A carefully composed observation of two newsrooms which, in March 2017, were avidly chasing after information about the Czech president’s decision whether or not to run for re-election. Two teams of reporters, one extraordinary event, and two takes on one “objective” piece of 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.

DIRECTOR Tomáš Bojar
SCREENPLAY Tomáš Bojar
D.O.P. Jiří Chod
EDITOR Šimon Špidla
SOUND Václav Flegl
PRODUCERS Tomáš Bojar
CO-PRODUCERS Jordi Niubó, Václav Flegl, Petr Novák
i/o post grading, online/VFX, DCP mastering

REVIEW  csfd.cz