The 43rd Academia Film Olomouc - International Festival of Popular-scientific and Documentary Films that came to an end Sunday, Apr 20, screened a total of 109 films from nearly 50 countries and hosted more than 12,000visitors. In the following weeks, a selection of festival films will tour the region; festival highlights will also be presented in other Czech cities as well as in a number of European countries, e.g., Poland, France and Belgium.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Jury: Brigitte Berg (Denmark), Peter Furtado (UK)
Irene Lichtscheidl (Austria), Paul Pissanos (Greece) and Robert A. Rosenstone (USA)

Award for Best International Popular-scientific Documentary Film

"In the Name of Roses"
Director: Thierry Berrod / France 2008 / 52 min.
With charm and humor Thierry Berrod sets off to gather excrements or roses as he calls them. The film offers a look into alchemists’ laboratories as well as much insight into the modern technologies involved in the processing of stools.

CZECH COMPETITION

Jury: Mgr. Pavel Černuška, Ph.D. (Czech Republic), Ing. Marcel Grün (Czech Republic), PhDr. Ivan Klimeš (Czech Republic), Tomáš Škrdlant (Czech Republic) and RNDr. Stanislav Vaněk (Czech Republic)

Award for Best Czech Popular-scientific Documentary Film

"Mr. Parkinson"
Director: Petr Jančárek / CZ 2007 / 26 min.
Coming to terms with a disease that turns one’s life upside down can be done with vast wisdom. A composer of classical music, whose movements have changed to something of a dance creation, wrote parodiable music that compliments the film. Brain surgery and its affects on family life projected on screen.

OTHER AWARDS

Lifetime Achievement Award in Popular-scientific Film: Nigel Marven
A biologist, filmmaker and a long-time BBC associate who has cooperated, among others, with Sir David Attenborough, a leading pioneer in promoting science on television. Today Marven is rightly considered among international celebrities in his field.

Audience Award

"Mr. Parkinson"
Director: Petr Jančárek / CZ 2007 / 26 min.
Coming to terms with a disease that turns one’s life upside down can be done with vast wisdom. A composer of classical music, whose movements have changed to something of a dance creation, wrote parodiable music that compliments the film. Brain surgery and its affects on family life projected on screen.

Student Jury Award

Jury: Vojtěch Hanulík, Zuzka Jašková
Ester Kadlecová, Josef Kaštil, Dominika Linhartová, Rodion Procjuk, Jan Přeček and Tomáš Vynikal

"Peace with Seals"
Director: Miloslav Novák / CZ 2007 / 96 min.
Peace with Seals is an extraordinary viewing experience of peaceful coexistence between seal and man. A feature-length documentary film creation of unique picture poetry produced in the Czech Republic.

SPECIAL MENTION

Vesmír magazine Award for Best Czech Documentary Film in Natural Sciences

"Fish’n’Pills"
Director: Tereza Tara / CZ 2007 / 20 min.
“Females know little about the causes, signs and side effects of hormone pill intake. Males lose their sexuality.” The black and white film tells of environmental hormonal pollution.

Dějiny a současnost magazine Award for Best Czech Documentary Film in the Humanities and Social Sciences

"Forgotten Transports"
Director: Lukáš Přibyl / CZ 2007 / 86 min.
The Forgotten transports to Byelorussia project was gradually developed in the years of 2000 – 2006 and consists of testimonies of individuals that survived practically unknown concentration camps in Latvia, Byelorussia, Estonia and Eastern Poland.

History Today magazine Award for Best International Documentary Film in the Humanities

"Nanking"
Director: Bill Guttentag & Dan Sturman / USA 2007 / 88 min.
The night before the Second World War broke out the Japanese military invaded Chinese territory and occupied the then capital city of Nanking, which subsequently set the stage for Japanese military barbarity and horror.

Award for Best Student Film - V. Ř. E. D.
JÁ (a music video for LAJKY)│Czech Republic, 2008
Director: Miloš Kameník

GUESTS
The 43rd Academia Olomouc - International Festival of Popular-scientific and Documentary Films welcomed the following guests: Josef Abrhám ml., Petr Baran, Václav Bělohradský, Luboš Bělka, Brigitte Berg, David Čeněk, Pavel Černuška, Jakub Červena, Jaroslav Flegr, Peter Furtado, Marcel Grün, Nikolaj Hrib, Vít Janeček, Pavel Jirásek, Ivan Klimeš, Natacha von Kopp, Jiřina Kosíková, Steve L. Lichtag, Irene Lichtsheidel, Petr Lokaj, Daniel Luther, Peter Lynch, Nigel Marven, František Mikeš, Miloslav Novák, Emil Paleček, Paul Pissanos, Lukáš Přibyl, Robert Rosenstone, Alice Růžičková, Martin Řezníček, Otakáro Maria Schmidt, Pavel Smetana, Jiří Straus, Jaroslav Šabata, Martin Škabraha, Tomáš Škrdlant, Pavel Štingl, Jiří Vácha, Stanislav Vaněk and others.

STUDIO
This section included a wide range of discussions, panels, lectures and film screenings. This year's main themes were: Year 1968: Global Revolt; Evolution, or a Miracle?; and Science Inside Out. Audiences had the opportunity to see several internationally renown documentary films, e.g. Project Grizzly, Cyberman, The Herd and A Whale of a Tale, by Canadian filmmaker Peter Lynch who attended the screenings.

The panel Evolution or a Miracle? brought together the supporters and opponents of the intelligent design theory vs. the evolution theory: philosopher Doc. Luboš Bělka, evolution biologist prof. Jaroslav Flegr, theologian and chemist Ing. František Mikeš, PhD., molecular biologist prof. Emil Paleček, and physiologist Prof. MUDr. Jiří Vácha, DrSc.

Prof. Robert A. Rosenstone from the California Institute of Technology gave a remarkable lecture supplemented with film clips that aimed to prove that the treatment of history in film can have a number of other aspects.

Prof. PhDr. Jiří Straus, DrSc. and Ing. Nikolaj Hrib delivered a successful lecture comparing the current practice of criminal investigation with the methods promoted by popular television shows, such as CSI Miami and others.

Alice Růžičková, Vice Dean at FAMU, dedicated her lecture to Czech popular-scientific film in the 1950s.

RETROSPECTIVE
At this year's festival, audiences had a chance to find out more about French filmmaker Jean Painlevé, a pioneer in ocean filmmaking. The screenings were introduced by Painlevé's former associate Brigitte Berg and film historian David Čeněk. Jean Painlevé made nearly 200 films, the AFO selection included e.g., The Sea Horse, The Vampire,
Notre planète la Terre, Hyas et stenorinques, Comment naissent les méduses, etc.

DOC.Port
A comprehensive video library that serves as an representative international market of popular-scientific films that offers a meeting point for producers, buyers, distributors and journalists. Each visitor with the AFO accreditation can visit the Doc.port and watch a broad selection of films. Apart from the competition films Doc.port contains also films that were not selected for the main competition. This year the DOC.Port database included 582 films from 50 countries. Hundreds of visitors watched films on DOC.Port during the festival; after the end of AFO, these films will still be available at the university library.