HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Czech cinema is the name for cinematography of
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, as well as the Czech cinematography while it was a part of other countries. ''
The Fabulous World of Jules Verne ''Invention for Destruction'' ( cs, Vynález zkázy) is a 1958 Czechoslovak black-and-white science fiction adventure film, directed by Karel Zeman, produced by Zdeněk Novák, and starring Lubor Tokoš, Arnošt Navrátil, and Miloslav Holub. ...
'' is considered the most internationally successful Czech film ever made; soon after its release it was distributed to 72 countries and received widespread attention. Domestically, the most viewed Czech film ever is '' The Proud Princess'' from 1952, which was seen by 8,222,695 people. ''
Marketa Lazarová ''Marketa Lazarová'' is a 1967 Czechoslovak Epic film, epic period drama directed by František Vláčil. It is an adaptation of the novel ''Marketa Lazarová (novel), Marketa Lazarová'' (1931) by Vladislav Vančura. The film takes place in the ...
'' was voted the all-time best Czech movie in a prestigious 1998 poll of Czech film critics and publicists.


History

The first Czech
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
and
cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...
was Jan Kříženecký, who started filming short documentaries in
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
in the second half of 1898. The first permanent cinema house was founded by
Viktor Ponrepo Viktor Ponrepo (actual name ''Dismas Šlambor'', 16 June 1858 Prague – December 1926 Prague) was a Czech magician and a pioneer of the cinema. He founded the first permanent cinema in Prague in ''Karlova ulice'' (Charles street). His artist's ...
in 1907 in Prague.


Interwar period

Among the most prominent directors were
Karel Lamač Karel Lamač (27 January 1897 – 2 August 1952) was a Czech film director, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He directed more than 100 films in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Life Lama ...
,
Karl Anton Karl Anton or Karel Anton (25 October 1898 12 April 1979) was a Bohemian-born German film director, screenwriter and film producer. Biography He was born in Prague on 25 October 1898. His father Wilhelm Anton (1861–1918) was a physician. An ...
,
Svatopluk Innemann Svatopluk Innemann (18 February 1896 – 30 October 1945) was a Czechs, Czech film director, cinematographer, screenwriter, film editor and actor. He was one of the pioneers of Czech cinema. Biography and works Innemann, was a son of the Czech dir ...
,
Přemysl Pražský Přemysl Pražský was an early Czech film director, film actor, screenwriter and radio producer. He directed and appeared in a number of films in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s and 1930s, directing comedy films such as '' Two Mothers'' (1921), '' T ...
,
Martin Frič Martin Frič (29 March 1902 – 26 August 1968) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He had more than 100 directing credits between 1929 and 1968, including feature films, shorts and documentary films. Throughout his life, Fri ...
and
Gustav Machatý Gustav Machatý (9 May 1901 – 13 December 1963) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed films in Czechoslovakia, USA and Germany including '' Erotikon'' and '' Ecstasy''. Life He was born Augustín Otokar Jan Mach ...
. The first Czechoslovak film fully made with synchronized sound is considered to be
Když struny lkají ''Když struny lkají'' ( en, When the Strings Wailed) is a 1930 Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak drama film directed by Friedrich Fehér. It is considered the first Czechoslovak film fully made with synchronized sound. Cast *Václav Vydra (actor ...
, released in September 1930. Earlier film, ''
Tonka of the Gallows ''Tonka of the Gallows'' (Czech: ''Tonka Šibenice'', French: ''Tonischka'', German: ''Die Galgentoni'') is a 1930 Czech drama film directed by Karl Anton and starring Ita Rina, Vera Baranovskaya and Josef Rovenský. It is an adaptation of the n ...
'', released in February 1930 was shot as a silent film and the sound was added in France.
Barrandov Studios Barrandov Studios is a set of film studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe. Several major Hollywood productions have been made here, including ''Mission Impossible'', '' ...
was launched by
Miloš Havel Miloš Havel (3 November 1899 – 25 February 1968) was a Czech film producer and studio executive. Havel was a director of the film production company Lucernafilm, which was founded by his father in 1912. He was also a chairman of the film studio ...
in 1933, which started a Czech film industry film boom. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe.


WW2

During WW2, many major pre-war film directors continued to make films, including
Otakar Vávra Otakar Vávra (28 February 1911 – 15 September 2011) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was born in Hradec Králové, Austria-Hungary, now part of the Czech Republic. Biography and career Vávra attended universities i ...
,
Martin Frič Martin Frič (29 March 1902 – 26 August 1968) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He had more than 100 directing credits between 1929 and 1968, including feature films, shorts and documentary films. Throughout his life, Fri ...
,
Miroslav Cikán Miroslav Cikán (11 February 1896 – 1 February 1962 in Prague) was a Czechoslovak film director. He frequently worked with actors such as Hugo Haas, Jan Werich, and Vlasta Burian. Filmography *'' The Mystery of the Blue Room'' (1933) *'' Dum n ...
,
Jan Sviták Jan Sviták (23 December 1898 – 11 May 1945) was a Czech actor and film director. He was an important exponent of Czechoslovak film in the interwar period and during World War II. Sviták was murdered shortly after the liberation of Prague in ...
(who was murdered at the end of the war by an anti-fascist mob),
Vladimír Slavínský Vladimír Slavínský (26 September 1890 16 August 1949) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. Life Vladimír Slavínský was born Otakar Vladimír Pitrman in Dolní Štěpánice, on September 26, 1890. Since his youth he acted in ...
,
František Čáp František Čáp (7 December 1913 – 12 January 1972), also known as Franz Cap in Germany, was a Czech and later a Yugoslav film director and screenwriter. He directed 32 films between 1939 and 1970. Having created Slovene film classics such as ...
, Zdeněk Gina Hašler (who emigrated to the USA after the war) and
Václav Binovec Václav Binovec (12 September 1892 – 29 February 1976, in Prague) was a Czech film director, screenwriter, and occasional actor. He was often referred to under the pseudonyms of Willy Bronx or W. Bronx, and also V. Vabin. Binovec set up the fil ...
.
Vladimír Čech Vladimír Čech (6 July 1951 – 22 March 2013) was a Czech actor, presenter and former politician. Čech was born and died in Prague. He was the son of anchorwoman Heda Čechová (1928–2020) and actor Vladimír Čech, Sr. (1916–1990). I ...
started his career during the WW2, as well as
Václav Krška Václav Krška (7 October 1900 – 17 November 1969) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and writer. Life Krška was born in Písek on 7 October 1900 as the only child. His father was a butcher and innkeeper, but died soon after his bir ...
. Scenario writer
Karel Steklý Karel Steklý (9 October 1903 – 5 July 1987) was a Czech film director. He is most famous for his film '' Siréna'' (1947) for which he won the Golden Lion, and '' The Good Soldier Schweik'' (1957). Filmography *'' Prosťáček'' (1945) ...
turned to film directing at the end of the war and maintained both careers until his death. Well-known actor
Rudolf Hrušínský Rudolf Hrušínský (17 October 1920 – 13 April 1994) was a Czech actor. He was one of the most popular Czech actors. Many of his movies such as ''The Good Soldier Švejk'', ''The Cremator'' or '' Capricious Summer'' are considered classics of ...
(born 1920) also tried himself as a director during this period.


