Echt – The Art of Jan Merta

documentary portrait by Tomáš Merta
Ji.hlava IDFF – Czech Joy 2024

SYNOPSIS

Is this art, or can I throw it away?

Jan Merta (1952) is currently one of the most important Czech visual artists. In his painting work, shaped by the postmodernism of the 1980s, he leans towards abstract abbreviation and symbolic depiction of reality through everyday objects. The film is a snapshot of his life filled with painting, working in his garden and cohabitation with his partner. The civilian camera follows Merta as he prepares an exhibition for which he attempts to create new works. However, his engagement with the current geopolitical situation enters into the work, as well as the discovery of new compositional principles and creative otherworldliness that co-create his enchanted personal world.

PROJECT DETAILS

Original title: Echt – film o malíři Janu Mertovi
Length: 70 min
Country: Czech Republic
Produced by: Cinémotif Films
Co-produced by: Galerie Zdeněk Sklenář, Czech Television
Shooting format: Digital 2K/ Color
Screen ratio: 16:9
Format: 5.1, 25 fps
Original language: Czech
World premiere: Ji.hlava IDFF – Czech Joy 2024

CREDITS

Writer and director: Tomáš Merta
Producers: Tomáš Michálek, Martina Netíková
Co-producers: Zdeněk Sklenář
Czech TV Creative Producer: Jakub Mahler
Director of Photography: Tomáš Merta
Editor: Tomáš Merta, Soňa Jelínková
Supervising editor: Matěj Sláma
Music: Soňa Jelínková, Tomáš Merta, Dominik Dolejší
Sound: Dominik Dolejší
Dramaturgy: Tomáš Klein
Creative cooperation: Vadim Usoltsev
Main Protagonist: Jan Merta, Lenka Mertová