This year’s theme is space colonisation. The festival will bring a deeper view of human nature and our place in the universe. Credit: Future Gate.
Brno, Sep 13 (BD) – The largest Central European festival of sci-fi films and culture, Future Gate, will start its jubilee 10th year on 26 September in Prague’s Lucerna cinema, before moving to Brno. In addition to the main film competition, the programme will once again also feature genre classics, documentaries, a competition for student films and anticipated previews, including the movie ‘Generation F’ with Emilia Clarke.
This year’s theme is space colonisation. The festival will bring a deeper view of human nature and our place in the universe. “Earth is one of the many planets in the universe. What would happen if we left our proverbial pale blue dot and set off on new adventures?” said organiser Filip Schauer, explaining the theme. “What secrets of the universe would we discover? And how would these new experiences reflect on our society and ourselves? What if we met another intelligent species and the result of extraterrestrial evolution. It would certainly shake up our idea of ourselves and our place in the universe.”
Films, documentaries, competition
For the main festival competition this year, the dramaturgs selected six of the most interesting from the hundreds of films submitted, representing the best sci-fi films of the last 18 months.
The festival will open with ‘Generation F’, a sensitive film by director Sophie Barthes starring Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor as a married couple who use experimental new technology to design their children and parenthood in advance. Steven Soderbergh-produced ‘The Immortal’ is a visually and musically charged black-and-white experimental film directed by Eddie Alcazar, starring Stephen Dorff and Bella Thorne. The French animated sci-fi noir ‘Mars Express’ takes inspiration from classics such as RoboCop and Ghost in the Shell.
Another French film in the competition is ‘Astronaut’, a drama both directed by and starring Nicolas Giraud as a technician of the European Space Agency who wants to fulfil his lifelong dream of flying into space, assisted by Mathieu Kassovitz. ‘Something’s in the Air’ is a mystery-thriller with elements of mockumentary directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, also behind the sci-fi series Synchronic. The animated Hungarian film ‘White Plastic Sky’ takes place in a world where people in their fifties must allow themselves to be turned into trees to keep humanity from dying out.
Genre legends section
This out-of-competition programme will feature films that have had a major impact on the development of science fiction. 1981’s ‘Scanners’ is a sci-fi body horror film that launched David Cronenberg into mainstream cinema. The iconic adaptation of Robert A. Henlein’s book ‘Starship Troopers’, directed by Paul Verhoeven, is one of the best films of the 1990s, and its social commentary is still relevant. The now classic film adaptation of Douglas Adams’ cult work ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ features Martin Freeman in the role of Arthur Dent, who escapes Earth a second before its destruction and embarks on an intergalactic trail with his alien friend Ford Prefect, played by Mos Def.
Documentary section
The festival’s theme of space colonisation will be prominently reflected in the documentary category. American director Brett Ryan Bonowicz examines the work and legacy of artist and futurologist Roy Scarfo in his film ‘Beyond the Edge of Tomorrow’. ‘The Longest Separation’ is about the upcoming journey of astronauts to Mars, focusing on a savvy NASA psychologist tasked with preparing the crew for the longest space mission in history. The interstellar journey of ‘Space Excursion’ will provide a glimpse into the deepest reaches of nature’s imagination, charting a path for future pioneers who may one day discover the landscapes of other planets that we can barely imagine. Finally, the honest and open documentary ‘Call Me Bill’ is dedicated to sci-fi icon William Shatner.
The collection of documentaries will be complemented by a nostalgic five-hour journey through the sci-fi films of the 80s, ‘The Search for Tomorrow’, which examines their impact and significance up to the present day. It is narrated by the creators of the films themselves, as well as those who were inspired by them.
Two important films will receive a special presentation at the festival. After a long time, ‘Bod obnovy’ is a Czech sci-fi film that has made it out of the country and is successfully representing Czech domestic genre cinematography at foreign festivals. The festival will also present a preview of the feature film ‘The Creator’, by Gareth Edwards. In addition, the festival will feature a selection of short films and a programme for families with children.
After the main events in Prague and Brno, the ‘Echoes of Future Gate’ touring programme will visit Pilsen, Hradec Králové, Šumperk and Košice.
The program and tickets for the festival are available at futuregate.cz. Brno Daily is a media partner of this event.
Where and when?
- Prague: 26 September – 2 October, Cinema Lucerna
- Brno: 3 – 8 October, Kino Art, Brno Observatory and Planetárium
- Pilsen: 11 – 12 October, Depo2015
- Šumperk: 13 – 14 October, Cinema Oko
- Košice: 13 – 15 October, Cinema Úsmev
- Hradec Králové: 20 – 21 October, Bio Central
