MAY, 2013

The Consulate General of the Czech Republic is excited to officially announce the 2nd

annual Czech film festival: “Czech That

Film 2013 presented by Staropramen” will take place in Portland on June 6-9, 2013and in Seattle on July 12-14, 2013.

Conceived in 2012, the Czech film series is dedicated to raise the profile of new Czech films by attracting interest and

celebrating Czech cinema at an international level.

Cont´d on page 2

INDEX

Czech That Film Presented by Staropramen……….....1,2

Dear Friends in Portland & Seattle……….………..…....3

Czech Student´s Film “Main Course” Succeed in the 48

Hours Film Project…………………………………….….3

Bishop Esterka celebrates 50th anniversary of his

ordination……………………………………………….....4

News from Oregon………………….…..…………...…….5

The Czech School Continues to Grow………………....5,6

News from Washington State…………..………………...6

Czech Tourism Opens New Office on West Coast………7

Franz Kafka’s “The Trial”………………………….……7

Upcoming Cultural Events in Los Angeles……………....8

Czech Films Return to Portland & Seattle – Come Czech Them Out !

Portland

In the Shadow June 6, 7:00 p.m.

Men in Hope June 7, 7:30 p.m.

Flower Buds June 8, 6:30 p.m.

The House June 8, 8:30 p.m.

Alois Nebel June 9, 6:00 p.m.

Gypsy June 9, 8:00 p.m.

Venue: Portland Art Museum1219 SW Park Avenue

Tickets: nwfilm.org or at the Portland Art Museum box

Seattle

Perfect Days July 12, 6:30p.m.

Innocence July 13, 2:00p.m.

Made In Ash July 13, 4:30p.m.

Don´t Stop July 13, 6:30p.m.

Alois Nebel July 14, 2:00p.m.

The House July 14, 4:00p.m.

Gypsy July 14, 6:30p.m.

Venue: Siff Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Avenue N

Tickets: siff.net or at the Siff Cinema box office

Page 1

Page 2

CZECH THAT FILM

presented by STAROPRAMEN Cont´d from page 1

In Portland, the program was organized by Northwest

Film Center and in Seattle by SIFF Cinema and The

Center for Czech Education and Culture and builds on a

very successful tradition of screening popular Czech films

all across the United States. A total of 12 films will tour

from Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, New York City, San

Francisco, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, Denver,

and Washington, DC.

Not only is the program a great chance to witness the best

new pictures Czech cinema has to offer – including

several winners of the Oscars of the Czech Republic, the

Czech Lion – but it is also an opportunity to personally

meet well-established Czech directors. Numerous

question & answer sessions during the festival will give

audiences behind the scenes access to filmmakers, as well

as insider information about the film creation process.

Filmmaker David Ondříček, who was recently listed by

the popular entertainment magazine Variety as one of the

top “10 Directors to Watch,” will introduce “In the

Shadow.” His film, winner of nine prestigious Czech

Lions and the Czech entry for the Best Foreign Language

Oscar in 2013, will be screened on June 6, 2013 in

Portland Art Mseum.

Czech That Film 2013 is a growing effort, and relies

heavily on sponsors, contributors, and volunteers. We

would like to thank all the organizations involved in the

process, especially Staropramen for sponsoring the entire

festival. Milk & Honey Films, Prague Studios, Czech

shipping company shipito.com, and Czech Tourism also

contributed generously to the program. Special thanks to

the Northwest Film Center in Portland, SIFF Cinema, The

Center for Czech Education and Culture in Seattle for

their invaluable help organizing the events in Portland and

Seattle.

For more information on Czech That Film 2013,

including the list and details of screenings, how to

become a sponsor or volunteer, director biographies, and

the previous festival archive, please visit our dedicated

website at: www.czechthatfilm.com

We look forward to seeing everyone at the many special

events, and enjoy the show!

Marika Šoposká & Kateřina Jandáčková in the film

„Flower Buds“

„In The Shadow“

Sponsored by

Directors David Ondříček & Zdeněk Jiráský

I am excited to confirm that the annual Czech film festival

will return to the Pacific Northwest this June and July under

its new name – “Czech That Film presented by

Staropramen”.

