With the 10th anniversary of the Bermuda International Film Festival less than a month away, organisers have released details of two, three-film sidebar series to accompany this year’s main event.

Following on BIFF’s tradition of having sidebars showcasing the best in film of a focus country, this year three award-winning Czech features will be included in the nine-day event.

And, in an effort to build audiences for the future, three films especially selected for children will be screened during the festival, which runs March 16-24.

The focus on Czech film for BIFF 2007 seems a natural one given the country’s long reputation for excellence.

BIFF deputy director Duncan Hall pointed to the Czech New Wave of the 1960s as the high point of achievement in the industry, noting that films from then Czechoslovakia won the Best Foreign Film Oscars in 1965 and 1967 — ‘Shop on Main Street’ and ‘Closely Watched Train’ respectively.

“Few countries have a cinematic history as rich as the Czech Republic, which has maintained a consistent output of films stretching from the silent era to today,” Mr. Hall said.

Recent exports from the country have earned prizes and critical praise.

“Some observers are calling the current Czech filmmaking scene the New New Wave,” Mr. Hall said.

This New, New Wave draws on the industry’s traditional strengths, however, notes BIFF programmer Ondrej Hindl, a Czech Republic native.

“Modern Czech cinema is almost directly based on the styles and techniques that were used from 1964-68,” he said. “Harsh realism is mixed with comedy, a good dose of humanity, and there is usually a focus on a larger cast as opposed to a single main character.”

The films chosen for BIFF 2007’s Czech sidebar are the love story ‘Beauty in Trouble’ and comedies ‘Holiday Makers’ and ‘Rail Yard Blues’.

The films have collected prizes at festivals in both the United States and the Czech Republic.

All three will be presented in Czech with English subtitles.

[box] Beauty in Trouble (d. Jan Hrebejk, 110 minutes)

Director Jan Hrebejk and screenwriter Petr Jarchovsky touch upon complex inter-personal relationships in modern Czech society in this love story about an ordinary young woman, Marcela, who must choose between two men: her undeserving but beloved husband and an affable, wealthy, elderly foreigner. The elegant Czech-Italian represents a secure future for Marcela and her two children — but she enjoys a strong sexual chemistry with her husband, despite his faults. Under the guidance of these experienced filmmakers, a simple plot becomes an intricate genre piece with an unexpected ending.

[box] Holiday Makers (d. Jiri Vejdelek, 117 minutes)

Jiri Vejdelek’s comedy is based on a novel by the contemporary Czech writer, Michal Viewegh. Ostensibly about a trip to the Adriatic seaside by a motley crew of vacationers, the film develops as a series of comic incidents and absurd situations, revealing more about everyone than just their swimwear. There is sympathetic Jolana, her permanently quarrelling parents, two charming older women, a gay couple, the skirt-chaser Max, and the guide Pamela, who is intent on turning them into “a great gang”. Friendships, surprise meetings, summer romances and wild holiday passion are all on the menu in a story full of humour and gentle irony. The interaction between the tourists also reveals a great deal about modern Czech society.

[box]>Rail Yard Blues (d. Pavel Gobl and Roman Svejda, 90 minutes)

One of the most original Czech debuts in recent years, Rail Yard Blues is a lightly absurd tragicomedy that takes place at a small Czech railway station over one July week and follows the personal and professional relationships between the railway employees with a degree of hyperbole. The characters include the cleaner Gabina, who has just lost her prospective groom and, on the rebound, chooses dispatcher Ales as her new beau. But he has already been involved with the cashier Jaruse and is currently having an affair with the daughter of the fearsome ticket inspector Evzen. The combination of absurd caricature and realistic depiction of the everyday routine of railway staff make this film a delightful journey full of comic moments.

Equally intriguing in this year’s line-up are the three films selected to help children enjoy the festival as much as their parents.

The kids sidebar of BIFF 2007 stemmed from the popularity of the October BIFF Kids Film Festival — both are sponsored by Butterfield Bank.

‘A Walk in the Woods’ is a selection of short films geared specifically for children aged three and up. ‘The Ugly Duckling and Me’, an animated film, is for children six and up, while ‘Grave Decisions’ is a dark comedy for children ages 10 and up.

Detailed descriptions of the films follow:

n A Walk in the Woods$>United States 2006 / 51 minutes)

For more than 50 years, Weston Woods has been adapting the finest works in children’s literature to brilliant animated short films. Their faithful and fun renditions are frequent recipients of awards from educators and librarians. Each of these shorts is sumptuously animated and motivating for the youngster in all of us. ‘Musical Max’, a multi award winner features a small hippo with big musical talent. In ‘Trashy Town’, Mr. Gilly and his rats take us on a musical journey of cleaning up the city. ‘Miss Nelson is Back’, shows the students of Room 207 that their teacher might be better than they think. The non-verbal award winner ‘Patrick’ is a feel good short that will make you want to dance, as a drab world is brought to life by the discovery of a violin. George won’t bark in ‘Bark, George’, but this little pup wants to please his mother. Jules Feiffer’s book comes barking to life with narration by John Lithgow. Andy Richter is the voice of a garbage truck in ‘I Stink’, which not only shows the rambling adventure of trash collection but also teaches the alphabet.

[box] Thgly Duckling and Me<$> (Michael Hegner and Karsten Kiilerich / Ireland-Denmark-France-Germany 2006 / 90 minutes)

This heart-warming, adventure-filled animated film is a re-invention of one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most-loved fairytales, but this time the Ugly Duckling is accompanied by some memorable characters such as Ratso, a wannabe hit show manager; Ernie, the cat with a ventriloquist act; Jesse, Ugly’s first love; and Wesley the Worm, a dissatisfied actor, to name just a few. As Ugly Duckling is growing up, Ratso the rat, ends up being the only parent he can find and takes on the roles of both mother and father, leaving Ugly confused. Of course, it’s not like Ratso didn’t have enough on his plate already being on the run from a gang of nasty city rats and surrounded by hostile poultry in the inhospitable countryside. When his cousin, a comedian cat with a ventriloquist act who takes orders from his puppet, gets involved, life gets even stranger. And as Ugly develops — going through his awkward stage, meeting his first love, and experiencing the roller coaster of emotions in growing up — the odd pair form a solid familial bond.

[box] Grave Decisions (Marcus H. Rosenmuller / Germany 2006 / 104 minutes / German with English subtitles)

You can never be too young to be a murderer, thinks 11-year-old Sebastian, who is convinced that he killed his mother at the age of zero. The proof is on her tombstone: she died the day he was born! Though his father, Lorenz, tries to calm him, Sebastian is terrified by the thought of spending years in purgatory. Hoping to knock off a few years by doing good deeds, he sets out to find a wife for his dad. The heavens must be listening, since Lorenz and Sebastian’s teacher, Veronika, fall madly in love with each other. The only problem is: Veronika is married. But since Sebastian already killed his mother, surely it’ll be easy to kill a stranger. This dark comedy is a real crowd-pleaser for the younger set.lTickets to BIFF 2007 will go on sale in early March both online at www.biff.bm as well as at the festival’s physical box office at # 6 Passenger Terminal, Front Street, Hamilton.