Lichens Are The Way

Lichens, with nearly 20,000 species and a history spanning hundreds of millions of years, are essential yet often overlooked organisms. Lichens Are The Way explores their quiet significance through a poetic, philosophical lens, guided by a dialogue between experts Trevor Goward and Curtis Randall Björk. More than biological curiosities, lichens become symbols of symbiosis and a call to rethink growth, value, and coexistence.

“The film was shot on 16mm, and we had a very limited supply of raw stock. Choosing what to film was crucial—but not difficult. The ‘script’ didn’t come from my personal intent; it emerged from the story lichens tell through the shapes of their bodies.”

Fresh after its North American premiere at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, this enchanting festival favorite is coming to the Czech Center New York in a curated screening alongside two short experimental essays.

Five Hundred Plateaus, inspired by Deleuze and Guattari's A Thousand Plateaus, uses disorienting camera techniques to explore philosophical concepts like deterritorialization, rhizomatic perception, and the fluid boundaries between humans, animals, and plants. Some Thoughts on the Common Toad is a cine-collage manifesto in defense of beauty amidst political cynicism and environmental alienation, based on George Orwell's essay, narrated by Tilda Swinton.

Five Hundred Plateaus | dir. Andrea Slováková / 2020 / Czechia / no spoken word / 7 min.
Some Thoughts on the Common Toad | dir. G. Anthony Svatek / 2023 / USA / EN / 10 min.
Lichens Are The Way | dir. Ondřej Vavrečka / 2024 / Czechia, Slovakia / EN, CZ sub / 43 min.

Q&A: director Ondřej Vavrečka + producer Vít Janeček, moderated by Christopher Allen

The screening is organized in partnership with Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival as part of the Echoes of Jihlava project.

Ondřej Vavrečka (*1980) is a filmmaker, musician, artist, and teacher. He studied programming, philosophy, linguistics, and film at FAMU. In addition to directing films such as The Interposed (2014), De Potentia Dei (2016), and Personal Life of a Hole (2020), he also creates paintings, sculptures, costumes, and writings that explore the possibilities of the film medium.

Vít Janeček (*1970) is a Czech director, screenwriter, producer, publicist, and educator. He studied film history at the Department of Film Studies at Charles University in Prague and documentary filmmaking at FAMU. As a director, he is known for both his socially engaged works (Race to the Bottom, Common Sense) and his more poetic films (Ivetka and the Mountain). In 2014, he co-founded the production company D1film with his wife, filmmaker Zuzana Piussi. In 2023, he joined economist Viera Hladišová and director Václav Kadrnka in taking over the operation of Prague’s historic Atlas cinema.

Christopher Allen is a documentary producer/director and multidisciplinary programmer. A Columbia graduate, he co-founded UnionDocs and led it as Executive Artistic Director. His collaborative projects—including Living Los Sures, Just to Get By, and Capitol of Punk—have engaged hundreds of artists and communities. His work has shown at MoMA, and he’s been twice named one of Brooklyn’s most influential by Brooklyn Magazine. He has juried festivals like RIDM and Doc Lisboa, and collaborates on live media works like Say Something Bunny!

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