Photos by Natalie Mitchell, (Brown University), Student Correspondent for CET Film Production at FAMU, Fall 2023
Pho Bibo (Prague 4)
This September, I spent many days exploring my Prague 4 neighborhood and just blocks away is a pho shop that has quickly become a favorite for me and many of my peers in CET. But everywhere you go in Prague, you can see how the city’s Vietnamese population has greatly influenced its day-to-day culture, not only in terms of food.
Old Town
Speaking of food, it’s time for lunch! While taking classes at Studio FAMU, we are also just a short walk from the narrow, winding streets of Old Town. Here is my class headed to lunch between classes at a place called Anežka, courtesy of Adriana from CET’s FAMU Program Coordinator.
National Gallery of Prague: Fair Trade Palace
Another trip outside of the classroom, this time with our Czech teacher who brought us to the National Gallery of Prague in Prague 7. There, we visited an exhibition on art in the 19th century featuring pieces by Kupka, Monet, and Gaugin, to name a few. To je moc zajímavi!
Studio FAMU
Our first week at Studio FAMU featured a rigorous schedule of meetings, workshops, and introductions as we each prepared to pitch our short film synopses. It was a really unique and enriching experience to hear feedback from mentors and professors not only on my work but feedback on my peers’ work as well.
Here we are after finding out which eight films were selected for this semester (right image). Our mentors brought us all to a nearby café, and we talked amongst all of us to figure out who would be assigned to which team in addition to its writer/director.
Český Krumlov
Despite our busy schedules, during September, the program got to go on two excursions. The first was to Český Krumlov, a UNESCO heritage sight two hours south of Prague, where we toured its well-preserved castle and Renaissance town.
Sparta Prague
And there’s always time for fun while still in Prague, like when CET took us to a Sparta Prague hockey game (we won, btw). Spartu jede!
Berlin and Potsdam Excursion
September came to a close as we went on our second excursion, this time to Babelsberg Film Studios in Potsdam and Berlin. It was really interesting for me to learn about film history from a non-American perspective, as well as getting to see some of the sets still in production at Babelsberg.
Another moment from the Berlin trip, where we had a walking tour around the city’s historical landmarks (right image). We visited the Brandenburg Gate, the Tiergarten, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Checkpoint Charlie, and— of course— the wall. In this moment, I reflected on how this city has been a sight of change and conflict for centuries and yet continues to fight for the well-being of all its people today.