The Rebels is director Filip Renč’s third feature film. This time he did not opt for a psychological drama, choosing instead to write a script (in collaboration with Zdeněk Zelenka) he felt would be generally more pleasing to audiences: ‘a musical retrofilm set in the 1960s.’ This artistically stylized film tells of a passionate love story that is thwarted by history itself. Graduating high-school senior, Tereza, and a young army deserter are the principal characters in a movie dominated by dance and music. The film includes eleven major dance numbers: pictorial presentations of the most popular Czech hits of the 1960s. The filmmaker’s goal was to shoot a movie which, though set against a background of dire historical realities, offered a light gloss on all life’s positive aspects, notably love. The Rebels evokes a period that may be new to young viewers, but one which will prove a powerful memory for their parents and grandparents.

Cast / Anna Veselá , Soňa Norisová , Zuzana Norisová , Tomáš Hanák , Ľuboš Kostelný , František Němec , Alžbeta Stanková , Jiřina Bohdalová , Jan Révai , Jaromír Nosek    Writer / Zdeněk Zelenka , Filip Renč    DoP / Martin Šec    Editor / Jan Mattlach    Sound / Otto Chlpek , Radim Hladík jr.    Costumes / Kateřina Mírová

Release date / 07 February 2001