Jan Palach

Presented by the Czech Center New York

Czech Republic/Slovakia. Dir. Robert Sedláček. 2018, 124 mins. Digital projection. With Viktor Zavadil, Zuzana Bydzovska. This year marks the 50th anniversary of a defining act of personal heroism in 20th-century Czech history. Jan Palach was a student who had risen from his peasant upbringing to become a leader of the movement protesting the presence of Soviet communism in the country. In January 1969, Palach burned himself to death in Wenceslas Square as an act of defiance against Russia’s attempts to crush the Prague Spring. Sedláček focuses on the personal side of the story, following Palach from childhood through his student years, to show his evolution. The film swept the Czech Film Critics awards, becoming the country’s most acclaimed movie of the year.

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