The art of traditional puppetry goes back eight generations in the Kopecky family, which over a period of two centuries, has been behind one of the most charming and popular forms of theatre in the Czech Republic.

Matej Kopecky and his wife Vladimira belong to the seventh generation. Their prestigious itinerant theatre continues to attract young crowds captivated by shows full of humour and which inevitably come to a close with a happy ending.

"In our country, it would be unthinkable not to have a happy ending, which is different from the north of Europe, where the tales are crueller," Matej told EFE. At the age of 65, he refuses to renounce his nomadic lifestyle.

His expertises are renowned in the Czech Republic and beyond and have landed him roles in films like "The Adventures of Pinocchio" (1996), directed by Steve Barron and starring Martin Landau as Mister Gepetto.

Matek and Mirka, as the husband and wife duo are familiarly known, are the faces of a saga that has its origins in the 18th century with Matej Kopecky (1775-1847), who in 1825 began to tour around Bohemia in a caravan of marionettes, performing shows on the road.

The puppet master not only found success in the countryside, where the form of theatre chimed with the locals, but it took hold in urban areas with the advent of the Romanticism movement.

The art form, therefore, influenced key figures such as Czech composer Bedrich Smetana, who many attribute with fomenting the idea of a Czech national identity, said Jan Dvorak, an art critic, fellow puppeteer and author of "Matej, Mata, Matusek and the sixth generation of the Kopecky family."

Nowadays, 200 years since their predecessors blaze the puppetry trail, Matej and Mirka restrict their shows to the winter period, putting on about 20 performances a month.

At the beginning of February, they brought "The Winter Tales of Mala Strana," a love story written by one of their sons, to the stage at the Podebrady theatre in eastern Prague.

The performance alternates between puppetry, comedy and musical, it regales the audience with the tale of three snowmen who, in trying to find their place in the city, make friends with a lost dog who needs to find its way home.

Performing in front of hundreds of people seems to give vital energy to Matej, who would like to spend five more years living his nomadic lifestyle, as his ancestors did.

"Every actor is an exhibitionist and of course they like success and applause," he said. "If everything ends well and chimes with the public, it is more satisfying than money," he added.

The Theater of Spejbl and Hurbinek in Prague, where Matej Kopecky Jnr&nbsp;works is the last art space entirely dedicated to puppet shows.

"Puppet theatre is the most traditional form that exists, based in ancient techniques of manipulating strings from above," said the member of the eighth generation of the puppeteer family.

"You are born with it and also we grew up in a theatre and we lived in the theatre's accommodation, so it is part of our lives," he added.

The art of traditional puppetry goes back eight generations in the Kopecky family, which over a period of two centuries, has been behind one of the most charming and popular forms of theatre in the Czech Republic.

The art of traditional puppetry goes back eight generations in the Kopecky family, which over a period of two centuries, has been behind one of the most charming and popular forms of theatre in the Czech Republic. Matej Kopecky and his wife Vladimira belong to the seventh generation. Their prestigious itinerant theatre continues to attract young crowds captivated by shows full of humour and which inevitably come to a close with a happy ending. "In our country, it would be unthinkable not to have a happy ending, which is different from the north of Europe, where the tales are crueller," Matej told EFE. At the age of 65, he refuses to renounce his nomadic lifestyle. His expertises are renowned in the Czech Republic and beyond and have landed him roles in films like "The Adventures of Pinocchio" (1996), directed by Steve Barron and starring Martin Landau as Mister Gepetto. Matek and Mirka, as the husband and wife duo are familiarly known, are the faces of a saga that has its origins in the 18th century with Matej Kopecky (1775-1847), who in 1825 began to tour around Bohemia in a caravan of marionettes, performing shows on the road. The puppet master not only found success in the countryside, where the form of theatre chimed with the locals, but it took hold in urban areas with the advent of the Romanticism movement. The art form, therefore, influenced key figures such as Czech composer Bedrich Smetana, who many attribute with fomenting the idea of a Czech national identity, said Jan Dvorak, an art critic, fellow puppeteer and author of "Matej, Mata, Matusek and the sixth generation of the Kopecky family." Nowadays, 200 years since their predecessors blaze the puppetry trail, Matej and Mirka restrict their shows to the winter period, putting on about 20 performances a month. At the beginning of February, they brought "The Winter Tales of Mala Strana," a love story written by one of their sons, to the stage at the Podebrady theatre in eastern Prague. The performance alternates between puppetry, comedy and musical, it regales the audience with the tale of three snowmen who, in trying to find their place in the city, make friends with a lost dog who needs to find its way home. Performing in front of hundreds of people seems to give vital energy to Matej, who would like to spend five more years living his nomadic lifestyle, as his ancestors did. "Every actor is an exhibitionist and of course they like success and applause," he said. "If everything ends well and chimes with the public, it is more satisfying than money," he added. The Theater of Spejbl and Hurbinek in Prague, where Matej Kopecky Jnr works is the last art space entirely dedicated to puppet shows. "Puppet theatre is the most traditional form that exists, based in ancient techniques of manipulating strings from above," said the member of the eighth generation of the puppeteer family. "You are born with it and also we grew up in a theatre and we lived in the theatre's accommodation, so it is part of our lives," he added.

