Still from the film Horí, Má Panenko (The Firemen's Ball) © Rights reserved
The Festival de Cannes pays tribute to Miloš Forman with The Fireman’s Ball.
The 71st Festival de Cannes couldn't possibly go ahead without honouring Miloš Forman, who passed away on 13 April this year. The Czech filmmaker will forever remain a part of Cannes history, with no fewer than six selections, including one in 1971 for Taking Off, winner of the Special Jury Prize. In his memory, the Cinéma de la Plage is screening a 4k restoration of Horí, Má Panenko (The Firemen's Ball), the comedy that marked Miloš Forman's career in more ways than one.
In The Firemen's Ball, his first colour film, Miloš Forman tells the story of the annual ball in a small provincial town where nothing goes to plan. Though veiled by humour and sarcasm, the film was widely interpreted as a critique of the Communist system, earning him state censorship in 1968 in the middle of the Prague Spring.
The Firemen's Ball by Miloš Forman – Extract The Festival de Cannes was a chance for Miloš Forman to show his film to the public. But luck was against him. France was also going through a crisis of its own; the social movement of May 68 did not spare the Festival, and The Firemen's Ball was one of several films that was not screened that year. It was eventually distributed in France thanks to the support of Claude Berri and François Truffaut.
The communist censorship of The Firemen's Ball had other consequences too: Miloš Forman decided to leave Europe for the United States. There, the film was nominated for the Oscar for best foreign film. And so began Miloš Forman's international career, whose most notable highlights include the brilliant Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
