From 22-23 September filmmakers had another chance to get to know some places that you may have never seen, and to hear the tall tales associated with them. The location tour of the Karlovy Vary and Ústí nad Labem regions showcased interesting places in both regions, with an emphasis on opposites: unspoiled nature and moonscape plains of lignite mines, castles and chateaux, folk and industrial architecture, charming landscapes with extinct volcanoes and decaying brownfields.
The tour has traditionally been open to all active filmmakers, from producers, production and location managers, directors, screenwriters and set designers. Locations were chosen not only for their visual originality but especially also for their backstories.
The Czech Film Commission organized the tour in collaboration with two important partners: the Karlovy Vary Region Film Office of and the Usti Region Film Office.
The Karlovy Vary Region Film Office was awarded the title Film Friendly 2015, which is awarded annually on the basis of openness to film crews: “We understand the benefits of film production, and so will continue to work intensively to utilize all available means to interact with filmmakers and to present all the attributes that make the Karlovy Vary region the perfect film destination,” said Governor Martin Havel. On 22 September, the Karlovy Vary region screened, for example, a city of urbanistic contrasts, Ostrov; the dilapidated spa resort Kyselka; and the extinct world of Sudetenland, near the former Sauersack tin mine.
The newly founded Ústí Region Film Office chose the site for the location tour stop on 23 September. “Ours is a region of diversity and contrasts, where a filmmaker can find unique landscapes for almost every cinematic story,” said Barbora Hysková of the regional film office, encapsulating in one sentence their friendly view of filmmaking. The tour around the Ústí nad Labem region included a visit to the massive area of the former municipal baths in Chomutov, diverse, coal mines, picturesque railway station, a village school and chapel on the Moldava.