The family breathing life into 200 years of puppetry in the Czech Republic

Although her name is not well known to most of the public, Germaine Franco made history by becoming the first Latina composer to be invited to join the Hollywood Academy and now she has written the musical score for the comedy film "Tag," which will soon be released by Warner Bros. 
 
"When I presented my application to enter the Academy I did so timidly because I thought I'd never get in, and so their call was something very special," Franco said in an interview with EFE at her recording studio in Culver City, California. 
 
In 2016, after a career of more than 25 years as a musical producer, percussionist and assistant composition arranger for independent films, Franco was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, music branch. 
 
"That made me feel very proud because there are many doors that are closed to Latinas like me," said the artist who has left her musical stamp on more than 40 feature films, including "The Italian Job," "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "X-Men: The Last Stand," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Toy Story 3." 
 
Even so, she said that she was given the opportunity to join the Academy on her merits, "not just for being Latina." 
 
"If they wanted more Latinos, they could have done so long ago. The doors are closed for many people like me, but in the Academy, we're trying to open them to all those who deserve it," she emphasised, alluding to the A2020 initiative, the aim of which is to diversify the Academy membership and push the industry to give new opportunities to minorities. 
 
Franco says that her peak professional moment - so far - was to receive the prestigious ASCAP Shirley Walker Award. 
 
In addition, on June 15 "Tag" will be released, the first film on which she is the main composer for a big film studio. 
 
"And on top of that, it's a film starring almost all men," she said, laughing. "I tried to make different music, without using the bongo or the triangle, which are stereotypes in this kind of film. I went with electronic sounds, band and orchestra music." 
 
That opportunity came her way after the international success of "Coco," on which she worked as an assistant composer. The Pixar film brought in more than $800 million and won two Oscars with its Day of the Dead theme. 
 
"People saw that Mexico is not just mariachis playing in a bar ... That was my challenge, showing the musical wealth that the country has and its mixture of indigenous, African and Spanish races," the California artist born to Mexican parents said. 
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Her musical score for the comedy film "Tag," will soon be released by Warner Bros.

