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Date:
5 Nov 2025
The Portrait of Water: When Science Meets Music
Science and art are closer to each other than they seem. We support the creation of a feature-length documentary Portrait of Water, which follows the unique journey of composer Hanz Sedlář. He ventures out into the field with experts to understand water in our landscape so thoroughly that he can transcribe it into notes. This results in a work where facts turn into emotions and numbers into a symphony.
The documentary film "Portrait of Water – About Water, Landscape and People" (directed by Ondřej Slavík, screenplay by Sandra Procházková, produced by Linda Jandejsková) presents a fascinating dialogue between two worlds. On one side is the scientific perspective based on facts and practice, and on the other side is the artistic perception of the world through emotions.
The main guide is composer Hanz Sedlář. As a layman with a very specific motivation, he embarks on a journey with hydrologists and experts who deal with water in the landscape on a daily basis. His goal is ambitious: in collaboration with the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic (Zlín) to compose a symphony about water.
Searching for the voice of water in the landscape
The saddler traverses forests, mountains, fields, and towns and, under the guidance of their guides, discovers hidden processes that an average visitor to nature is unaware of. The film thus shows viewers not only the beauty but also the problems faced by the current landscape. We witness how information gathered in the field gradually transforms into musical motifs. We follow the composer's process as they piece together snippets of information into a broader context and find in the story of the landscape our role as humans.
Directed by: Ondřej Slavík, Script: Sandra Procházková, Production: Linda Jandejsková
Filming is in full swing
The project has already come a long way. In spring and summer 2025, there were 26 challenging filming days with a full crew. We managed to capture footage from mountainous areas, forests, and agricultural landscapes. Autumn was marked by further filming work, as well as the preparation of the campaign and post-production. Information from the experts is already beginning to turn into music, and we look forward to seeing (and hearing) this dialogue between science and art in its final form.