Jiří Bartoška In Memoriam: Shadows of a Hot Summer

Set in the Beskydy Mountains two years after the end of WWII, the film follows shepherd Ondřej Baran (Juraj Kukura), who lives peacefully with his wife (Marta Vančurová) and two children on an isolated farmstead. Their quiet existence is shattered when a retreating band of Ukrainian nationalist paramilitaries—part of a guerrilla force fighting Soviet control—invades their home, seeking refuge and medical help for a wounded comrade on their flight to the West. As the family is taken hostage—along with the local doctor—Ondřej is thrust into a moral and physical battle, forced to protect his loved ones in the face of escalating violence and psychological torment.

Winner of the Crystal Globe at the 1978 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival andrecently restored for its 2024 KVIFF premiere, this powerful ballad of moral resistance and quiet heroism remains as urgent and resonant today as ever. A psychological thriller wrapped in poetic austerity, it stands as a lasting testament to the artistic legacy of both Jiří Bartoška and František Vláčil.

František Vláčil, Czechoslovakia 1977, 100’, English subtitles
Cast: Juraj Kukura, Marta Vančurová, Jiří Bartoška, Gustáv Valach, Robert Lischke

• Admission: £7 (+ Eventbrite fee)