After World War II

Many prominent people of Czech cinema left the country before World War II including directors
Karel Lamač Karel Lamač (27 January 1897 – 2 August 1952) was a Czech film director, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He directed more than 100 films in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Life Lama ...
and
Gustav Machatý Gustav Machatý (9 May 1901 – 13 December 1963) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed films in Czechoslovakia, USA and Germany including '' Erotikon'' and '' Ecstasy''. Life He was born Augustín Otokar Jan Mach ...
, cinematographer
Otto Heller Otto Heller, B.S.C. (8 March 1896 – 19 February 1970) was a Czech cinematographer long resident in the United Kingdom. He worked on more than 250 films, including '' Richard III'' (1955), '' The Ladykillers'' (1955) and ''Peeping Tom'' (1960 ...
, actors
Hugo Haas Hugo Haas (19 February 1901 – 1 December 1968) was a Czech film actor, director and writer. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1926 and 1962, as well as directing 20 films between 1933 and 1962. Life and career Haas was born in B ...
and
Jiří Voskovec Jiří Voskovec (), born Jiří Wachsmann and known in the United States as George Voskovec (June 19, 1905 – July 1, 1981) was a Czech actor, writer, dramatist, and director who became an American citizen in 1955. Throughout much of his career ...
and producer Josef Auerbach. Director
Vladislav Vančura Vladislav Vančura () (23 June 1891 in Háj ve Slezsku – 1 June 1942 in Prague) was an important Czechs, Czech writer active in the 20th century, who was murdered by the Nazis. He was also active as a film director, playwright and screenwriter ...
was murdered by Nazis as were a popular actor and signer
Karel Hašler Karel Hašler (31 October 1879 in Prague – 22 December 1941 in Mauthausen) was a Czech songwriter, actor, lyricist, film and theatre director, composer, writer, dramatist, screenwriter and cabaretier. He was murdered in the Mauthausen concent ...
, actress
Anna Letenská Anna Čalounová-Letenská (née Anna Svobodová) (29 August 1904 – 24 October 1942) was a Czechs, Czech theatre and film actress. During the 1930s and 40s, she appeared in twenty-five films. She was murdered in the Nazi concentration camp of M ...
and writer
Karel Poláček Karel Poláček (22 March 1892 – 21 January 1945) was a Czech writer, humorist and journalist of Jewish descent. Life He was born in Rychnov nad Kněžnou into the family of a Jewish merchant. He attended the gymnasium there, but did poor ...
. Studio owner
Miloš Havel Miloš Havel (3 November 1899 – 25 February 1968) was a Czech film producer and studio executive. Havel was a director of the film production company Lucernafilm, which was founded by his father in 1912. He was also a chairman of the film studio ...
and actresses
Lída Baarová Lída Baarová (born Ludmila Babková; 7 September 1914 – 27 October 2000) was a Czech actress who for two years was the mistress of the Nazi propaganda minister of Germany, Joseph Goebbels. Biography Life and career Born in Prague, Baarová ...
and
Adina Mandlová Adina Mandlová (28 January 1910 – 16 June 1991) was a Czech stage and film actress. She was one of the leading stars of 1930s and 1940s Czech cinema. She was involved in a number of scandals and love affairs. Life and career Early days Sh ...
went into exile in Germany or Austria after they were accused of collaborating with Nazis during the war. In 1943
Czech Film Archive The National Film Archive (, abb. NFA) is a film archive located in Prague, Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to t ...
(NFA) was established in Prague. In 1945 the Czechoslovak film industry was nationalized. The most viewed Czech film ever, '' The Proud Princess'', was released during this period, in 1952. It was seen by 8,222,695 people. The film also won a prize for a child film at
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become ...
. Famous movies of the 50s include: ''
Journey to the Beginning of Time ''Journey to the Beginning of Time'' ( cs, Cesta do pravěku, literally "Journey into prehistory") is a color 1955 Czechoslovak science fiction adventure film directed by Karel Zeman. Produced using a combination of 2-D and 3-D models, it was the ...
'', ''
The Good Soldier Švejk ''The Good Soldier Švejk'' () is an unfinished satirical dark comedy novel by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek, published in 1921–1923, about a good-humored, simple-minded, middle-aged man who pretends to be enthusiastic to serve Austria-Hungary i ...
'', ''
The Emperor and the Golem ''The Emperor and the Golem'' ( cs, Císařův pekař a pekařův císař) is a two-part Czechoslovak historical fantasy comedy film produced in 1951. The film is set during the reign of Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor and was filmed in color (not c ...
'', '' The Princess with the Golden Star'', ''
The Fabulous World of Jules Verne ''Invention for Destruction'' ( cs, Vynález zkázy) is a 1958 Czechoslovak black-and-white science fiction adventure film, directed by Karel Zeman, produced by Zdeněk Novák, and starring Lubor Tokoš, Arnošt Navrátil, and Miloslav Holub. ...
'', ''
Proud Princess Proud may refer to: Music * ''Proud'' (Heather Small album), the debut album by Heather Small ** "Proud" (Heather Small song), a song by Heather Small that was the official song for the London 2012 Olympic bid * ''Proud'' (compilation album), ...
'' (the most viewed Czech film ever) and '' Once Upon a Time, There Was a King...''.


New Wave

The
Czechoslovak New Wave The Czechoslovak New Wave (also Czech New Wave) is a term used for the Czechoslovak filmmakers who started making movies in the 1960s. The directors commonly included are Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Ivan Passer, Pavel Juráček, Jiří Menze ...
is most frequently associated with the early works of directors such as
Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...
,
Věra Chytilová Věra Chytilová (2 February 1929 – 12 March 2014) was an avant-garde Czech film director and pioneer of Czech cinema. Banned by the Czechoslovak government in the 1960s, she is best known for her Czech New Wave film, ''Sedmikrásky'' ('' Dais ...
,
Jiří Menzel Jiří Menzel () (23 February 1938 – 5 September 2020) was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these films ...
and others, although works by older, more established Czechoslovak directors such as
Karel Kachyňa Karel Kachyňa (1 May 1924 – 12 March 2004) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. His career spanned over five decades. Early life He was born on May 1, 1920, in Vyškov, Czechoslovakia. His father was a government officer. His mother ...
and
Vojtěch Jasný Vojtěch Jasný (30 November 1925 – 15 November 2019) was a Czech director, screenwriter and professor who has written and directed over 50 films. Jasný made feature and documentary films in Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, USA & Canada, and ...
are also placed in this category. Encompassing a broad range of works in the early to mid-1960s, the Czechoslovak New Wave cannot be pinned down to any one style or approach to filmmaking. Examples range from highly stylised, even avant-garde, literary adaptions using historical themes (e.g.
Jan Němec Jan Němec (12 July 1936 – 18 March 2016) was a Czech filmmaker whose most important work dates from the 1960s. Film historian Peter Hames has described him as the "enfant terrible of the Czech New Wave." Biography Němec's career as a fil ...
's ''
Diamonds of the Night ''Diamonds of the Night'' ( cs, Démanty noci) is a 1964 Cinema of the Czech Republic, Czech film about two boys on the run from a train taking them to a concentration camp, based loosely on Arnošt Lustig's autobiographical novel ''Darkness Has No ...
(Démanty noci)'') to semi-improvised comedies with contemporary subjects and amateur actors (e.g., Miloš Forman's ''
The Firemen's Ball ''The Firemen's Ball'' (or ''The Fireman's Ball''; cs, Hoří, má panenko - "Fire, my lady") is a 1967 comedy film directed by Miloš Forman. It is set at the annual ball of a small town's volunteer fire department, and the plot portrays a ser ...
(Hoří, má panenko)''). However, a frequent feature of films from this period were their absurd, black humour and an interest in the concerns of ordinary people, particularly when faced with larger historical or political changes. The
acid western Acid Western is a subgenre of the Western film that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s that combines the metaphorical ambitions of critically acclaimed Westerns, such as ''Shane'' and ''The Searchers'', with the excesses of the Spaghetti Westerns and ...
comedy film ''
Lemonade Joe ''Lemonade Joe, or the Horse Opera'' ( cs, Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera) is a 1964 Czechoslovak musical comedy film, directed by Oldřich Lipský and written by Jiří Brdečka, based on his novel and stage play. A parody of the American ...
'' was a famous parody of old-time westerns. Cinematic influences included
Italian neorealism Italian neorealism ( it, Neorealismo), also known as the Golden Age, is a national film movement characterized by stories set amongst the poor and the working class. They are filmed on location, frequently with non-professional actors. They pri ...
and the
French New Wave French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...
, although the Czechoslovak New Wave also builds organically on developments in Czechoslovak cinema in the late 1950s when the influence of
Stalinism Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory ...
in the film industry declined.


