalgic and enchanting viewing experience for children and adults alike.

Digital restoration courtesy of the National Film Archive in Prague.

This screening is dedicated to the Zika family. Now marking 76 years in Australia, the Zika family extends sincere thanks to the hardworking CaSFFA team for bringing Czech and Slovak culture to Melbourne.

“Trnka’s The Czech Year stirs elements of various Czech myths and legends into a beguilingly eye-catching stew.” — Michael Brooke, BFI