2000 through the eyes of Czech photo journalism
One of the most popular annual photo exhibits in Prague is the Czech Press Exhibition, which is housed in Old Town Hall. This year's entries and winning photographs went on show last weekend, and can be seen until the middle of January 2001. Radio Prague's Pavla Navratilova was at the opening and brings back this report:
The Czech Press Photo Competition is the largest and most prestigious prize awarded to professional photojournalists in the Czech Republic. This year the Old Town Hall will host an exhibition of over 300 photographs by 198 of the best media photographers in the country. I spoke to one of the organisers of this year's event, Daniela Mrazkova: Jaroslav Kucera's winning photograph can now be found all over the city on the advertisements for Czech Press Photo. I had the chance to ask him about his series of black-and-white photographs from the recent demonstrations in Prague against the IMF and World Bank:
"As far as the photos of the demonstrations are concerned, this series ranges as far back as 1969. Since I work freelance, I have the chance to photograph from a different perspective than the official viewpoint. The expressions of the people involved in these demonstrations seem to characterise the times perfectly, and these photos are a sign of the times, reflecting contemporary youth."
For Czech photographers, this is a very prestigious event; first they have the chance to exhibit their work from the previous year, second they have the chance to be praised for photos of quality which may not have otherwise had an audience. The exhibition shows the overall level of Czech photojournalistic ability, which has gained world-wide praise.
