Fans of the blob believe that the film could reopen the debate about it

Prague - Supporters of the Jan Kaplický library project believe that a documentary film about him could reopen the debate on the topic of the building. His creators believe this as well, who today presented the film "Eye over Prague" by Olga Špátová to journalists. The film tells the story of Kaplický's victory in the architectural competition and his struggle for its implementation; it took three years to produce and will premiere on Wednesday.
    On Thursday, an exhibition will start at the DOX center for contemporary art in Prague, which will commemorate all of Kaplický's work, in which he will not continue due to his sudden death last January. "The film and the exhibition confirm that we had a compatriot who succeeded in the world, which is not at all simple," said architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš today.
    According to some reviewers, the film is a poor documentary because it is not objective. Špátová has never hidden the fact that she is fond of Kaplický and supports his project. "A documentary film is the opinion of its author; this is what distinguishes it from the work of journalists and publicists," she said.
    The time-lapse documentary was shot over three years, starting precisely with the announcement of Kaplický as the winner of the competition for the construction of the new National Library building. "The joy will never be as great as it usually is upon completion of a film; we do not have the National Library, nor do we have Jan Kaplický," said Špátová.
    The producer of the film was the architect's widow, Eliška Kaplický, who approached Špátová. According to some media, the two women parted ways toward the end of the work. When the drama of the fight for the library turned into a personal tragedy, the film was sidelined according to the producer, and the director was given free rein in the editing room. "I felt that I had to protect our privacy. Certain things needed to be omitted," she added, stating that she also distances herself from some of Špátová's political views. The two do not entirely agree on Kaplický's step when, after failing with the ODS, he accepted an offer to negotiate for political support from the ČSSD.
    The film chronologically presents the development of events around the project, including how radically opinions about it changed among some participants, especially Prague's mayor Pavel Bém. Viewers will see how the design of the library evolved, how the architect emotionally presented the proposal to journalists in his homeland, which he left during the time of oppression.
    The author also captured moments when Kaplický, despite being the winner of the international competition, had to defend his project himself before officials and politicians after President Václav Klaus publicly condemned the construction. Despite later reservations about the legitimacy of the competition, which came from various sides, Kaplický's project was unanimously selected by the jury, including representatives of the state and the city of Prague.