A GHETTO NAMED BALUTY (2008)

The exhibit accompanies the film on its tour of Czech cinemas

On the site of the former Jewish ghetto, Karel Cudlín created his own image of Baluty, a place where time has stood still, a place which is a reflection of all bad times.

Immediately after their first filming session in Lodz, director Pavel Štingl and cinematographer Míra Janek agreed that their team was missing a photographer who could discover his own vision of this strange world of Baluty. By an incredible coincidence, just as we were discussing this – Easter 2007 – Karel Cudlín was walking the streets of the former ghetto with his Leica. "He had been photographing, with the same sense of wonder, the strange scenery created by the ravages of time in this part of the world. We met by chance shortly after our return to Prague, each boasting of where we had been over Easter. We spent a long time wondering how we could have missed each other. The next time, we went together," says Pavel Štingl.

Karel Cudlín - biography
(born 1960, Prague)

Czech documentary photographer. Cudlín gained public attention as one of President Václav Havel's personal photographers. He is a seven-time prize winner in the Czech Press Photo competition. Most of his photographs have been made on the road – New York, Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, Russia, Romania, Moldavia and the Caucasus. He has spent many years looking at everyday life against the backdrop of the political conflict in Israel. Cudlín has participated in dozens of group exhibitions in the United States, the Czech Republic and all over Europe, and his works can be found in many private collections. Since 1994, he has published two monographs, co-authored the book Israel 50 and published a book on the National Theatre. He is currently also a contributor to Respekt magazine.