1970s to 1989

Many of the directors active in the previous periods continued to work in this period, including
Otakar Vávra Otakar Vávra (28 February 1911 – 15 September 2011) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was born in Hradec Králové, Austria-Hungary, now part of the Czech Republic. Biography and career Vávra attended universities i ...
and
Jiří Menzel Jiří Menzel () (23 February 1938 – 5 September 2020) was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these films ...
. During the period of
normalization Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Most commonly it refers to: * Normalization (sociology) or social normalization, the process through which ideas and behaviors that may fall outside of ...
, only the movies that Czech authorities considered harmless were made. Therefore the most successful movies from this era are comedies, sci-fi and family movies, like in the previous periods. A fairy-tale film from 1973, ''
Three Nuts for Cinderella 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...
'' has become a holiday classic in Czechoslovakia and several European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden and Norway.


1990s and beyond

Among the most successful Czech films made after the
Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
are: ''
Kolya ''Kolya'' ( cs, Kolja) is a 1996 Czech drama film about a man whose life is reshaped in an unexpected way. The film was directed by Jan Svěrák and stars his father, Zdeněk Svěrák, who also wrote the script from a story by Pavel Taussig. ''Ko ...
'', '' Divided We Fall'', ''
Cosy Dens ''Cosy Dens'' ( cz, Pelíšky) is a 1999 Czech film directed by Jan Hřebejk. It is loosely based on the novel '' Hovno Hoří'' (Czech: "Flaming Feces") by Petr Šabach. It was voted the best Czech film by ''Reflex'' magazine in 2011. Plot su ...
'' and '' Walking Too Fast''.


Czech films

:
List of Czechoslovak films A list of films produced in the historical country of Czechoslovakia. As yet only work has been completed on 1898–1935. For films of the Czech Republic from 1991 onwards please see List of Czech Republic films. 1898–1918 (as part of Austria ...
1898–1990 :
List of Czech films The list of Czech films is a list of films made in the Czech lands from 1898 to the present. After 1930 some were with Czech sound, and after 1947 some were in colour. The list is ordered by year of release. 1898–1919 *List of Czech films bef ...
(List of Czech Republic films) 1990–today :
List of Czech animated films This is a list of Czech animated films made in the Czech lands from 1927 to the present. After 1930, many Czech animated films were produced with sound, and after 1947 most were produced in color. The list is ordered by year of release. Referen ...
: List of Czech films considered the best :
List of most expensive Czech films This is a list of the most expensive Czech films, with budgets given in Czech korunas. Most expensive Czech films Record-holders See also * List of most expensive films * List of most expensive non-English-language films * List of highest-gros ...
: List of highest-grossing Czech films


