International premiere
Girl America
To understand who we are as adults, we must look back on our childhood.
A little girl and a socialist orphanage. It is a strict children’s institution. How to overcome fears, insecurity and loneliness? To do this, the girl creates another self to talk to and argue with. And, of course, the dream of America where everything is beautiful and good. Where her father lives and waits for her. A girl and her foster family. There’s plenty of everything, but it doesn’t feel right. Emma’s trials don’t end there. Again and again, she must find the strength to hope, the stamina to live.
Viktor Tauš has created his own system of cinematographic signs in this film. It’s fine if the viewer doesn’t understand all the visual nuances of each scene, which the author uses to create meaning in the film. Emotion is the main thing that gets to the heart of the viewer. The authors do not tell us a straightforward story, they do not offer social realism. It is a deep drama, but it is steeped in the emotionally rich images of the reality and fantasy of Emma’s emotional memory. This is without doubt an exceptional film in the Czech auteur cinema.
Mihkel Möölman
Viktor Tauš (1973) is a Czech director, producer, and actor who has created films that have achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success. He began making films as a documentarian in the 1990s while studying at the Film and Television School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. In 1999, Viktor Tauš released his debut feature film “Kanarék” – an autobiographical story about his drug addiction. Although the film received positive reviews, it did not achieve box office success. However, his second film, released in 2008, was a successful sequel to Karel Smyczek’s 1983 teen comedy “Snezenky a machri”. The tragicomedy “Clownwise” (2013), was nominated for eight Czech Lion awards by the Czech Film Academy. Tauš has made over 20 films and has successfully produced films for other directors as well.
Kanárek (1999), Snezenky a machri po 25 letech (The Great Thaw, 2008), Klauni (Clownwise, 2013), Amerikánka (Girl America, 2024)
Grand Prix for The Best Film, grant of 20 000 euros from the city of Tallinn, Award for Best Director, grant of 5000€ from Alexela
