Public Lighting

David wakes up in the middle of the night during another fight between his parents. He doesn't want to listen to them again, so he puts on his headphones and leaves for the city. The sidewalk determines his trajectory, from which he gradually breaks away and, through contemplation of the public world, explores his inner world. The world calls him to the club, to the street, to the taxi. He drifts through the night until morning. The public lighting will never stop shining.

  • Aleš Pojar
    Director
  • Aleš Pojar
    Writer
  • Petr Juračka
    Producer
  • Vratislav Bureš
    Key Cast
  • Anežka Kosková
    Key Cast
  • Vendula Spáčilová
    Key Cast
  • Martin Chovanec
    Key Cast
  • Petr Pajpach
    Key Cast
  • Petra Pajpachová
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Veřejné osvětlení
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    drama, contemplative, minimalistic
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 17, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Czech Republic
  • Country of Filming:
    Czech Republic
  • Language:
    Czech
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Czech Republic
Director Biography - Aleš Pojar

He graduated Creative Hill College film high school in Zlín, Czech Republic. He is currently continuing his film education at the Faculty of Multimedia Communications at Tomas Bata University also in Zlín, where he is studying film directing and scriptwriting. During his studies, he created the short film “Black Sheep” (2018) about a man, who migrated from Czechoslovakia due to censorship of his art work. He also created a portrait of abstinent drug addict Václav Smazal “I wanna be even better” (2019) and “Key number 8” (2021) about the difference of inner worlds. He concludes his bachelor’s studies with the short, contemplative film “Public lighting” (2023). He is also directing commercial videos and live broadcasts under his creative group label production. He cooperates with IS Produkce, KVIFF.TV or Zlín Film Festival.

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Director Statement

The night transforms everything around into a completely different world. It highlights elements unseen and unheard during the day, even within our minds. At night, we sleep - dream. It's as if the city only starts to breathe freely with the rhythm of blinking public lighting. And when we step out of the narrow sidewalk during a nighttime walk, it begins to speak to us. Public lighting si a film about 18-year-old David searching for his own identity. He is unsure of his personality. In the middle of the night, his parents’ fight wakes him up again. The argument escalates, and David, with his headphones on, sets out into the night city to escape his problems, to remain closed off. The sidewalk dictates his trajectory, and he merges with a sense of supposed escape, avoiding
external influences. However, the music in his ears stops playing, and he is thrown into the rawness of the night city. David experiences subtle situations that may seem banal and undramatic
at first glance, but are crucial and full of life within him and for the viewer who sympathizes with him. They are actually important because they are ordinary. Not as a drama or a change. David is
passive, and he drifts through the night. The main development takes place within. The world becomes the driving force, and naturally offers David situations that push him forward. The
characters here are both figurative and non-figurative elements. The girl in front of the club, the arriving taxi driver, and even the flickering street lamp or the night sky. These are characters that
push David forward in his inner development, allowing him to see the world from an altered and open perspective. The film ends with dawn. The night is over, blending smoothly into something
new yet the same. A cycle. David's parents are still arguing. The sun has risen again and will set again. Only David looks at things differently now. The world is in David, and David is in the world.
Public lighting will never stop shining.