Interview with Benjamin Tuček about the Plan

What cases do you follow in the document Plan?
There have been many individual cases since 2009, when the story of the film begins, affecting almost all districts of Prague. Therefore, I would rather speak about situations. Our goal was not to create a report on a current topic, but to capture more general features of decay, corruption, and chaos against the backdrop of the capital city. The word plan should inherently resist these trends. I was interested in whether that is happening, and eventually in whose interest. Therefore, we selected situations for the film that have a broader significance and are characteristic of the locality or period of change. Every citizen of the metropolis primarily deals with their surroundings, so for some, a small space in Vršovice is more significant than the waterfront, the Blanka tunnel, the vast lands of the Žižkov cargo station, or other Prague brownfields that are essential for the city's development. Ultimately, however, everything is significant; every decision changes the face of the city forever and irreversibly, whether it concerns a skyscraper in Jižní Město, a park in Vidoule, Rohanská embankment, or the Prague ring road. It was crucial to reflect on specific situations to consider our abilities to plan the city and improve living conditions, looking for a vision of Prague's development in the coming decades.


 
How long did you shoot the film?
The still valid zoning plan from 1999 has been changed a thousand times, which says something about its functionality and the way it is handled. Since 2008, the city hall, led by the coalition of ODS and ČSSD, has been working on the zoning plan concept of Mayor Pavel Bém. More than 18,000 Prague residents submitted objections to the concept. That caught my interest. It is not common for people here to demonstrate against a proposed law (a zoning plan is a law). The elections in 2010 changed the balance of power. The ODS and TOP09 coalition, led by then-Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda, threw Bém's concept in the trash, and at the initiative of Tomáš Hudeček, began working on the Metropolitan Plan for Prague. In a country where every new political era after elections desires to leave its original mark on the city's face, the story of the plan seems de facto endless. Prague has lasted for a thousand years and may continue to last for some time, but the span of 2009-2014 provided enough twists and turns for the film to create a dramatic arc.



Did you encounter, for example, situations where someone did not wish for the crew's presence at the locations you were filming? Were the councilors accommodating towards you?
At the beginning of the filming, I received a significant piece of advice: “Find someone with cancer for such questions.” But as the mood in society changed, civic movements and independent initiatives strengthened their influence in local governments, even the representatives of major parties began to behave more accommodatingly, or at least pretended to. Some even realized that it was up to them what message they sent to voters about themselves, what legacy they would leave. Of course, I was refused entry or kicked out a few times. Almost always, I returned, and eventually, we reached an agreement. The film features not only councilors but also architects, urban planners, developers, activists, lawyers, and four Prague mayors.
 
In connection with the film's premiere, you are organizing discussions about public space and its use in several districts. What are you specifically aiming for and who will participate in the discussions?
Dissatisfaction with the conditions in municipal politics has been growing for many years. So-called high politics is a grateful topic for endless complaints, but in the place where you live, there are many more opportunities for concrete action. People generally care about what is built under their windows and ask, who allowed that? The question “Councilor, who do you really represent?” is being asked more frequently. It seems that developer is a dirty word, but it is better to ask who sets the rules of the game for developers? Discussions about the zoning plan have acted as a spark everywhere. Many districts already boast experienced opposition that may be preparing to take over public affairs in these elections. That is why we planned the premiere to coincide with the date of the Prague municipal elections. For the discussions related to the premiere of the Plan, we invite municipal politicians, experts, and of course the general public interested in the fate of their city.

On September 25, do you plan to make the film available to viewers on the internet for a fee, alongside its theatrical release? Are you not afraid that you will have fewer viewers in theaters?
I would like to present the Plan as a demonstration of a way of thinking—not only about city planning but mainly about life in it and about our society, about the responsibility for the place we live in, about the will and ability to change things. And this way of thinking is changing. The city is not ours; we have only inherited it, and it is our duty to pass it on to future generations in a condition at least suitable for continued use. It is good to ask what we have contributed to the quality of life in a city whose historical architecture we like to boast about to tourists, although we have not earned it. Therefore, we want to use all available opportunities for the film to reach those who care about it, even beyond cinemas and beyond the borders of Prague. The questions posed in the film are intimately familiar to citizens across the republic, as are some of the participants. The film creates a sense of a certain alliance around it, which viewers are happy to pay a reasonable price for: in the cinema or on the internet.