PANELSTORY OR BIRTH OF A COMMUNITY

In a newly built housing estate on the outskirts of Prague, nothing works: the streets have no names, the apartments are riddled with defects, infrastructure is lacking, and residents struggle not only with the uniformity and ugliness of the new buildings, but also with lies, infidelity, and mistrust. Panelstory weaves together a tragicomic mosaic of lives across several generations: a pregnant young woman beginning her life with optimism, her dissatisfied mother, a mischievous boy who feels at home amid the general chaos, and a grandfather visiting from the countryside who tries to connect with and help his isolated neighbours. Blending documentary elements with her distinctive personal style, Věra Chytilová creates a critical portrait of a system that fails on both a material and a moral level.

Originally scheduled for June 1980, the film’s premiere was delayed by censorship until December 1981, and it was initially screened in only three regions of Czechoslovakia. In 2025, the film was digitally restored by the Czech National Film Archive, in collaboration with the State Audiovisual Fund and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Screening presented in partnership with the Czech Centre.