List of notable Czech directors

*
Karl Anton Karl Anton or Karel Anton (25 October 1898 12 April 1979) was a Bohemian-born German film director, screenwriter and film producer. Biography He was born in Prague on 25 October 1898. His father Wilhelm Anton (1861–1918) was a physician. An ...
*
Jiří Barta Jiří Barta (born 26 November 1948) is a Czech stop-motion animation director. Many of his films use wood as a medium for animation. Among his notable films are the 1986 film ''The Pied Piper''. In 2007 he released his first computer-animated s ...
a
stop-motion animation Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
*
Hynek Bočan Hynek Bočan (Born 29 April 1938) is a Czechs, Czech film director and screenwriter. He started his studies at Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague when he was 18 years old. He started as an assistant director on movies ...
*
František Čáp František Čáp (7 December 1913 – 12 January 1972), also known as Franz Cap in Germany, was a Czech and later a Yugoslav film director and screenwriter. He directed 32 films between 1939 and 1970. Having created Slovene film classics such as ...
*
Věra Chytilová Věra Chytilová (2 February 1929 – 12 March 2014) was an avant-garde Czech film director and pioneer of Czech cinema. Banned by the Czechoslovak government in the 1960s, she is best known for her Czech New Wave film, ''Sedmikrásky'' ('' Dais ...
*
Miroslav Cikán Miroslav Cikán (11 February 1896 – 1 February 1962 in Prague) was a Czechoslovak film director. He frequently worked with actors such as Hugo Haas, Jan Werich, and Vlasta Burian. Filmography *'' The Mystery of the Blue Room'' (1933) *'' Dum n ...
*
František Čáp František Čáp (7 December 1913 – 12 January 1972), also known as Franz Cap in Germany, was a Czech and later a Yugoslav film director and screenwriter. He directed 32 films between 1939 and 1970. Having created Slovene film classics such as ...
*
Vladimír Čech Vladimír Čech (6 July 1951 – 22 March 2013) was a Czech actor, presenter and former politician. Čech was born and died in Prague. He was the son of anchorwoman Heda Čechová (1928–2020) and actor Vladimír Čech, Sr. (1916–1990). I ...
*
Frank Daniel František "Frank" Daniel (April 14, 1926 – March 29, 1996) was a Czech- American screenwriter, film director and teacher. He is known for developing the sequence paradigm of screenwriting, in which a classically constructed movie can be b ...
*
Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...
, twice won the Academy Award *
Martin Frič Martin Frič (29 March 1902 – 26 August 1968) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He had more than 100 directing credits between 1929 and 1968, including feature films, shorts and documentary films. Throughout his life, Fri ...
*
Saša Gedeon Saša Gedeon (born 29 August 1970) is a Czech film director, screenwriter, and actor. He graduated from the Film and TV School of The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 1995.Buchar, Robert. "Saša Gedeon." ''Czech New Wave Filmmakers in In ...
*
Hugo Haas Hugo Haas (19 February 1901 – 1 December 1968) was a Czech film actor, director and writer. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1926 and 1962, as well as directing 20 films between 1933 and 1962. Life and career Haas was born in B ...
*
Ladislav Helge Ladislav Helge (21 August 1927 – 31 January 2016) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. He directed 7 films between 1957 and 1967, including '' Škola otců'' (1957). He also wrote screenplays for 5 films. He started as an assistan ...
*
Juraj Herz Juraj Herz (4 September 1934 – 8 April 2018) was a Czechoslovak film director, actor, and scene designer, associated with the Czechoslovak New Wave movement of the 1960s. He is best known for his 1969 horror/black comedy '' The Cremator'', of ...
*
Jan Hřebejk Jan Hřebejk (; born 27 June 1967) is a Czechs, Czech film director and actor. Life and career Born in Prague, Hřebejk graduated from high school in 1987 and continued his studies at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in ...
*
Svatopluk Innemann Svatopluk Innemann (18 February 1896 – 30 October 1945) was a Czechs, Czech film director, cinematographer, screenwriter, film editor and actor. He was one of the pioneers of Czech cinema. Biography and works Innemann, was a son of the Czech dir ...
*
Vojtěch Jasný Vojtěch Jasný (30 November 1925 – 15 November 2019) was a Czech director, screenwriter and professor who has written and directed over 50 films. Jasný made feature and documentary films in Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, USA & Canada, and ...
*
Jaromil Jireš Jaromil Jireš (10 December 1935 – 24 October 2001) was a director associated with the Czechoslovak New Wave movement. His 1963 film '' The Cry'' was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival. It is often described as the first film of the Cze ...
*
Pavel Juráček Pavel Juráček (; 2 August 1935 – 20 May 1989) was a Czech screenwriter and film director who studied at FAMU. Juráček started as a screenwriter for many Czech New Wave movies until he became a director. He worked in Prague at the Ba ...
*
Karel Kachyňa Karel Kachyňa (1 May 1924 – 12 March 2004) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. His career spanned over five decades. Early life He was born on May 1, 1920, in Vyškov, Czechoslovakia. His father was a government officer. His mother ...
* Jan S. Kolár *
Jiří Krejčík Jiří Krejčík (; 26 June 1918 – 8 August 2013) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. Born in 1918 in Prague, he began his film career as an extra for Barrandov Studios, during World War II. He then began creating short films an ...
*
Václav Krška Václav Krška (7 October 1900 – 17 November 1969) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and writer. Life Krška was born in Písek on 7 October 1900 as the only child. His father was a butcher and innkeeper, but died soon after his bir ...
*
Karel Lamač Karel Lamač (27 January 1897 – 2 August 1952) was a Czech film director, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He directed more than 100 films in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Life Lama ...
*
Oldřich Lipský Oldřich Lipský (4 July 1924 – 19 October 1986) was a Czech film director and screenwriter, brother of actor Lubomír Lipský. All his films were comedies, frequently employing themes of Dadaism, farce and magical realism. He was a frequent c ...
*
Gustav Machatý Gustav Machatý (9 May 1901 – 13 December 1963) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed films in Czechoslovakia, USA and Germany including '' Erotikon'' and '' Ecstasy''. Life He was born Augustín Otokar Jan Mach ...
*
Jiří Menzel Jiří Menzel () (23 February 1938 – 5 September 2020) was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these films ...
, won the Academy Award *
Jan Němec Jan Němec (12 July 1936 – 18 March 2016) was a Czech filmmaker whose most important work dates from the 1960s. Film historian Peter Hames has described him as the "enfant terrible of the Czech New Wave." Biography Němec's career as a fil ...
*
Ivan Passer Ivan Passer (10 July 1933 – 9 January 2020) was a Czech film director and screenwriter, best known for his involvement in the Czechoslovak New Wave and for directing American films such as '' Born to Win'' (1971), ''Cutter's Way'' (1981) and '' ...
*
Břetislav Pojar Břetislav Pojar (7 October 192312 October 2012) was a Czech puppeteer, animator and director of short and feature films. Born in Sušice, Czechoslovakia, Pojar started his career in the late 1940s with his work on ''The Story of the Bass Cello'' ...
*
Jindřich Polák Jindřich Polák (5 May 1925 – 22 August 2003) was a Czech film and television director. He is known for his science fiction productions, but worked in many different genres. Filmography Television series References External links * ...
*
Přemysl Pražský Přemysl Pražský was an early Czech film director, film actor, screenwriter and radio producer. He directed and appeared in a number of films in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s and 1930s, directing comedy films such as '' Two Mothers'' (1921), '' T ...
*
Alfred Radok Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series *Alfred (Arne opera), ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne *Alfred (Dvořák), ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera ...
*
Karel Reisz Karel Reisz (21 July 1926 – 25 November 2002) was a Czech-born British filmmaker, one of the pioneers of the new realist strain in British cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. Two of the best-known films he directed are ''Saturday Night and Sun ...
, Czech-born British director *
Josef Rovenský Josef Rovenský (17 April 1894 – 5 November 1937) was a Czech-Jewish Siegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933'', Berghahn Books (2007), p. 213 film actor and director. He app ...
*
Evald Schorm Evald Schorm (15 December 1931 – 14 December 1988) was a Czech film and stage director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 26 films between 1959 and 1988. Schorm was a notable exponent of the Czech Film New Wave. Biography Schorm was bo ...
*
Bohdan Sláma Bohdan Sláma (born 29 May 1967 in Opava) is a Czech film director. He studied at the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague ( cs, Akademie múzických umění v Praze, ...
*
Karel Steklý Karel Steklý (9 October 1903 – 5 July 1987) was a Czech film director. He is most famous for his film '' Siréna'' (1947) for which he won the Golden Lion, and '' The Good Soldier Schweik'' (1957). Filmography *'' Prosťáček'' (1945) ...
*
Jan Sviták Jan Sviták (23 December 1898 – 11 May 1945) was a Czech actor and film director. He was an important exponent of Czechoslovak film in the interwar period and during World War II. Sviták was murdered shortly after the liberation of Prague in ...
*
Jan Švankmajer Jan Švankmajer (; born 4 September 1934) is a Czech filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeled surrealist known for his stop-motion animations and features, which have greatly influenced other artists such as Terr ...
*
Jan Svěrák Jan Svěrák () (born 6 February 1965 in Žatec) is a Czech film director. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák. He studied documentary filmmaking at the FAMU. He and his films have received awards including the Academy Award, ...
, twice won the Academy Award *
Jiří Trnka Jiří Trnka (; 24 February 1912 – 30 December 1969) was a Czechs, Czech puppet-maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director. In addition to his extensive career as an illustrator, especially of children's books, he is ...
, puppet motion-picture animator *
Hermína Týrlová Hermína Týrlová (11 December 1900 in Příbram, Březové Hory – 3 May 1993 in Zlín) was a prominent Czech people, Czech animator, screen writer, and film director. She was often called ''the mother of Czech animation''. Over the course of he ...
*
Otakar Vávra Otakar Vávra (28 February 1911 – 15 September 2011) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was born in Hradec Králové, Austria-Hungary, now part of the Czech Republic. Biography and career Vávra attended universities i ...
*
František Vláčil František Vláčil (19 February 1924, Český Těšín – 27 January 1999, Prague) was a Czech film director, painter, and graphic artist. Between 1945 and 1950, he studied aesthetics and art history at Masaryk University in Brno. Later he w ...
, his
Marketa Lazarová ''Marketa Lazarová'' is a 1967 Czechoslovak Epic film, epic period drama directed by František Vláčil. It is an adaptation of the novel ''Marketa Lazarová (novel), Marketa Lazarová'' (1931) by Vladislav Vančura. The film takes place in the ...
was voted the all-time best Czech movie *
Václav Vorlíček Václav Vorlíček (3 June 1930 – 5 February 2019) was a Czech film director. He studied filmmaking at FAMU from 1951 to 1956, and began directing feature films since the early 1960s. His filmography includes several comedies made in collaborat ...
*
Jiří Weiss Jiří Weiss (29 March 1913 – 9 April 2004) was a Czech film director, screenwriter, writer, playwright and pedagogue. Life Early life Jiří Weiss was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Prague. He was named after Czech king Jiří z Poděbrad ...
* Petr Zelenka *
Karel Zeman Karel Zeman (3 November 1910 – 5 April 1989) was a Czech film director, artist, production designer and animator, best known for directing fantasy films combining live-action footage with animation. Because of his creative use of special effec ...