The Czech Consulate will again cooperate with Northwest

Film Center in Portland and SIFF Cinema and The Center

for Czech Education and Culture in Seattle. Together, we

will present six new Czech films at the Portland Art Museum,

beginning on June 6, 2013 and seven films at SIFF Cinema

Uptown, starting July 12, 2013.

It took a lot of work from everybody here at the Consulate to

bring you this exciting program. I hope you will find it

stimulating, both from a cinematic as well as a storytelling

point of view. Director David Ondříček, recently named

among the Top Ten Directors to Watch by Variety, will come

to Portland for the Opening Night of the festival on June 6th

2013 and to Seattle on June 7th for screenings at the Seattle

International Film Festival. He will personally present his

film “In the Shadow,” which won an incredible nine Czech

Lions. Please, find a detailed program on the previous page.

I look forward to seeing you all at the screening at the

beautiful Portland Art Museum and SIFF Cinema Uptown in

Seattle.

I am also thrilled that the Czech Republic will open its new

Honorary Consulate in Seattle. The Minister of Education,

His Excellency Tomáš Chalupa and the Czech Ambassador

to the United States, His Excellency Petr Gandalovič will

officially introduce Mr. Wayne Jehlik as the new Honorary

Consul of the Czech Republic in Washington State on June

28, 2013.

Last month, the Czech Tourism office in Orange County,

which serves all the Western United States, officially opened

and begun to promote travel to the Czech Republic. We at the

Consulate look forward to this important cooperation. If you

know of anybody interested in visiting our beautiful

homeland, please feel free to direct them to the Czech

Tourism office and its friendly director Vojtěch Kačerovský.

Page 3

I also would like to congratulate Bishop Peter Esterka

on the golden anniversary of his priesthood and on the

Gratias Agit Award. The celebration in Yorba Linda was

very inspirational and all the visitors were appreciative

of the work and service that Bishop Esterka did for the

Czech community in California. I wish him good health

and I would like to thank him for all those years he

served mass in the Czech language for his countrymen

here.

To get more information about our events, please visit

our website www.mzv.cz/losangeles and our Facebook

page. To subscribe to our newsletter, please, contact us

at losangeles@embassy.mzv.cz.

Michal Sedláček

Czech Student´s Film “Main Course”

Succeed in the 48 Hours Film Project

The Consulate General of the Czech Republic would like to

congratulate to the Czech team “Láska”, whose short “Main

Course” won on the international finale of the 48 Hours

Film Project two awards. One for Best acting in female

lead - Kateřina Pindejová and the second for Best Use of

Prop. The awards were announced on March 10, 2013 at the

Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

The 48 Hours Film Project is an international film

competition. Contestants must within 48 hours create short

(3-7 minutes long) movie on previously assigned character,

a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre that must be included

in the movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be submitted.

To see Czech short “Main Course”:

www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m

3XwcKLkbK4

For more information about tne 48 Hours Film Project:

48hourfilm.com/en/filmapalooza/

Bishop Esterka served also as a chaplain in the US Air

Force. “When later on, there was an opportunity to come

to California, I did not hesitate. I love the community

here; they are very active and supportive. I can’t

complain!” the Bishop underlined.

A favorite of many local Czechs and Slovaks, Bishop

Esterka served for many years as bishop for all Czech

Catholics in North America, Western Europe, and

Australia. He resigned formally at the occasion of his

75th birthday, in accordance with Catholic custom.

The Czech Catholic Bishops Conference designated

Bishop Václav Malý as the new Bishop for Czechs in

Western Europe, while Bishop Esterka was asked to

temporarily continue performing his service to North

America and Australia while ministering to the local

Czech community in California. "I am very happy that

now after 50 years I can celebrate my ordination here in

California, where a very nice and large Czech Catholic

community has been created,” the cheerful Bishop

Esterka concluded with a toast.

For his life-long devoted service to Czechs abroad,

Bishop Esterka will receive the Gratias Agit Award by

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

this year. The award ceremony will take place in Prague

in June of 2013.

