'Wolf' packs prize at Pilsen fest

Prochazkova pic wins Golden Kingfisher

By WILL TIZARD

PRAGUE -- The Czech Republic's annual Pilsen Finale festival for domestic pics honored Maria Prochazkova's "Who Is Afraid of the Wolf" on Friday, capping a week that witnessed the continued growth of regional production and a marked expansion of genre films.

"Wolf," called by jurors "an innovative and commanding examination of a child's inner world," won the fest's Golden Kingfisher, while Zdenek Tyc's heartwarming "El Paso," the chronicle of a young Gypsy widow's struggle to provide for seven children, drew a special mention.

Docu nod went to Pavel Abraham's "RAPublic," a look at Czech street music and its powers to bridge racial barriers, while the jury also cited the avant-garde "Window an Eye of Heart, Into an Eye Window of, a Soul," by Dominik Krutsky, for finding its own film language.

Fest sidebars honored veteran Czech helmers Vera Chytilova and Frantisek Vlacil and screened pics shot under Soviet occupation in 1969, some of which have remained in vaults until the present day.