Kulka pro Heydricha (1941) (E03)

The Second World War breaks out and President Beneš’s government-in-exile, together with the intelligence service headed by František Moravec, attempts to revitalise a down-trodden nation. But the positions held by key players regarding possible courses of action, and their consequences, differ considerably. Divergent interests, however, ultimately lead to a joint decision to carry out a mission which simply cannot be postponed. In this ambitious television series, author and screenwriter Pavel Kosatík teamed up with director Robert Sedláček to accept a challenge to present unknown or even deliberately ignored perspectives on key events in Czechoslovak history. Their aim is not to set these events in stone; on the contrary, history is shown in all its ambiguity, and its prime movers are also revealed in situations that expose their weaknesses. The result is a vivid, well-conceived and provocative drama which clearly demonstrates that sometimes it’s not possible simply to wait for destiny to fulfil itself; history needs help to move on in order to avoid total stagnation. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)