Although her name is not well known to most of the public, Germaine Franco made history by becoming the first Latina composer to be invited to join the Hollywood Academy and now she has written the musical score for the comedy film "Tag," which will soon be released by Warner Bros. "When I presented my application to enter the Academy I did so timidly because I thought I'd never get in, and so their call was something very special," Franco said in an interview with EFE at her recording studio in Culver City, California. In 2016, after a career of more than 25 years as a musical producer, percussionist and assistant composition arranger for independent films, Franco was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, music branch. "That made me feel very proud because there are many doors that are closed to Latinas like me," said the artist who has left her musical stamp on more than 40 feature films, including "The Italian Job," "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "X-Men: The Last Stand," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Toy Story 3." Even so, she said that she was given the opportunity to join the Academy on her merits, "not just for being Latina." "If they wanted more Latinos, they could have done so long ago. The doors are closed for many people like me, but in the Academy, we're trying to open them to all those who deserve it," she emphasised, alluding to the A2020 initiative, the aim of which is to diversify the Academy membership and push the industry to give new opportunities to minorities. Franco says that her peak professional moment - so far - was to receive the prestigious ASCAP Shirley Walker Award. In addition, on June 15 "Tag" will be released, the first film on which she is the main composer for a big film studio. "And on top of that, it's a film starring almost all men," she said, laughing. "I tried to make different music, without using the bongo or the triangle, which are stereotypes in this kind of film. I went with electronic sounds, band and orchestra music." That opportunity came her way after the international success of "Coco," on which she worked as an assistant composer. The Pixar film brought in more than $800 million and won two Oscars with its Day of the Dead theme. "People saw that Mexico is not just mariachis playing in a bar ... That was my challenge, showing the musical wealth that the country has and its mixture of indigenous, African and Spanish races," the California artist born to Mexican parents said.

Germaine Franco, first Latina composer to become a member of Hollywood Academy

Oscar-nominated composer of films like &quot;Arrival,&rdquo; &ldquo;Sicario&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Theory of Everything&quot;,&nbsp;J&oacute;hann J&oacute;hannsson, 48, was found dead on Friday&nbsp;in his Berlin apartment&nbsp;according to his manager.&nbsp;

His manager,&nbsp;Tim Husom told announced to the press that the Berlin authorities are currently investigating the death and that an autopsy will be performed. The cause of his death is still unknown.&nbsp;

His agency Gorfaine-Schwartz issued this statement: &ldquo;We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our client and dear friend J&oacute;hann J&oacute;hannsson, whose great talent, humility and kindness enriched our lives immeasurably. His music has inspired many new generations of filmmakers and composers. He will be so greatly missed by his Gorfaine/Schwartz family as well as the entire film music community.&rdquo;

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The Icelandic-born composer&nbsp;was famous for mixing electronics with conventional orchestra style of music. He was nominated for Oscar, BAFTA and&nbsp;Grammy&nbsp;in 2014 for&nbsp;&ldquo;The Theory of Everything&rdquo; and won the Golden Globe for that score. He received a second Oscar nomination for 2015&rsquo;s &ldquo;Sicario&rdquo; and Golden Globe, BAFTA and Grammy nominations for his music for &ldquo;Arrival&rdquo; in 2016.

J&oacute;hannsson also contributed to music as a solo musician.&nbsp;His first album, &ldquo;Englaborn,&rdquo; was released in 2002.&nbsp;

He is survived by his parents, a daughter and three sisters.

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According to his manager, Jóhann was found dead on Friday in his Berlin apartment

Oscar-nominated composer of films like "Arrival,” “Sicario” and “The Theory of Everything", Jóhann Jóhannsson, 48, was found dead on Friday in his Berlin apartment according to his manager. His manager, Tim Husom told announced to the press that the Berlin authorities are currently investigating the death and that an autopsy will be performed. The cause of his death is still unknown. His agency Gorfaine-Schwartz issued this statement: “We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our client and dear friend Jóhann Jóhannsson, whose great talent, humility and kindness enriched our lives immeasurably. His music has inspired many new generations of filmmakers and composers. He will be so greatly missed by his Gorfaine/Schwartz family as well as the entire film music community.” The Icelandic-born composer was famous for mixing electronics with conventional orchestra style of music. He was nominated for Oscar, BAFTA and Grammy in 2014 for “The Theory of Everything” and won the Golden Globe for that score. He received a second Oscar nomination for 2015’s “Sicario” and Golden Globe, BAFTA and Grammy nominations for his music for “Arrival” in 2016. Jóhannsson also contributed to music as a solo musician. His first album, “Englaborn,” was released in 2002. He is survived by his parents, a daughter and three sisters.

Jóhann Jóhannsson, 'Theory of Everything' composer, dies at 48

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