Nominations and Awards


Nominations for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film

*1965 - ''
The Shop on Main Street ''The Shop on Main Street'' (Czech/ Slovak: ''Obchod na korze''; in the UK ''The Shop on the High Street'') is a 1965 Czechoslovakian film about the Aryanization program during World War II in the Slovak State. The film was written by Ladislav Gr ...
'' by
Ján Kadár Ján Kadár (1 April 1918 – 1 June 1979) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian-born Slovak film writer and director of History of the Jews in Hungary, Jewish heritage. As a filmmaker, he worked in Czechoslovakia, the United States, and Canada. ...
and
Elmar Klos Elmar Klos (26 January 1910 – 19 July 1993) was a Czech film director who collaborated for 17 years with his Slovak colleague Ján Kadár and with him won the 1965 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for the film ''The Shop on Main Street' ...
- Won Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film *1966 - ''
Loves of a Blonde ''Loves of a Blonde'' ( cs, Lásky jedné plavovlásky), also known as ''A Blonde in Love'', is a 1965 Czechoslovak comedy-drama film directed by Miloš Forman that follows a young woman, Andula, who has a routine job in a shoe factory in provin ...
'' by
Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...
*1967 - ''
Closely Watched Trains ''Closely Watched Trains'' ( cs, Ostře sledované vlaky) is a 1966 Czechoslovak film directed by Jiří Menzel and is one of the best-known products of the Czechoslovak New Wave. It was released in the United Kingdom as ''Closely Observed Trains' ...
'' by
Jiří Menzel Jiří Menzel () (23 February 1938 – 5 September 2020) was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these films ...
- Won Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film *1968 - ''
The Firemen's Ball ''The Firemen's Ball'' (or ''The Fireman's Ball''; cs, Hoří, má panenko - "Fire, my lady") is a 1967 comedy film directed by Miloš Forman. It is set at the annual ball of a small town's volunteer fire department, and the plot portrays a ser ...
'' by
Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...
*1986 - ''
My Sweet Little Village ''My Sweet Little Village'' ( cs, Vesničko má středisková) is a 1985 Czechoslovak film directed by Jiří Menzel. In 1987 it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Plot The film's main storyline follows the lif ...
'' by
Jiří Menzel Jiří Menzel () (23 February 1938 – 5 September 2020) was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these films ...
*1991 - ''
The Elementary School ''The Elementary School'' ( cs, Obecná škola) is a 1991 Czechoslovak comedy-drama film directed by Jan Svěrák. The screenplay comes from the pen of his father Zdeněk Svěrák. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign L ...
'' by
Jan Svěrák Jan Svěrák () (born 6 February 1965 in Žatec) is a Czech film director. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák. He studied documentary filmmaking at the FAMU. He and his films have received awards including the Academy Award, ...
*1996 - ''
Kolya ''Kolya'' ( cs, Kolja) is a 1996 Czech drama film about a man whose life is reshaped in an unexpected way. The film was directed by Jan Svěrák and stars his father, Zdeněk Svěrák, who also wrote the script from a story by Pavel Taussig. ''Ko ...
'' by
Jan Svěrák Jan Svěrák () (born 6 February 1965 in Žatec) is a Czech film director. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák. He studied documentary filmmaking at the FAMU. He and his films have received awards including the Academy Award, ...
- Won Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film *2000 - '' Divided We Fall'' *2003 - ''
Želary ''Želary'' is a 2003 Czech/Slovak film directed by Ondřej Trojan and starring Anna Geislerová. The film received a 2004 Academy Award nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category. It was produced by Barrandov Studios in Prague. The ...
'' by
Ondřej Trojan Ondřej Trojan () (born 31 December 1959) is a Czech people, Czech film producer, actor and film director. Two of the films he produced were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film : ''Divided We Fall (film), Divided We Fal ...