Bishop Esterka celebrates 50th anniversary of his ordination

Page 4

Czech Catholic bishop Peter Esterka, long time resident

of Orange County, celebrated a special mass on the

occasion of the 50th golden anniversary of his

ordination. This ceremonial service took place in the

Catholic John Paul II Center in Yorba Linda on

Sunday, March 10, 2013 and was attended by Bishop

Kevin Vann (pictured with Father Esterka) bishop of

the Catholic Diocese of Orange.

The Mass was followed by an extensive celebration

with more than a hundred fifty guests from all over

Southern California, including the Consul General of

the Czech Republic in Los Angeles Michal Sedláček.

“I remember very well the day of March 9, 1963, when

I was ordained" Bishop Esterka explained during the

Mass and continued "I was the only Czech with many

Irishmen and Italians present during the ordination in

Rome, so I felt a little bit alone. None of my relatives

were in the audience during that special occasion."

Peter Esterka was born and grew up in Dolní

Bojanovice near Hodonín. He escaped to Austria

because of Communist prosecution in 1957. He studied

in Rome and was ordained in the Basilica of St.John

Lateran. He came to the United States the same year, in

1963, on his first mission to Texas. However, after

three years he went back to Rome to study for a

doctorate degree.

“When I returned to the US, I started teaching at St.

Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and stayed

there for many years,” Bishop explained again.

Bishop Peter Esterka (left) and Bishop Kevin Vann

Bishop Peter Esterka

News from Oregon

APRIL, 2013 VOL. # 10

The Czech community in Oregon started its preparation

for Easter by decorating colored eggs called kraslice in

classes instructed by Daniela Mahoney. As she

presented several methods of making kraslice, all

attendees also enjoyed traditional Czech Easter pastry

beranek and learned how to braid zila, a whip stick

decorated with ribbons. There were plenty of boys and

girls making the Easter dash for eggs in the emerald

greenery of the great outdoors of Oregon.

The event was filmed by the Czech-American TV and

aired world-wide via the Internet. It can be viewed on

www.catvusa.com. The broadcast was conducted in

several segments that included the greetings from the

Honorary Consulate, the Czech School, and the local

Czech restaurant on Mt. Hood, the Glacier Haus. The

Glacier Haus is owned and operated by Slava and Dasa

Kropacek, whose traditional Czech cooking is sought

by skiers of the Cascade Mountains. The producer of

Czech-American TV, John Honner, visited the Glacier

Haus and filmed the making of Czech sausages called

jitrnice. The segment also shared the jitrnice recipe by

Dasa and Slava.

Preparations are being made for Vaclav Havel’s Place

at Lewis and Clark University in Portland. It will be a

commemorative site of reflection dedicated to the

former President of the Czech Republic. The memorial

will have a bench, plaque, and Czech national linden

tree located near the performing arts of the university.

The Czech Society of Oregon prepared a summary of

the history since its founding in 1916. Vlasta Barber, a

long-time member and officer of the organization,

wrote a resume of club meetings and activities. John

Velehradsky, the current President of the Czech Society

of Oregon, compiled the information into the following

statement:

“Czech Society of Oregon meets four times each year,

enjoys an annual picnic, and holds a Christmas Dinner

with Mikulasska for members and friends at the East

Portland Eagles, 4904 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland,

OR.

Page 5

The Czech Society of Oregon continues that tradition and

provides opportunities for members to socialize and to

share Czech traditions and culture with others including

family members and friends.”

We are very proud of the Czech Society of Oregon and the

help they provide even to today’s newcomers as they settle

in Oregon and continue to foster their Czech heritage.

Marie Amicci, M.Ed.

Honorary Consul

The Czech School continues to grow

The Czech School of Portland (CSP) has successfully

completed two terms of language classes for kids three to

thirteen years old, as well as one term of classes for adults.

The children of the school participated in the Easter

celebration organized by Central European Coalition of

Impact NW in Portland and presented songs and poems

welcoming Spring.

