EXHIBITIONS
New York 1964 | Modern Czech photography by Marie Šechtlová in the American Center main rooms (July-August)
The American West Through Your Eyes | An exhibition of contest winners’ photos in the American Center foyer
American guide | Information brochures, leaflets and maps about travelling in the U.S. in the American Center Library (July)
Scouting in America | Exhibition to commemorate the centennial of the American Boy Scouts in the American Center Library (August)
PROGRAMS
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The Big Energy Gamble | Summer documentary series
When: 3:00 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is betting on green. He wants to roll California’s green-house gas emissions back to their 1990 levels, and he’s promising Californians that their lifestyles – and their pocketbooks – won’t feel the pinch. But is Schwarzenegger gambling with his state’s economy? The movie examines California’s aggressive pursuit of a sustainable energy future. 56 minutes.
The movie will be screened in English.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The Great Robot Race | Summer documentary series
When: 3:00 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Twenty-three bizarre looking vehicles line up at the starting gate of the DARPA Grand Challenge with one thing in common: there’s nobody behind the wheel. Sponsored by the Pentagon’s research agency, this race for robotic, driverless vehicles has a $2 million prize. Its ultimate goal is to gather new ideas for the future of unmanned warfare. 56 minutes
The movie will be screened in English.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
American Photography: A Century of Images | Summer documentary series
When: 3:00 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Dramatic and intimate stories trace photography’s role as a recorder of public events, family historian, vehicle for artistic expression, and tool for influencing public opinion. Whether it’s the evocative art photography of Edward Weston, the first image of a fragile Earth taken from space, glamorous photographs of the latest fashions or a powerful World War II image by Robert Capa, the program captures images of a century of change and the role the camera has played in both documenting and creating it. 160 minutes
The movie will be screened in English.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
ABC American States (East) | Discussion
When: 4 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Director of the American Center and former foreign correspondent in Washington for Czech Radio, Miroslav Konvalina will present a mosaic of attractions from East American states. He will also share his own experiences and stories. The program is prepared in connection with the Czech Radio 2 - Praha series about American states.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Let Freedom Sing: How Music Inspired the Civil Rights Movement | Summer documentary series
When: 3:00 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Let Freedom Sing: How Music Inspired the Civil Rights Movement retells one of the greatest stories in American history in a dramatically new way. Billie Holiday’s song about lynching, “Strange Fruit,” and the scalding bitterness of Big Bill Broonzy’s “When Do I Get to Be Called a Man?” take us back to the era of brutally enforced segregation. And then the story sweeps us to the heart of the movement in the 1960s and explores its continuing impact on music, politics and culture in the decades that followed. 162 minutes
The movie will be screened in English.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Cult of the Suicide Bomber | Summer documentary series
When: 3:00 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Modern-day suicide bombers who strike fear into the heart of Western cities are a relatively recent phenomenon. In this groundbreaking documentary, ex-CIA agent Robert Baer reveals the fascinating story of the world’s first suicide bomber, 13-year-old Hossein Fahmideh – who was martyred in the Iran-Iraq war and is now a hero in Iran – and visits his highly decorated grave in the graveyard of martyrs just outside Teheran. 96 minutes
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Too Long a Solitude | Reading by James Ragan
When: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
James Ragan, author of award-winning collections of poetry, whose works have been translated into ten languages, will read from his most recent book of poetry “Too Long a Solitude” (2009). James Ragan has read for six heads of state and at Carnegie Hall and the United Nations. He served for 25 years as the Director of the University of Southern California's Professional Writing Program and more recently as Visiting Distinguished Professor at the University of Oklahoma and Charles University in Prague.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Illicit: The Dark Trade | Summer documentary series
Based on the book, Illicit, by Dr. Moisés Naím, the movie travels the globe to expose the dire consequences of this dirty industry: money laundering, political corruption, and the subversion of entire governments. From knock-off handbags and bootlegged compact discs to fake pharmaceuticals, this hard-hitting special reveals how consumer’s insatiable demand for counterfeit merchandise has given birth to a vast criminal system that must be battled every single day. 52 minutes
The movie will be screened in English.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
ABC American States (East) | Discussion
When: 4 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Director of the American Center and former foreign correspondent in Washington for Czech Radio, Miroslav Konvalina will present a mosaic of attractions from West American states. He will also share his own experiences and stories. The program is prepared in connection with the Czech Radio 2 - Praha series about American states.
The discussion will be in Czech.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Design/e2 (The Economies of Being Enviromentally Conscious) | Summer documentary series
When: 3:00 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
The original three-part series explores the vitality of the environment through eco-friendly architecture. Green for All follows architect and activist Sergio Palleroni as he continues his mission to provide design solutions to humanitarian crisis region. Gray to Green takes the notion of the three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) to grand proportions by turning Boston’s “Big Dig” waste into spectacular residential design. China: from Red to Green? depicts a country at its tipping point and finds a sustainable solution in Steven Holl’s Beijing project. 90 minutes
The film will be screened in English..
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The Future of Journalism | Lecture
When: 5 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Lecture by William Densmore, who will speak about making a market for digital information, as well as some of his other projects. Professor Densmore is a career journalist, publisher, and entrepreneur. He is also the director of the the Media Giraffe Project, New England News Forum, and a collaborator on Journalism That Matters. He will stop by Prague before going to lecture at the Summer Journalism School in Havlickuv Brod.
The lecture will be in English with Czech translation.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Pray the Devil Back to Hell | Summer documentary series
When: 3:00 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Pray the Devil Back to Hell is gripping account of a group of brave and visionary women who demanded peace for Liberia, a nation torn to shreds by a decades old civil war. The women’s historic, yet unsung achievement finds voice in a narrative that intersperses contemporary interviews, archival images, and scenes of present-day Liberia together to recount the experiences and memories of the women who were instrumental in bringing lasting peace to their country. 60 minutes
The movie will be screened in English.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Discover Nashville | Musical Program
When: 6:00 p.m.
Where: Wratislav Palace garden, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Come to the American Center’s garden at Wratislav Palace and join us for a discovery of the capital of country music. Musicians who visited and performed in Nashville as well as long time Czech-American residents will recreate the most famous town in the state of Tennessee. Of the hundreds of musical styles competing for attention on the airwaves and Internet in the US, country music is the most popular. Come to see handmade banjos made by Jaroslav Průcha, which made their way to Nashville and to the hands of country music legends.
Nashville’s musical history dates back to 1927, when a radio broadcaster changed music from the Grand Opera to the more popular Barn Dance Show, introducing the selection as the ”Grand Ole Opry”. A musical legend was thus born and has flourished ever since.
The program will be held in Czech.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Inside the Meltdown | Summer documentary series
When: 3:00 p.m.
Where: American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1 - Malá Strana
Inside the Meltdown chronicles the inside stories of the Bear Stearns deal, the Lehman Brothers’ collapse, the propping up of insurance AIG and the $700 billion bailout. The film examines what Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairmen Ben Bernanke didn’t see, couldn’t stop and haven’t been able to fix. 60 minutes
The movie will be screened in English.
