Martin Hrubý, Jana Pavlová / Czech Republic / 2014 / 31 min. / Czech / English subtitles

Bank buildings and savings banks of the 1990s are a distinctive phenomenon of the post-revolution transformation of society. At the time, these institutions were among the most frequently constructed building typologies, and their architecture became a symbol of the ambitions and confidence of the newly emerging economic sphere. Their appearance was also strongly influenced by the fading wave of postmodernism. Even at the time of their construction, the architecture of banking institutions sparked critical debate, with particular emphasis on the moral questions associated with the financial costs and the ostentatious form of these buildings. The documentary revisits the original concepts behind individual projects through interviews with architects Michal Gabriel, Vladimír Štulc and Jaromír Kročák, as well as footage of the interiors and exteriors of their buildings. It offers a retrospective look at a period that until recently remained a largely overlooked chapter in Czech architecture.

The film will be introduced by its author, Martin Hrubý.