The Czech Lion award-winner for Best Documentary and the Proxima Grand Prix at Karlovy Vary, Adéla Komrzý and Tomáš Bojar’s Art Talent Show explores the inner workings of the esteemed Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and their selection process for new applicants. I had the opportunity to catch up with the fascinating documentary at last year’s First Look presented by MoMI and now it’s been picked up by Film Movement for a theatrical release beginning March 22 at DCTV in NYC. Ahead of the release, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the trailer.
Here’s the synopsis: “Year after year, talent admission exams are held at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague to determine who among the many applicants will earn a coveted spot at the 220-year-old institution. By extension, those chosen will set the tone in the fine arts world for years to come. Professors from each of the school’s subdisciplines interrogate the nervous young applicants, who in turn must not only present their work but also answer for their own artistic beliefs and practice. Equally exhausted by this process, the instructors are confronted by their own set of questions: how can and should artistic talent be assessed? What role do institutions such as the Academy play in the 21st century? What does the next generation of great artists look like?”
“I was approached by the AVU board a few years ago to make a TV programme commemorating the school’s 220th anniversary,” said Adéla Komrzý. “I suggested I would in fact prefer to make a feature about talent tests at this prestigious art school. I was inspired by Claire Simon’s Le Concours which uncovers talent tests at the Paris-based La Fémis film school. The talent tests provide a favourable platform for asking questions such as: How do we search talents in the 21st century and which criteria do we use? Why do we need arts nowadays? What is an artist’s social role? What is the character and meaning of today’s art?”
See the exclusive trailer below.
Art Talent Show opens on March 22 and NYC’s DCTV.