Breaking News

When journalists are denied access to a news story it just makes them all the more hungry for information. This was the case in March 2017, when the existing Czech president was preparing to announce whether or not he would be running for re-election. Except that the announcement was made at Prague Castle in the presence of a close circle of supporters and friends – reporters were not admitted. Documentary filmmaker Tomáš Bojar, who always tailors his formal concepts to suit the given subject matter, unobtrusively tracks staff at two different Czech newsrooms as they embark on their one-day scramble for this breaking news. At the same time he elegantly draws attention to the journalistic dimension of “objective” reporting, indiscriminately coloured by the views and attitudes of specific individuals. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)