Audition

Chronologically speaking, this film was the first that Miloš Forman shot and completed. Forman had by this time spent five years on the screenwriting line of film school, during which, according to his own statement, he became “good at seeing the mistakes of others and judging them categorically”. After that, for some years, he was an assistant, among other things, for film directors so talentless that they had only their own self-respect to lean on.

“It taught me to regard other people's efforts with a certain humility: they did the best they could,” Forman said.

Precisely that doctrine is noticeable in 'Audition'. A group of aspiring singers head to an entrance rehearsal in Prague's progressive Semafor theatre, and like the fly on the wall, Forman follows them. Not everyone has talent, but everyone has the dream and a dose of pride that doesn't always come through the whole process. The film had its cinema premiere shortly after 'Black Peter'.

Director: Miloš Forman
Starring: Jiří Suchý, Jiří Šlitr, Vera Kiřesadlová
Country/year: Czech Republic, 1963
Running time: 79 min.
Formato: DCP
Language: English subtitles
Age limit: Allowed for children over 15
Original title: Konkurs

Part of the series: Miloš Forman: Ambassador of Anarchy
Forman's films are often hilarious, but never just comedies. “I don't tell stories in black and white. I tell stories in gray,” he himself said. The Cinematek will unfold from 13 October the entire Miloš Forman feature film work — with the Czechoslovak films in autumn 2026 and the American films in early 2027.