In 2003, the city of Prague saw its first organized mass bike ride in protest against the city’s insane traffic congestion. Five years later, more than five thousand bikers are supported by the city on a ride organized by Auto*Mate (“Checkmate to Cars”), an initiative created as a call to arms for the citizens of Prague to band together for a healthier and livelier city. Activist filmmaker Martin Marecek, one of Auto*Mate’s founders, weaves a playful, lighthearted and deeply personal essay film out of six years of footage, combining animation and home movies to protest against the tyranny of “our automobile-automatic society” and show how the citizens of Prague have begun to reclaim their urban space. Lessons abound for us here in Traffic City. In Person: Auto*mate Co-Founder Daniel Mourek

Midwest Premiere | Not rated

Sponsored by William & Paula Cordes