LFF: Solar Eclipse (Pod Sluncem Tma)

Two Czech engineers, Milan and Tomáš, are sent on a mission to restore a solar electric system in a remote village in Zambia. It had been installed several years earlier as part of an international aid project but has since fallen into disrepair. They discover a number of causes, ranging from poor maintenance to theft and corruption. Basically an observational documentary, Martin Marecek’s film analyses the course of events with an ironic perspective that raises uncomfortable issues around the clash of cultures. Marecek is best known for his two previous feature documentaries Dust Games / Hry prachu, which focused on demonstrations against the World Bank, and Source / Zdroj, about issues around the construction of the BP oil pipeline in Azerbaijan. Winner of the Czech critics’ prize,  Solar Eclipse is a collaboration between Marecek and the production team of Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda (Czech Dream / Cesky sen). (Peter Hames)