Shadow Country
Czech Republic | 2020 | 135 min. | director: Bohdan Sláma | DoP: Diviš Marek | screenplay: Ivan Arsenjev | cast: Magdaléna Borová, Stanislav Majer, Csongor Kassai, Barbora Poláková, Pavel Nový, Petra Špalková, Zuzana Kronerová, Ági Gubíková
Bohdan Sláma’s first historical film follows the stories of the inhabitants of a small border village during the dramatic events of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Individual members of the community are subjected to the cruel trials of Nazism and Communism, which they each deal with it in their own way. The black-and-white camera of Diviš Marko, with whom Sláma has collaborated since his student film Acacia White, records the village chronicle in tight moving shots with great depth of space.
Born in 1964 in Prague, Diviš Marek is one of the most renowned Czech cinematographers. He graduated from FAMU in 1996 with the film Acacia White. He won the Czech Lion for Best Cinematography for Bohdan Sláma’s film Štěstí/Happiness. He has worked with Bohdan Sláma on all his films since he graduated from FAMU: Bába z ledu/Ice Mother (2016), Čtyři slunce/Four Suns (2012), Venkovský učitel/The Country Teacher (2008), and Divoké včely/Wild Bees (2001). He was also nominated for a Czech Lion Award for the film …a bude hůř/It’s Gonna Get Worse by Petr Nikolaev. He also participated in several films by director and screenwriter Vladimír Morávek: Nuda v Brně/Boredom in Brno (2003), Hrubeš a Mareš jsou kamarádi do deště/Hrubeš and Mareš, Friends Come Rain or Shine (2005).
Born in 1964 in Prague, Diviš Marek is one of the most renowned Czech cinematographers. He graduated from FAMU in 1996 with the film Acacia White. He won the Czech Lion for Best Cinematography for Bohdan Sláma’s film Štěstí/Happiness. He has worked with Bohdan Sláma on all his films since he graduated from FAMU: Bába z ledu/Ice Mother (2016), Čtyři slunce/Four Suns (2012), Venkovský učitel/The Country Teacher (2008), and Divoké včely/Wild Bees (2001). He was also nominated for a Czech Lion Award for the film …a bude hůř/It’s Gonna Get Worse by Petr Nikolaev. He also participated in several films by director and screenwriter Vladimír Morávek: Nuda v Brně/Boredom in Brno (2003), Hrubeš a Mareš jsou kamarádi do deště/Hrubeš and Mareš, Friends Come Rain or Shine (2005).