Contenders at Cannes Film Festival

*1946 - ''
Men Without Wings ''Men Without Wings'' ( cs, Muži bez křídel) is a 1946 Czech drama film directed by František Čáp. It was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, where it was one of the winners of the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, late ...
'' by
František Čáp František Čáp (7 December 1913 – 12 January 1972), also known as Franz Cap in Germany, was a Czech and later a Yugoslav film director and screenwriter. He directed 32 films between 1939 and 1970. Having created Slovene film classics such as ...
- Won Palm d'Or *1946 - '' Vánoční sen'' by
Karel Zeman Karel Zeman (3 November 1910 – 5 April 1989) was a Czech film director, artist, production designer and animator, best known for directing fantasy films combining live-action footage with animation. Because of his creative use of special effec ...
- Won Grand Prix International for best short fiction film *1946 - '' Springman and the SS'' by
Jiří Trnka Jiří Trnka (; 24 February 1912 – 30 December 1969) was a Czechs, Czech puppet-maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director. In addition to his extensive career as an illustrator, especially of children's books, he is ...
*1951 - '' The Trap'' by
Martin Frič Martin Frič (29 March 1902 – 26 August 1968) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He had more than 100 directing credits between 1929 and 1968, including feature films, shorts and documentary films. Throughout his life, Fri ...
*1954 - '' A Drop Too Much'' by
Břetislav Pojar Břetislav Pojar (7 October 192312 October 2012) was a Czech puppeteer, animator and director of short and feature films. Born in Sušice, Czechoslovakia, Pojar started his career in the late 1940s with his work on ''The Story of the Bass Cello'' ...
- Won Best Puppet Film *1955 - ''
Dog's Heads ''Dog's Heads'' ( cs, Psohlavci) is a 1955 Czech drama film directed by Martin Frič, based on the novel of the same name by Alois Jirásek. It was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Vladimír Ráž - Jan Sladký-Kozina * Jan ...
'' by
Martin Frič Martin Frič (29 March 1902 – 26 August 1968) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He had more than 100 directing credits between 1929 and 1968, including feature films, shorts and documentary films. Throughout his life, Fri ...
*1955 - ''
The Good Soldier Schweik ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' by
Jiří Trnka Jiří Trnka (; 24 February 1912 – 30 December 1969) was a Czechs, Czech puppet-maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director. In addition to his extensive career as an illustrator, especially of children's books, he is ...
*1956 - '' Dalibor'' by
Václav Krška Václav Krška (7 October 1900 – 17 November 1969) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and writer. Life Krška was born in Písek on 7 October 1900 as the only child. His father was a butcher and innkeeper, but died soon after his bir ...
*1956 - '' The Dolls of Jiří Trnka'' by Bruno Šefranka - Won Special Mention - Short Film *1957 - '' Lost Children'' by
Miloš Makovec Miloš, Milos, Miłosz or spelling variations thereof is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name Sportsmen * Miłosz Bernatajtys, Polish rower * Miloš Bogunović, Serbian footballer * Miloš Budaković, Serbian foo ...
*1958 - ''
Suburban Romance ''Suburban Romance'' ( cs, Žižkovská romance) is a 1958 Czechoslovak romance film directed by Zbyněk Brynych. It was entered into the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Jana Brejchová * Eduard Cupák * František Kreuzmann * Václav Lohnisk ...
'' by
Zbyněk Brynych Zbyněk Brynych (13 June 1927 – 24 August 1995) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. He directed 30 films between 1951 and 1985. Selected filmography Czechoslovakia * ''Suburban Romance'' (1958) * ''Five in a Million'' (1959) * ''S ...
*1958 - '' Než nám narostla křídla'' by
Jiří Brdečka Jiří Brdečka (24 December 1917 – 2 June 1982) was a Czech writer, artist, and film director. Life Brdečka was born in Hranice (then in Austria-Hungary) to a literary family; his father, Otakar Brdečka (1881 – 1930), wrote under the pse ...
- Won Special Prize for Short Film *1959 - ''
Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of aff ...
'' by
Vojtěch Jasný Vojtěch Jasný (30 November 1925 – 15 November 2019) was a Czech director, screenwriter and professor who has written and directed over 50 films. Jasný made feature and documentary films in Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, USA & Canada, and ...
*1959 - ''
Butterflies Don't Live Here Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises t ...
'' by
Miro Bernat Miro or Miró may refer to: Companies * Miro Company, a French game manufacturer * Miro Technologies, a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) software supplier from California * Pinnacle Systems, Miro Video series of the video capture cards * ...
- Won Palme d'Or for Best Short Film *1960 - ''
When the Woman Butts In ''When the Woman Butts In'' ( cs, Kam čert nemůže) is a 1959 Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Zdeněk Podskalský. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival. Plot The study of Dr Frantisek Prucha, who bears the nickname Faust, ...
'' by
Zdeněk Podskalský Zdeněk Podskalský (18 February 1923 – 29 October 1993) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. He directed 32 films between 1950 and 1987. Selected filmography * ''When the Woman Butts In'' (''Kam čert nemůže'') (1959) * '' Mu ...
*1960 - '' Pozor'' by
Jiří Brdečka Jiří Brdečka (24 December 1917 – 2 June 1982) was a Czech writer, artist, and film director. Life Brdečka was born in Hranice (then in Austria-Hungary) to a literary family; his father, Otakar Brdečka (1881 – 1930), wrote under the pse ...
*1961 - '' Fantazie pro levou ruku a lidské svědomí'' by
Pavel Hobl Pavel (Bulgarian language, Bulgarian, Russian language, Russian, Serbian language, Serbian and Macedonian language, Macedonian: Павел, Czech language, Czech, Slovene language, Slovene, Romanian language, Romanian: Pavel, Polish language, Po ...
*1962 - '' Man in Outer Space'' by
Oldřich Lipský Oldřich Lipský (4 July 1924 – 19 October 1986) was a Czech film director and screenwriter, brother of actor Lubomír Lipský. All his films were comedies, frequently employing themes of Dadaism, farce and magical realism. He was a frequent c ...
*1962 - '' Člověk pod vodou'' by
Jiří Brdečka Jiří Brdečka (24 December 1917 – 2 June 1982) was a Czech writer, artist, and film director. Life Brdečka was born in Hranice (then in Austria-Hungary) to a literary family; his father, Otakar Brdečka (1881 – 1930), wrote under the pse ...
*1963 - ''
The Cassandra Cat ''The Cassandra Cat'' ( cz, Až přijde kocour), also released under the titles ''When the Cat Comes'', ''The Cat Who Wore Sunglasses, One Day a Cat'' and/or ''That Cat'', is a 1963 Czechoslovak film directed by Vojtěch Jasný. The film won two ...
'' by
Vojtěch Jasný Vojtěch Jasný (30 November 1925 – 15 November 2019) was a Czech director, screenwriter and professor who has written and directed over 50 films. Jasný made feature and documentary films in Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, USA & Canada, and ...
- Won Special Jury Prize *1963 - '' Železničáři'' by
Evald Schorm Evald Schorm (15 December 1931 – 14 December 1988) was a Czech film and stage director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 26 films between 1959 and 1988. Schorm was a notable exponent of the Czech Film New Wave. Biography Schorm was bo ...
*1964 - '' The Cry'' by
Jaromil Jireš Jaromil Jireš (10 December 1935 – 24 October 2001) was a director associated with the Czechoslovak New Wave movement. His 1963 film '' The Cry'' was entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival. It is often described as the first film of the Cze ...
*1964 - ''
Flora nese smrt Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...
'' by Jiří Papoušek *1965 - ''
The Shop on Main Street ''The Shop on Main Street'' (Czech/ Slovak: ''Obchod na korze''; in the UK ''The Shop on the High Street'') is a 1965 Czechoslovakian film about the Aryanization program during World War II in the Slovak State. The film was written by Ladislav Gr ...
'' by
Ján Kadár Ján Kadár (1 April 1918 – 1 June 1979) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian-born Slovak film writer and director of History of the Jews in Hungary, Jewish heritage. As a filmmaker, he worked in Czechoslovakia, the United States, and Canada. ...
and
Elmar Klos Elmar Klos (26 January 1910 – 19 July 1993) was a Czech film director who collaborated for 17 years with his Slovak colleague Ján Kadár and with him won the 1965 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for the film ''The Shop on Main Street' ...
- Won Special Mention for actors *1965 - '' Johann Sebastian Bach: Fantasy in G minor'' by
Jan Švankmajer Jan Švankmajer (; born 4 September 1934) is a Czech filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeled surrealist known for his stop-motion animations and features, which have greatly influenced other artists such as Terr ...
- Won Prix du Jury for Short Film *1966 - ''
The Pipes ''The Pipes'' ( cs, Dýmky) is a 1966 Czechoslovak film directed by Vojtěch Jasný. It was entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival. Cast * Walter Giller as George Randy * Gitte Hænning as Mary Randy * Juraj Herz as William Poker * ...
'' by
Vojtěch Jasný Vojtěch Jasný (30 November 1925 – 15 November 2019) was a Czech director, screenwriter and professor who has written and directed over 50 films. Jasný made feature and documentary films in Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, USA & Canada, and ...
*1966 - '' Číslice'' by Pavel Procházka *1967 - ''
Hotel for Strangers ''Hotel for Strangers'' ( cs, Hotel pro cizince) is a 1967 Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Antonín Máša. It was entered into the 1967 Cannes Film Festival. The film reconstructs the last days of murdered young poet Petr Hudec ( Petr Če ...
'' by
Antonín Máša Antonín Máša (22 July 1935 – 4 October 2001) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. His movie ''Hotel for Strangers'' competed in Cannes Film Festival. Life Máša was born in Višňová on 22 July 1935. He was a childhood friend ...
*1968 - ''
A Report on the Party and the Guests ''A Report on the Party and Guests'' ( cs, O slavnosti a hostech, also known in English as ''The Party and the Guests'') is a 1966 Czechoslovakian political satire film directed by Jan Němec. It was banned in Czechoslovakia from 1966 to 1968 f ...
'' by
Jan Němec Jan Němec (12 July 1936 – 18 March 2016) was a Czech filmmaker whose most important work dates from the 1960s. Film historian Peter Hames has described him as the "enfant terrible of the Czech New Wave." Biography Němec's career as a fil ...
*1968 - ''
The Firemen's Ball ''The Firemen's Ball'' (or ''The Fireman's Ball''; cs, Hoří, má panenko - "Fire, my lady") is a 1967 comedy film directed by Miloš Forman. It is set at the annual ball of a small town's volunteer fire department, and the plot portrays a ser ...
'' by
Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...
*1969 - '' End of a Priest'' by
Evald Schorm Evald Schorm (15 December 1931 – 14 December 1988) was a Czech film and stage director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 26 films between 1959 and 1988. Schorm was a notable exponent of the Czech Film New Wave. Biography Schorm was bo ...
*1969 - ''
All My Compatriots ''All My Compatriots'', also known as ''All My Countrymen'' ( cs, Všichni dobří rodáci), is a 1968 Czechoslovak film directed by Vojtěch Jasný. Considered the "most Czech" of his contemporary filmmakers, Jasný's style was primarily lyrici ...
'' by
Vojtěch Jasný Vojtěch Jasný (30 November 1925 – 15 November 2019) was a Czech director, screenwriter and professor who has written and directed over 50 films. Jasný made feature and documentary films in Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, USA & Canada, and ...
- Won Best Director *1969 - '' Moc osudu '' by
Jiří Brdečka Jiří Brdečka (24 December 1917 – 2 June 1982) was a Czech writer, artist, and film director. Life Brdečka was born in Hranice (then in Austria-Hungary) to a literary family; his father, Otakar Brdečka (1881 – 1930), wrote under the pse ...
*1970 - ''
Fruit of Paradise ''Fruit of Paradise'' ( cs, Ovoce stromů rajských jíme) is a 1970 Czechoslovak avant-garde drama film directed by Věra Chytilová. It was entered into the 1970 Cannes Film Festival. The film is an adaptation of the Adam and Eve story. This w ...
'' by
Věra Chytilová Věra Chytilová (2 February 1929 – 12 March 2014) was an avant-garde Czech film director and pioneer of Czech cinema. Banned by the Czechoslovak government in the 1960s, she is best known for her Czech New Wave film, ''Sedmikrásky'' ('' Dais ...
*1972 - '' Hvězda Betlémská'' by
Hermína Týrlová Hermína Týrlová (11 December 1900 in Příbram, Březové Hory – 3 May 1993 in Zlín) was a prominent Czech people, Czech animator, screen writer, and film director. She was often called ''the mother of Czech animation''. Over the course of he ...
*1974 - '' Leonarduv deník'' by
Jan Švankmajer Jan Švankmajer (; born 4 September 1934) is a Czech filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeled surrealist known for his stop-motion animations and features, which have greatly influenced other artists such as Terr ...
*1980 - '' Krychle'' by
Zdeněk Smetana Zdeněk Smetana (26 July 1925 – 25 February 2016) was a Czechoslovak-born Czech animator and graphic artist who created more than 400 animated cartoons, including full-length feature films. He became known for a series of Czechoslovak animated ...
- Won Jury Prize for Short Film *1981 - '' Diskžokej'' by
Jiří Barta Jiří Barta (born 26 November 1948) is a Czech stop-motion animation director. Many of his films use wood as a medium for animation. Among his notable films are the 1986 film ''The Pied Piper''. In 2007 he released his first computer-animated s ...
*1981 - '' Král a skřítek'' by
Lubomír Beneš Lubomír Beneš (7 November 1935, Prague – 12 September 1995, Roztoky) was a Czech animator, director, and author, best known as the co-creator of ''Pat & Mat'', an animated series about two highly inventive, yet incredibly clumsy handymen neigh ...
*1989 - '' Manly Games'' by
Jan Švankmajer Jan Švankmajer (; born 4 September 1934) is a Czech filmmaker and artist whose work spans several media. He is a self-labeled surrealist known for his stop-motion animations and features, which have greatly influenced other artists such as Terr ...
*1990 - ''
The Ear ''The Ear'' ( cz, Ucho) is a Czech language film by Karel Kachyňa, completed in 1970. This film was banned by the nation's ruling Communist party (who were supported by the occupying Soviet forces). It wasn't released until the fall of the co ...
'' by
Karel Kachyňa Karel Kachyňa (1 May 1924 – 12 March 2004) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. His career spanned over five decades. Early life He was born on May 1, 1920, in Vyškov, Czechoslovakia. His father was a government officer. His mother ...
*1990 - '' Portrét'' by Pavel Koutský *1990 - '' Time of the Servants'' by Irena Pavlásková - Caméra d'Or - Special Mention


