THE CREMATOR Film Screening (ENG subs)
Friday 12. December at 22:00 - 23:45
FOMO Secret Cinema, Tbilisi
FOMO presents Slavic Surrealism: Friday Night at the Crematorium
IMPORTANT: Please arrive at the Bazari by 21:50 to gain access to the cinema. There are two entrances - one on Atoneli St and the other on Sulkhanishvili.
FOMO is screening two late-night Slavic surrealist classics this Thursday and Friday at 22:15. You can see THE CREMATOR together with THE HOURGLASS SANATORIUM as a special double session. Tickets cost 15 GEL for a single film or 20 GEL for both.
Juraj Herz | 1969 | Czechoslovakia | 95 minutes Screening in the original Czech audio with English subtitles.
THE CREMATOR is back by popular demand! It was the sleeper hit of our previous Banned Film Week and we're very pleased to show it again for everyone who missed it the first time.
The story follows Karel Kopfrkingl, a crematorium operator in Prague who slowly embraces fascist ideology. His obsession with purity, order, and death transforms him from a mild bureaucrat into a willing participant in political violence. Herz mixes horror, black comedy, and surreal imagery to show how a polite, ordinary man can become an agent of cruelty. The shifting camera angles and distorted edits reflect Kopfrkingl’s growing delusion and moral collapse.
THE CREMATOR faced suppression following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Authorities objected to its political undertones and its dark satire of rising fascism. The film was blocked from circulation for many years, and its director, Juraj Herz, faced professional restrictions. Its critique of authoritarianism and mass obedience made it incompatible with the regime’s cultural controls.
THE CREMATOR stands as one of the key achievements of the Czechoslovak New Wave. Its visual style is bold and inventive, and Rudolf Hrušínský gives a chilling performance that remains deeply influential. The film’s examination of conformity, power, and self deception feels timeless and continues to resonate in modern political contexts.
Location: FOMO Secret Cinema, Bazari Orbeliani, Tbilisi. A five minute walk from Liberty Square metro.
How to find FOMO: Enter the Bazari via Atoneli St, above Carrefour, and take the stairs immediately on your left behind the jewellery stand. The cinema entrance is one flight up in the stairwell. Please visit our Instagram page and look for the Find Us highlight to see a video showing where we are.
FOMO Secret Cinema • Bazari Orbeliani, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia