Another year of the Ostrava Kamera Oko is coming up – the progressive film festival will celebrate its fifteenth anniversary this year
The Ostrava Kamera Oko International Film Festival will take place for the fifteenth time this year, this time in a new date from November 15th to 19th. It will offer traditional curatorial selections, short and feature competition films, as well as an intense audiovisual program. This year, we are going to join forces with the Women Cinematographers Prague initiative. Now, OKO is unveiling the visual design of the 15th edition and preparing the sale of accreditations, which will be available in the GoOut network from June 1st.
CHANGE OF DATE
The Ostrava Kamera Oko festival usually took place at the end of September and beginning of October. This year, for the first time, it will be held from November 15th to 19th.
“For years, we have had a strong partnership with the PLATO Gallery, which not only provides us with venues, but also with facilities for the festival crew and the accreditation centre, and assists us in technical and personnel aspects of the festival. For this anniversary edition, PLATO has once again offered us a very accommodating form of cooperation, which, however, could only be realized in November. Moreover, we had already considered postponing the date, in view of other domestic film festivals and the academic semester,” explains festival director Gabriela Knýblová.
VISUAL STYLE OF THE 15TH EDITION
This year’s visual style of the Ostrava Kamera Oko, designed by graphic artist Matěj Sumec, is inspired by bubble wrap material, which will also play a significant role in creating the festival’s scenography.
“The visual identity of OKO is based on a clearly defined system, consisting of a network of dots derived from the bubble wrap form. This serves as the foundation for all visual materials and will also become one of them during the festival. The visual identity is designed to spark curiosity and convey a sense of playfulness and mystery on multiple levels,” says Matěj Sumec.
Playfulness is also present in the graphic element of motion phasing, which builds upon the work of Eadweard Muybridge and the beginnings of cinematography in the 19th century. “The dotted dog replaces the running horse, and scientific inquiry is replaced by natural joy,” adds the author of this year’s visual identity.
COLLABORATION WITH WOMEN CINEMATOGRAPHERS PRAGUE
The overall impression of participating in the Ostrava Kamera Oko and its impact on all the visitor’s senses have become a characteristic feature of the festival in recent years.
Apart from the traditional concept of the camera in film, the festival focuses on visuality itself and the context in which film and other audiovisual works are created. That is why this year, the Women Cinematographers Prague initiative will be involved in the festival’s preparation, presenting Czech women cinematographers and raising awareness of the specific challenges they face in their profession.
Festival accreditations will be available for purchase starting from June 1st through the GoOut network. For more information, please visit https://ostravakameraoko.com.
OKO is financially supported by the State Cinematography Fund, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Statutory City of Ostrava, and the Moravian-Silesian Region.