Contenders at Venice Film Festival

*1934 - '' Ecstasy'' by
Gustav Machatý Gustav Machatý (9 May 1901 – 13 December 1963) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed films in Czechoslovakia, USA and Germany including '' Erotikon'' and '' Ecstasy''. Life He was born Augustín Otokar Jan Mach ...
- Won Best Director *1934 - '' The River'' by
Josef Rovenský Josef Rovenský (17 April 1894 – 5 November 1937) was a Czech-Jewish Siegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933'', Berghahn Books (2007), p. 213 film actor and director. He app ...
- Won Best Director *1934 - '' Bouře nad Tatrami'' by Tomáš Trnka - Won Best Director *1934 - ''
Maryša ''Maryša'' (English: ''Marysha'') is a Czech stage drama from 1894, written by brothers and Vilém Mrštík. It is set in a village in Moravia and focuses on the marriage of the eponymous character and its consequences. Plot A young woman, Ma ...
'' by
Josef Rovenský Josef Rovenský (17 April 1894 – 5 November 1937) was a Czech-Jewish Siegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910-1933'', Berghahn Books (2007), p. 213 film actor and director. He app ...
- Won Special Recommendation *1937 - '' Batalion'' by
Miroslav Cikán Miroslav Cikán (11 February 1896 – 1 February 1962 in Prague) was a Czechoslovak film director. He frequently worked with actors such as Hugo Haas, Jan Werich, and Vlasta Burian. Filmography *'' The Mystery of the Blue Room'' (1933) *'' Dum n ...
- Won Special Recommendation *1939 - ''
Humoreska ''Humoreska'' is a 1939 Czechoslovak drama film directed by Otakar Vávra. Cast * Rudolf Hrušínský as Young Josef Hupka * Vladimír Salač as Teenage Hynek * Jaroslav Průcha Jaroslav Průcha (24 April 1898 – 25 April 1963) was a C ...
'' by
Otakar Vávra Otakar Vávra (28 February 1911 – 15 September 2011) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and pedagogue. He was born in Hradec Králové, Austria-Hungary, now part of the Czech Republic. Biography and career Vávra attended universities i ...
*1939 - '' Macoun the Tramp'' by Ladislav Brom *1939 - '' Sklenice i chléb'' by Jaroslav Tuzar *1940 - '' Muž z neznáma'' by
Martin Frič Martin Frič (29 March 1902 – 26 August 1968) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He had more than 100 directing credits between 1929 and 1968, including feature films, shorts and documentary films. Throughout his life, Fri ...
*1941 - ''
Nocturnal Butterfly ''Nocturnal Butterfly'' ( cs, Noční motýl) is a 1941 Czech drama film directed by František Čáp based on a novel by Karel Novák. It was shown in 9th Venice Film Festival where it won a prize Targa di segnalazione. The film was dubbed into ...
'' by
František Čáp František Čáp (7 December 1913 – 12 January 1972), also known as Franz Cap in Germany, was a Czech and later a Yugoslav film director and screenwriter. He directed 32 films between 1939 and 1970. Having created Slovene film classics such as ...
- Won Targa di segnalazione *1947 - '' Capek's Tales'' by
Martin Frič Martin Frič (29 March 1902 – 26 August 1968) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He had more than 100 directing credits between 1929 and 1968, including feature films, shorts and documentary films. Throughout his life, Fri ...
*1947 - ''
The Czech Year ''The Czech Year'' (Czech title: ''Špalíček''), also called ''A Treasury of Fairy-Tales'', is a 1947 stop-motion-animated puppet feature film from Czechoslovakia. It was the first feature film directed by Jiří Trnka, and it proceeded to w ...
'' by
Jiří Trnka Jiří Trnka (; 24 February 1912 – 30 December 1969) was a Czechs, Czech puppet-maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director. In addition to his extensive career as an illustrator, especially of children's books, he is ...
*1947 - ''
The Strike ''The Strike'' (also known as ''Strike!'', although this is more properly the title of the fictitious Hollywood movie featured in the episode) is one of the short comedy films – written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens, and directed by Ric ...
'' by
Karel Steklý Karel Steklý (9 October 1903 – 5 July 1987) was a Czech film director. He is most famous for his film '' Siréna'' (1947) for which he won the Golden Lion, and '' The Good Soldier Schweik'' (1957). Filmography *'' Prosťáček'' (1945) ...
- Won Golden Lion *1955 - ''
From My Life String Quartet No. 1 (''"From My Life"'', cs, "Z mého života") in E minor, written in 1876, is a four-movement chamber composition by Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. It is an autobiographical work with nationalistic elements and was published i ...
'' by
Václav Krška Václav Krška (7 October 1900 – 17 November 1969) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and writer. Life Krška was born in Písek on 7 October 1900 as the only child. His father was a butcher and innkeeper, but died soon after his bir ...
*1958 - ''
The Wolf Trap ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
'' by
Jiří Weiss Jiří Weiss (29 March 1913 – 9 April 2004) was a Czech film director, screenwriter, writer, playwright and pedagogue. Life Early life Jiří Weiss was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Prague. He was named after Czech king Jiří z Poděbrad ...
- Won New Cinema Award and FIPRESCI Prize *1963 - '' The Golden Fern'' by
Jiří Weiss Jiří Weiss (29 March 1913 – 9 April 2004) was a Czech film director, screenwriter, writer, playwright and pedagogue. Life Early life Jiří Weiss was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Prague. He was named after Czech king Jiří z Poděbrad ...
*1963 - '' Mud Covered City'' by
Václav Táborský Václav () is a Czech male first Slavic names, name of Slavic origin, sometimes translated into English as Wenceslaus or Wenceslas. These forms are derived from the old Slavic/Czech form of this name: Venceslav. Nicknames are: Vašek, Vašík, Venc ...
- Won Lion of San Marco for Best Documentary *1965 - ''
Loves of a Blonde ''Loves of a Blonde'' ( cs, Lásky jedné plavovlásky), also known as ''A Blonde in Love'', is a 1965 Czechoslovak comedy-drama film directed by Miloš Forman that follows a young woman, Andula, who has a routine job in a shoe factory in provin ...
'' by
Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...
*1965 - '' Útěk do větru'' by
Václav Táborský Václav () is a Czech male first Slavic names, name of Slavic origin, sometimes translated into English as Wenceslaus or Wenceslas. These forms are derived from the old Slavic/Czech form of this name: Venceslav. Nicknames are: Vašek, Vašík, Venc ...
- Won Lion of San Marco *1966 - '' Ptáci koháci'' by Jiří Torman - Won Plate *1966 - '' Krtek a raketa'' by
Zdeněk Miler Zdeněk Miler (; 21 February 1921 – 30 November 2011) was a Czech animator and illustrator best known for his ''Mole'' (''Krtek'' or ''Krteček'' in original) character and its adventures. Early years Miler was born in Kladno just west o ...
- Won Recreative Children's Film *1969 - '' Čest a sláva'' by
Hynek Bočan Hynek Bočan (Born 29 April 1938) is a Czechs, Czech film director and screenwriter. He started his studies at Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague when he was 18 years old. He started as an assistant director on movies ...
- Won Best Foreign Film *1981 - ''
Cutting It Short ''Cutting It Short'' (also released as ''Shortcuts'') ( cs, Postřižiny) is a 1980 Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Jiří Menzel. It is based on the novel ''Postřižiny'' by Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal. The story is set in a brewery in a ...
'' by
Jiří Menzel Jiří Menzel () (23 February 1938 – 5 September 2020) was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these films ...
*1990 - '' Martha and I'' by
Jiří Weiss Jiří Weiss (29 March 1913 – 9 April 2004) was a Czech film director, screenwriter, writer, playwright and pedagogue. Life Early life Jiří Weiss was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Prague. He was named after Czech king Jiří z Poděbrad ...
*2019 - '' The Painted Bird'' by
Václav Marhoul Václav Marhoul (; born 30 January 1960 in Prague) is a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He studied at Prague's FAMU, graduating in 1984. He directed his first film ''Mazaný Filip'', based on Raymond Chandler's books, in 2003. In ...