In early April CSP participated in the worldwide event

Night with Andersen (http://www.nocsandersenem.cz/)

organized by schools and libraries in the Czech Republic

and abroad. The goal of the event was to promote reading

and love for books from a young age. Fifteen kids

participated in the evening program focused on Hans

Christian Andersen’s fairytale “The Princess and the Pea”

and stayed at school overnight.

On April 18th CSP celebrated its first birthday! We

celebrated by working to prepare silent auction items for our

first annual fundraising event. The event took place on April

27th at Portland Brewing Company where the Czech

community from Portland metro area meets every first

Tuesday of the month.

Cont´d on page 6

Page 6

We are now well into 2013, and I am excited to report a variety

of upcoming events on the immediate horizon. Most immediately

is the New Century Theatre Company’s staging of Franz Kafka’s

“The Trial” at Inscape Arts. The production is garnering rave

reviews in the local media, including the Seattle Times declaring

“...this production beautifully captures the preposterous, bizarre

human condition as Kafka views it...The acting is precise, finely

honed...exactly right for this spellbinding piece.” The production

is performing so well, in fact, that it has been extended through

May 5th.

Next on the agenda, the Seattle Symphony’s Wyckoff

Masterworks Season presents Jakub Hrůša, conducting the works

of Smetana, Dvořák, and Beethoven on May 30th,

June 1st and

June 2nd

at Benaroya Hall. Jakub Hrůša was named by

Gramophone in 2011 as one of ten conductors “on the verge of

greatness”, and the program features not only a Pre-concert Talk

one hour to each performance but also is part of the Seattle

Symphony’s Family Connections program, which offers free

companion tickets for children.

Looking ahead to June, I am pleased to report that the Seattle

International Film Festival, the largest, most highly-attended film

festival in the United States, will be including “In the Shadow”

in its program on June 7th and 8

th. Director David Ondříček, who

was recently listed by Variety magazine as one of the “Top 10

Directors to Watch”, will be in Seattle for the screenings, as well.

“In the Shadow” is a winner of nine prestigious Czech Lions and

was the Czech entry for Best Foreign Language Oscar in 2013,

and promises to be a popular screening at the Festival.

Later in June, we look forward to welcoming His Excellency

Ambassador Petr Gandalovič and Minister of the Environment

Tomáš Chalupa to Seattle on Friday, June 28, for the official

opening of the Honorary Consulate of the Czech Republic in

Seattle. We are hard at work on the evening’s program, and

expect to see a large turnout from the local Czech community to

meet our special guests.

Finally, in July Seattle will host its screening of “Czech That

Film presented by Staropramen”. Presented in cooperation with

the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles and

SIFF, the Seattle screening will feature seven films over three

days, from July 12-14, at SIFF Cinema Uptown.

The program represents a great opportunity to experience some

of the best new films that Czech cinema has to offer – including

several Czech Lion winners – and kicks off in Seattle with the

screening of “Perfect Days” on Friday, July 12.

I not only look forward to seeing everyone at the many local

events, but also to being able to announce more activities in the

near future!

Wayne Jehlík

Cont´d from page 6

The Czech School

Continues to Grow

Recently we reached out to the Polish and Hungarian

Saturday schools with similar program and goals to form

an alliance called Visegrad Group PDX. We hope to

participate together in the upcoming Junior Parade,

which is a part of the Portland Rose festival, and in the

future organize projects related to the common history of

our nations.

For Mother’s Day CSP will present a special breakfast

theatre show. There will be Czech songs and interactive

theatre for kids, family, and friends presented by

Liedertheater. Please join us!

Read about CSP at www.czechschoolportland.org

Like us on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/CeskaSkolaPortland

Easter Celebration at Czech School in Portland

Hello from the new office of the Czech Tourist Authority –

CzechTourism in Southern California

I am proud to announce that we have successfully

established the second office of the Czech Tourist Authority

in the United States, our very own Czech Tourism in Los

Angeles. In addition to our New York office on Madison

Avenue, there is now a new, local spot based in Orange

County.

We are here to promote travel to the beautiful Czech

Republic, and show our American hosts all the important

historical Czech landmarks that have been preserved over

the centuries. On Saturday, March 23, 2013 the Czech

Tourism launched opening party at the Aquatic Center in

Newport Beach.

