To celebrate the start of our new season of Czechoslovak New Wave cinema, members are invited to join us on Saturday 5 September to sample a taste of Czech culture. From 19:00, we'll be serving up traditional tipples (the first of which will be included in your ticket), turning the Atrium Bar into a local hospoda - the Czech equivalent of a pub, often regarded as a community living room for conversation and beer.
To add to the festivities and general merriment, thanks to the support of the Czech Centre London, we'll be joined by a line-up of folk musicians, who will perform an acoustic selection of Czech music from the 1950s and 1960s. Rather than performing concert style, you'll find them nestled at one of the tables. You'll be able to sip your drinks, catch up with friends and fellow members, and enjoy the performance by:
• Nela Greisslerová – Flute & vocals
• Milan Novotný– Ukulele & vocals
• Ladislav Prokop – Violin
At 20:30, we'll head into the screens for an introduction to the season by its curator George Crosthwait, followed by a screening of the fantastical feline feature The Cassandra Cat - the perfect starting place for the range of Czechoslovak New Wave films to come!
Tickets for the event are £17.50 each, and include a complimentary serving of Czech liquor or beer, access to the pre-screening event with live music, and an unallocated seat for the film (please note, the audience will be split across Screen 2 and Screen 3 for the film).
Event timings:
19:00 Drinks & folk music sessions in the Atrium Bar
20:30 Season intro by head curator George Crosthwait
20:45 Screening of The Cassandra Cat
22:30 Expected finish
About The Cassandra Cat:
Vojtěch Jasný's sumptuous, surreal satire is one of the most visually inventive and uninhibited films of the Czechoslovak New Wave. A travelling circus and its magical feline mascot arrive in a provincial Czech town, unleashing mayhem as they expose the virtues, vices and desires of its unruly inhabitants. Part modern fairy tale, part colourful political metaphor, The Cassandra Cat (also known as When the Cat Comes) is a unique, glorious comic fantasy.