Contenders at Moscow Film Festival

*1935 - '' Workers, Let's Go'' by
Martin Frič Martin Frič (29 March 1902 – 26 August 1968) was a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He had more than 100 directing credits between 1929 and 1968, including feature films, shorts and documentary films. Throughout his life, Fri ...
- Special jury prize for actors
Jiří Voskovec Jiří Voskovec (), born Jiří Wachsmann and known in the United States as George Voskovec (June 19, 1905 – July 1, 1981) was a Czech actor, writer, dramatist, and director who became an American citizen in 1955. Throughout much of his career ...
and
Jan Werich Jan Werich (; 6 February 1905 – 31 October 1980) was a Czech actor, playwright and writer. Early life Between 1916 and 1924, Werich attended "reálné gymnasium" (equivalent to high school) in Křemencova Street in Prague (where his future b ...
*1959 - ''
Escape from the Shadows ''Escape From The Shadows'' is the 1972 autobiography of Robin Maugham, later the 2nd Viscount Maugham. The title refers to three huge shadows over Maugham’s life: his famous father, Frederick Herbert Maugham, his uncle, W. Somerset Maugham ...
'' by
Jiří Sequens Jiří Sequens (23 April 1922 – 21 January 2008) was a Czech film director. Life Sequens was born in Brno. After the Second World War, he went to Moscow where he studied film techniques. When he returned to Czechoslovakia he worked for Cz ...
- Golden Medal *1961 - ''
Fetters Legcuffs are physical restraints used on the ankles of a person to allow walking only with a restricted stride and to prevent running and effective physical resistance. Frequently used alternative terms are leg cuffs, (leg/ankle) shackles, foot ...
'' by
Karel Kachyňa Karel Kachyňa (1 May 1924 – 12 March 2004) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. His career spanned over five decades. Early life He was born on May 1, 1920, in Vyškov, Czechoslovakia. His father was a government officer. His mother ...
*1963 - ''
Death Is Called Engelchen ''Death Is Called Engelchen'' ( sk, Smrt sa volá Engelchen) is a 1963 Czechoslovak war film directed by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos. It was entered into the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival where it won a Golden Prize. Plot At the end of ...
'' by
Ján Kadár Ján Kadár (1 April 1918 – 1 June 1979) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian-born Slovak film writer and director of History of the Jews in Hungary, Jewish heritage. As a filmmaker, he worked in Czechoslovakia, the United States, and Canada. ...
and
Elmar Klos Elmar Klos (26 January 1910 – 19 July 1993) was a Czech film director who collaborated for 17 years with his Slovak colleague Ján Kadár and with him won the 1965 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for the film ''The Shop on Main Street' ...
- Golden Prize


See also

*
Czech Lion The Czech Lion Awards ( cs, Český lev) are annual awards that recognize accomplishments in filmmaking and television. It is the highest award of achievement in film awarded in the Czech Republic. The jury is composed of members of the Czech Fi ...
- Annual awards of Czech Film and Television Academy *
Barrandov Studios Barrandov Studios is a set of film studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe. Several major Hollywood productions have been made here, including ''Mission Impossible'', '' ...
- Prague's film studios *
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become ...
* Finále Plzeň Film Festival - Film Festival of Czech and Slovak films * Film Festival Zlín - International Film Festival for Children and Youth * Ateliery Bonton Zlín - Animation Film Production Company *
Czechoslovak New Wave The Czechoslovak New Wave (also Czech New Wave) is a term used for the Czechoslovak filmmakers who started making movies in the 1960s. The directors commonly included are Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Ivan Passer, Pavel Juráček, Jiří Menze ...
*
List of films Czech films considered the best This article shows notable survey—either by critics or by the public of List of films considered the best, best Czech films. Some surveys focus on all Czech films, while others focus on a particular genre. It can be the highest ranked Czech expon ...
*
List of Czech Academy Award winners and nominees This is a list of Czech Academy Award winners and nominees. This list details the performances of Czech actors, actresses, and films that have either been submitted or nominated for, or have won, an Academy Award. Best International Feature Film ...
*
Cinema of the world This is a list of cinema of the world by continent and country. By continent * Cinema of Africa *Cinema of Asia **South Asian cinema **Southeast Asian cinema * Cinema of North America * Cinema of Latin America *Cinema of Europe * Cinema of Oceani ...


Further reading

*


References


External links


GreenCine primer on Czech and Slovak CinemaHistory of Czech cinematographyAn article on places from Czech movies
{{Europe in topic, Cinema of