Moreover, we will host the official opening ceremony on

June 18, 2013 in Los Angeles with the General Director of

Czech Tourism, Mr. Rostislav Vondruška, who will come

exceptionally for this special occasion. Please, join us,

everybody is invited.

One of our main goal is to help our Travel Trade partners

create new and exciting products that involve all the

activities, culture, stories, and beauties the Czech Republic

has to offer. This partnership offers exclusive networking

with international businesses.

You can meet with us soon at the upcoming 2013 Czech

Film Festival, “Czech That Film presented by

Staropramen,” organized by the Czech Consulate in Los

Angeles. We are proud to support this program and many

other exciting activities in the US, including the Czech

School in Orange County, educational Cultural Workshops

like The-Newport-Beach-Cross-Cultural-club and others.

And we have only just started! I look forward to meeting

any professionals looking for information and support, as

well as travel enthusiasts who plan to visit our unique

homeland.

Please feel free to contact us at

losangeles@czechtourism.com with any comments or

questions.

www.czechtourism.cz

Vojtěch Kačerovský

Franz Kafka

Page 7

Czech Tourism Opens

New Office on West Coast

Vojtěch Kačerovský, Director CzechTourism LA

Franz Kafka’s “The Trial”

Inscape Arts at Cornish College in Seattle presents its

theater performance of Kafka´s “The Trial”, one of his

finest literary works. It tells the story of a man arrested

and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with

the nature of his crime revealed to neither him nor the

reader. The Trial was never completed, although it does

include a chapter which brings the story to an end.

“The Trial” performance is extended through May 5, 2013

and takes place at Inscape Arts Building at Cornish

College in Seattle.

For more information and tickets, please visit:

www.cornish.edu/calendar/event/the_trial

Upcoming Cultural Events

Consulate General of the Czech Republic

10990 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1100

Los Angeles, CA 90024

May 2013 June 2013 July, August 2013

Extended through May 5, 2013 (Thurs-Sat

at 8 pm, Sun at 7 pm) - Franz Kafka’s

“The Trial” at Inscape Arts Building, 815

Seattle Boulevard South, Seattle, WA

For more information, please visit:

www.cornish.edu/calendar/event/the_trial/

June 6, 2013 at 7:00p.m. – Opening

Night of the Czech That Film Festival

with the screening of the film “In the

Shadow” followed by reception

Venue: Portland Art Museum, 1219

SW Park Avenue

Tickets: nwfilm.org

July 12, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. – Opening Night of the Czech

That Film Festival with screening of the film “Perfect

Days” followed by reception

Venue: Siff Cinema Uptown,

511 Queen Anne Avenue N, Seattle

Tickets: siff.net or at the Siff Cinema box office

May 12, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. - Mother's Day

with Theatre at Lilikoi Coffee, 2620 SE

Powell Blvd., Portland

For more information, please visit

czechschoolportland.org

June 7, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. – Screening of

the film “Men in Hope”

Venue: Portland Art Museum

July 13, 2013 - Screening of the films

2:00 pm. – “Innocence”

4:30 p.m. “Made in Ash”

6:30 p.m. “Don´t Stop”

Venue: Siff Cinema Uptown, Seattle

May 30 – June 2, 2013 - Beethoven's Violin

Concerto, Jakub Hrůša (Conductor)

Venue: Benaroya Hall, 200 University St,

Seattle

June 8, 2013 - Screening of the films

6:30 p.m. – “Flower Buds”

8:30 p.m. - “The House”

Venue: Portland Art Museum

July 14, 2013 - Screening of the films

2:00 p.m. – “Alois Nebel”

4:00 pm. – “The House”

6:30 p.m. – “Gypsy”

Venue: Siff Cinema Uptown, Seattle

June 9, 2013 - Screening of the films

6:00 pm. - “Alois Nebel”

8:00 p.m. - “Gypsy”

Venue: Portland Art Museum

August 29 - 31, 2013 - SVU Conference, to be held on the

campus of the University of Washington in Seattle

For more details visit www.svu2000.org