The Melbourne Cinémathèque & ACMI present
Celebration in the Botanical Garden
When
Wed 30 Sep 2026
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Called the “Bruegel of Slovak film” by Václav Macek, brilliant New Wave director Havetta – FAMU professor Karel Kachyňa considered him his most talented student – made only two rambunctious features before dying at the age of 37. Inspired by French Impressionism, Slovak folk art, the commedia dell’arte and silent cinema, Havetta’s feature debut is a riotous bacchanale made against the grim backdrop of the summer of 1968 – the Warsaw Pact invasion occurred during filming.
Pierre (Slavoj Urban), a wanderer from France, brings new life to a Carpathian village, sparking episodes of manic exuberance and cinematic invention, with one of Liška’s most euphoric scores rollicking along throughout.
2K DCP courtesy of the Slovak Film Institute.
Films in this program
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About Melbourne Cinémathèque
Australia's longest-running film society, Melbourne Cinémathèque screens significant works of international cinema in the medium they were created, the way they would have originally screened.
Melbourne Cinémathèque is self-administered, volunteer-run, not-for-profit and membership-driven.
