Code name Holec

Movie
Original title	Code name Holec
Country of production	Austria , Czech Republic
original language	German , Czech , English
Publishing year	2016
length	100 minutes
Age rating	JMK 14
Rod
Director	Franz Novotny
script	Franz Novotny, ; Alrun Fichtenbauer , ; Martin Leidenfrost
production	Franz Novotny, ; Alexander Glehr , ; Vlasta Kristl , ; Monika Kristlová
music	Ondrej Brzobohatý
camera	Robert Oberrainer
cut	Karin Hammer
occupation
	Johannes Zeiler : Helmut Zilk ; Vica Kerekes : Eva; Kryštof Hádek : Honza David; David Novotný : Nahodil; Jenovéfa Boková : Zofie; Dana Marková : Diana; Gerrit Jansen : Markus; Ondrej Malý : Hadek; Vilma Cibulková : Studio Manager; Michael Fuith : Popp; Ondrej Brzobohatý : Oskar; Václav Helsus : Jarda; Heribert Sasse : Police chief Fuchs; Eva Spreitzhofer : Helga; Hilde Dalik : Susi; Jirí Vyorálek : Vacek; Paul Matić : Technician;

The code name Holec (Czech title Krycí jméno Holec ) is an Austrian - Czech coproduction from 2016 . The feature film , directed by Franz Novotny , tells a fictional story about Helmut Zilk , played by Johannes Zeiler . The film was shown for the first time on July 25th, 2016 as part of the Kino wie nie vor Festival , a joint project between the Filmarchiv Austria and the Viennale . The film was released in Austria on July 29, 2016, and in the Czech Republic on September 22, 2016. The screenplay by Franz Novotny, Alrun Fichtenbauer and Martin Leidenfrost is based on the story The Italian Connection ( Italská Spojka ) by director Jan Němec .

action

The film deals with the alleged espionage activities of the then ORF television director Helmut Zilk under the cover name Holec for the ČSSR in the 1960s. In the course of the Prague City Talks moderated by Zilk , a joint live discussion program on Czech and Austrian television, he met the young, system-critical director Honza David, whose last film was banned by Czech censors. Zilk keeps an eye on aspiring actress Eva at Honza's side. The Czech secret agent Nahodil does not miss this, who wants to win Zilk as an informant.

A few months later, in August 1968, Honza David films the violent suppression of the Prague Spring by Warsaw Pact troops. With his girlfriend Eva, he tries to escape and bring the film to TV director Zilk in Vienna. David sees this as an opportunity to tell the world about the injustice that is happening in the CSSR. Nahodil tries to blackmail Zilk with his weakness for Eva: he should send fake propaganda material instead of the facts and sell the occupation as liberation.

Honza manages to escape to Vienna with Eva and hands over his film material to Zilk. However, Nahodil brings Zilk's wife Helga under his control so that he puts the propaganda material on the air instead. Zilk initially shows excerpts from the propaganda material on television, but after a personal statement in which he explains the falsification to the television audience, he also shows David's material of the violent crackdown.

production

Director Franz Novotny with Eva Spreitzhofer and Johannes Zeiler during filming at Tiefen Graben in Vienna in November 2014

The shooting took place from September to November 2014, and the shooting took place in Vienna, Lower Austria and Prague. The film was supported by the Austrian Film Institute , the Vienna Film Fund , the Province of Lower Austria , as well as the Filmstandort Austria and the Statni Fund Cinematography ; Austrian Broadcasting and Česká televize were involved . The film was produced by Novotny & Novotny Filmproductions , with Dawson Productions as co-producer .

Quotes

“ The film is an interpretation of the events that Zilk is ascribed to during his frequent stays in Czechoslovakia. But I am absolutely convinced that Zilk was not guilty of anything. [...] I see no potential for scandal in the film, not in the least. "

- Franz Novotny : Zeit im Bild , November 2014

“ There can be no question of peeing on. "

- Franz Novotny : Kurier , June 27, 2016

Awards

As part of the Austrian Film Prize 2017 , Heribert Sasse was posthumously nominated for his portrayal of Police Chief Fuchs in the category Best Male Supporting Role.

criticism

derStandard.at described the film as a vintage-look crime thriller with Johannes Zeiler, an outstanding member of the ensemble, whereby the secondary characters are only useful for standing sentences and the motifs are not convincing with their credibility.

The daily newspaper Die Presse called the depicted Prague milieu artificial, but that in Vienna absolutely credible. In his cinema film, which is apparently based on a true story, Franz Novotny does not depict the big world of spies, but rather small Viennese filths that have remained inconsequential and continued: Heribert Sasse perfectly portrays the cynical police chief Fuchs, who somehow always also participates seems to be. You meet in the sauna - that's where the shame runs.