Operational manager of Bio Oko: Bike is the fastest means of transport for me

Prague’s cinema Bio Oko has been a partner of the Take Back Your Street neighborhood festival for a while now. Last year, due to its operational manager, Hedvika Maternová, cinema employees also participated for the first time in the Bike to Work call. Hedvika told us what made her create a cycling team, how is the cinema doing after the pandemic and why does she enjoy the bike as a means of transport.

What made you begin biking to work?

I bought a bike (laughs). That was last year. And with all the restrictions around COVID, that was it. It was much nicer. At the same time, the bike as a means of transport is faster for me. I have a dog and when I am not biking, I walk a lot. But when I go on public transport, it is almost always getting stuck somewhere. I can trust the bike and know that I will be on time whenever I need to be.

Due to the location of Bio Oko, you have a little uphill towards the end…

That is not a big problem for me. I am sporty, I studied at the FTVS and come from the mountains. But it is true that when I didn’t own a bike and used bike sharing, it was evident. Because sometimes those bikes are a little heavy

How did you go from FTVS to cinema operational manager?

At Oko, I started working as a bartender while I was still studying, then I substituted a colleague that went on maternity leave, at an operative job, and then I stayed here. I like it here, the environment and the people. In brief, I was more attracted to it. I’m only compensated for sport, for example, by riding a bike. This way is way easier for me to go directly to work.

When Hedvika doesn´t bike to work, she walks with her dog

Did you participate in the challenge with your colleagues last year?

Yes. Then it required a lot of energy, but I convinced my colleagues in different cinemas so that we could compete among ourselves. It did not help that most of them worked from home and few needed to go to a closed cinema. But we formed three groups with Svetozor and Aerofilms. Sadly, the colleagues that supported me last year are no longer here. But maybe the bartenders could participate. We will see.

Do you ride all year round?

From December to February, the bike rested. I don’t mind so much when it’s cold or raining a little. But I don’t want to be in a complete foundry. Otherwise, I don’t pay much attention to the weather and I go when I feel like it. As the saying goes, there is no bad weather, just a poorly dressed athlete.

Are you seeing the audience coming back after last year’s unlucky season?

They are coming back, but it will probably take some time to get back to the original numbers. But I can say that our bar has been having an excellent amount of clients lately. It will be even better when we open the garden in May, then we will have more space. The vaccines stopped, and the testing and the mandatory masks, it was immediately evident. And not only with us. It was a little problematic that,  with the comeback of cinemas, there weren’t new films, because distributors were waiting for people to come back. This made it slower.

How do you relieve it at your cinema?

We know that people look for special screenings, for example, enriched with some kind of debate, special guests, or other added content. Frequently there is an opportunity for this, especially for the premiere screenings and previews, where the creators or distributors would invite some guests. It is not regular, but it is quite common.

The list of locations for the neighborhood festival Take Back Your Street is usually the longest in Prague 7, which we also organize in AutoMat…

And we also participate in them. Our own festival František’s loves is in spring and Take Back The Street in autumn. But they are quite similar and very pleasant.