Our lives can be unique, if lived in a unique way. Private films testify to the unique intensity of our lives. They capture private stories of our shared history. The Private Century series shows the history as a set of intimate human stories. It brings a testimony of spontaneous private life in the 20th century. The Private Century series consists of 8 films. Another part from the Private Century series, in which family film footage narrates the story of the Šechtl family from the 1940s and 1950s. Marie and Josef were married and worked in the photography studio that had belonged to Josef’s family for several generations. Their film shots reveal how their lives seemed destined toward almost happy fruition. During those first years after the communist coup, Marie and Josef’s relationship was still stronger than their politically-charged milieu, and they managed to suppress the politics from their lives. Still, in the end, the times hunted them down. First, it was the nationalization of their studio, then a show trial against Josef, wherein the communists expected to find compromising materials in the photographic archive. Finally, Josef is sent to prison. From there, the affectionate correspondence that he sends to Marie depicts how their love remained defiant to the absurdity of their times.

Writer / Jan Šikl    Editor / Jan Daňhel    Sound / Daniel Němec

Release date / 12 April 2007

Photogallery