Film expert Zaoralová receives Polish order of merit

Prague, July 18 (CTK) - Czech film critic Eva Zaoralova received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for her contribution to the development of a Czech-Polish cultural dialogue at the Polish Embassy in Prague Wednesday.

Zaoralova, who will turn 80 in November, was awarded mainly for her promotion of Polish film at the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary, west Bohemia.

She worked as the festival's artistic director in 1994-2010 and she has been its artistic adviser since 2011.

"Thanks to her interest and support, the festival in Karlovy Vary is the only film festival of A category where Polish cinematography has enjoyed a firm position since 1994," Polish charge d' affaires Marek Minarczuk said.

Thanks to Zaoralova, Polish film My Nikifor was presented in the main competition at the Karlovy Vary event in 2005 when it won the Crystal Globe main award for the best film. Its director Krzysztof Krauze and actress in the leading role Krystyna Feldman (1916-2007) also won in their categories.

In her speech Zaoralova spoke about her long relation to Polish film. She recalled Polish film-maker Andrzej Wajda and the film festival in Gdansk, Poland, in 1980 that she attended.

"I admired the courage of Polish film-makers then," she said, adding that she hoped the decoration would help her promote other Polish films in Karlovy Vary.

Zaoralova, member of the Czech Film and Television Academy's leadership, the European Film Academy and the International Federation of Film Press (FIPRESCI), received a high French decoration, the Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature, ten years ago.

She was a member of the juries at many prestigious film festivals, for instance, in Berlin, Cannes and Venice. She was given a medal for her journalistic work at the film festival in Cannes.

She received the Czech Culture Ministry's medal for her contribution to culture in 2002 and a medal of merit of 2nd degree from President Vaclav Klaus in 2010.