Chrysanthepop Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda come up with an innovative idea to film a documentary comedy about advertising a supermarket...that doesn't exist. The film shows the viewer the whole process from planning, advertising to building a 'front'. The only part that hasn't been done is the making of the actual supermarket. Through this film they show the power of advertisement, which is a multi-billion dollar industry and the influence it has on the common citizen and that corporate companies really know every button to press in order to successfully manipulate consumers.In this film, thousands of people excitedly gather together, with family or friends, to 'raid' the non-existent supermarket which is to 'open' at 10:00. Some have even arrived as early as 7:00 a.m. 'Ceský Sen' has sparked a lot of controversy. Many Czech people were infuriated as they felt betrayed and conned and infuriated that the government spent so much money on advertising. Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda have tackled significant issues and pointed out how people have almost become 'pawns' to corporate industries.'Ceský Sen' is also a well made film. Shot in mock documentary style, Klusák and Remunda bring a lot of humour while touching on various issues relevant to today's economy. Even though they have angered a lot of people, they have awakened many through their poignant film.

dr_araman I saw this at ICAF film festival last week and it was something amazingly interesting for a novice attempt by two students of a film institute. The way the ad campaign is prepared is an eye opener for all. It shows how any thing can be sold if dressed up well enough. The reaction of the Czech people is not much different from what I would expect from people in India - the only difference is ... we Indians can relate to it much better , being subjected to such fooling time and again by our corrupt politicians who take people for a ride every election and drop them dead until the next election to be revived again to face the same ordeal....and it is amazing that people don't learn anything at all. They die and get reborn to this stupid game any number of times, as if it is reward enough, by itself! I liked the way the two students owned up at the end and faced the people explaining why they did what they did... and it makes sense that the media is powerful enough to make things happen and by the same token it can also help open up the people's awareness to a level where they can put an end to state sponsored manipulation and duping. Overall it is a nice documentary to watch and learn from. Excellent direction, editing and photography and simple but brilliant plot. I came out much satisfied after seeing it -a film worthwatching.

Polaris_DiB Everyone with any opinion about advertising (which, in this hyper-mediated world, is pretty much anyone) has at LEAST a half-aware understanding of the ability of advertising to affect their lives. Czech Dream is a movie about just that, as two student filmmakers design an ad campaign for a product that doesn't even exist, a hypermarket (which is, from what I saw in the movie, sort of a mix between a wholesale market and a supermarket) that advertises its opening day by saying such things as, "Don't come!" and "Don't spend!" Two thousand people arrive anyway.This documentary is most effective in its complete simplicity. The filmmakers and crew take no time trying to hide their judgment or view from the movie--you can even see the mics, lighting set ups, other cameramen, and so on--because the idea here is NOT to create a so-called objective documentary but to show much more directly and personally the power of advertising over people. This power is something everyone perceives, but not as many people really believe in, until something like this occurs and two thousand people are left on a field with nothing in it but a banner.Czech Dream is full of wonderful details. Vit and Filip spend little time detailing the actual process, focusing more on the message that the ads are trying to create, and allows most of the film's time to settle on people's comments about it. The self-serving dialog of the advertisers ("Oh, I think this is a horrible thing, but we're professionals and so we'll do it. It's like a doctor who has to save a rapist" "I like being an advertiser, you know, I like going out with my friends and knowing that I am the one that moves the world" "Filmmakers lie, advertisers don't lie") is well foiled by the reactions of the crowd of people who actually arrived, whose opinions range from "Hey, I know what this is, this is two people trying to get us outside for once! Let's have a picnic!" to "I'm going to take you to court for this!" and who, amazingly, take very little time in connecting the event to its political meaning (one that the filmmakers didn't really intend).One thing about this documentary I find particularly interesting, though, is how much it focuses on "Czech" aspects of it, even though there's nothing besides that one word that makes it any different from any other ad campaign. The fake hypermarket is called "Czech Dream" to create a sense of consumerist paradise, of course, but most of the reactions of everyone involves the idea that they were lead to be tricked BECAUSE they were Czech (which some people are angry about, others amused), when in fact a situation like this can occur anywhere advertising of this type exists (everywhere? Maybe not in the third world, but that's contestable as well). Of course, here in the United States, if anyone did this, they'd get sued or something (Americans have no sense of humor). But still, the message is surprisingly universal despite how personalized and small the two filmmakers tried to make it.--PolarisDiB

francesca (frances-29) are we really that stupid? sorry but it seems so.. great idea..the guys that actually did this are amazing and so down to earth..they showed up at tiff (well, one of them did) and you could really realize who comes up which such ideas...young freaks (and it's a compliment) that are convinces that something they do can actually change the way people think, even if at a small range (perhaps far too small)..has it changed anyone? well, the czechs may have some unresolved problems (the boys are actually suing the government :))..but it seems as the movie continues its road along europe it becomes more obvious that such a prank was all so needed..a wake up call maybe for europe..to ad or not to ad..to believe everything they sell or not to believe anything they sell