Jan Svěrák (; born 6 February 1965) is a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and screenwriter. He is the son of screenwriter and actor

Zdeněk Svěrák Zdeněk Svěrák (born 28 March 1936) is a Czech actor, humorist, playwright and scriptwriter, and one of the most well-known and popular Czech cultural personalities. Since 1968 he has appeared in 32 films. Career In 1958, he graduated in Czec ...

, with whom he collaborated on his most successful films. He is among the most recognized Czech filmmakers. His best-known films are the Oscar-winning '' Kolya'' and the Oscar-nominated ''

The Elementary School ''The Elementary School'' () 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 Language Film in ...

''.

Life

Jan Svěrák was born on 6 February 1965 in

Žatec Žatec (; ) is a town in Louny District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 19,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře River. Žatec is famous for an over-700-year-long tradition of growing Saaz hops, Saaz noble hops u ...

, into a family of pedagogues. About one year after his birth, the family moved to

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

and his father

became a screenwriter and actor. He made his first amateur filmmaking attempts at the age of twelve. As a teenager, he earned extra money by working at the

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. Barrandov has made several major Hollywood productions, including ''Mission: Impossible (film), ...

. He originally wanted to be a cameraman, but graduated from the documentary filmmaking at Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (1983–1988). Jan Svěrák is married and has three children, sons František and Ondřej, and daughter Kateřina. František became a

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film stock, film which increasingly involves the use Digital cinema, of digital ...

and collaborated with his father on the film '' Bethlehem Night'' (2022).

Work

Svěrák is considered one of the most talented and successful Czech filmmakers, which is why he is sometimes nicknamed the "Czech Spielberg". His mockumentary debut '' Oil Gobblers'' (1988) won student Academy Award for Best Student Film. His notable work includes the films '' Kolya'' (1996), which won the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, and ''

'' (1991), nominated on the Academy Award. The success of these films caused him to receive offers from Hollywood to direct ''

The Cider House Rules ''The Cider House Rules'' (1985) is a ''Bildungsroman'' by American writer John Irving that was later adapted into a 1999 film by Lasse Hallström and a stage play by Peter Parnell. Set in the pre– and post–World War II era, the story tel ...

'' (1999) and '' Chocolat'' (2000), but he declined. His other successful film is the fairy-tale film '' Three Brothers'', which was the most-attended film in Czech cinemas in 2014. Svěrák has appeared in cameo roles in several films, including ''

An Uncertain Season ''An Uncertain Season'' () is a Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Ladislav Smoljak and Zdeněk Svěrák Zdeněk Svěrák (born 28 March 1936) is a Czech actor, humorist, playwright and scriptwriter, and one of the most well-known and popu ...

'' (1987), ''

An Ambiguous Report About the End of the World ''An Ambiguous Report About the End of the World'' () is a 1997 Czech film directed by Juraj Jakubisko. It is a symbolic story of ill-fated love set in central Europe. Synopsis A magical and realistic vision of an unbalanced world takes place in ...

'' (1997), ''

Rebelové ''Rebelové'' (international title: ''Rebels'') is a 2001 Czech musical film. Plot The story, set in 1968, the year of the Prague Spring and the Soviet invasion, features a planned escape to the West and the arrest of one of its central charact ...

'' (2001), ''

Román pro ženy ''Román pro ženy'' is a Czech comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an ...

'' (2005), '' Guard No. 47'' (2008) and ''

Barefoot Being barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear. There are health benefits and some risks associated with going barefoot. Shoes, while they offer protection, can limit the flexibility, strength, and mobility of the foot and can lead ...

'' (2017).

Filmography

Literary and theatre work

After filming Barefoot (2017), Jan Svěrák expressed a desire to retreat into seclusion, away from popularity. He began writing the memoirs ''Světakrásy'' ('World Beauties'), which was published in 2023. His other books are the child book ''Kuky se vrací'' (2010), based on his film of the same name, and ''Bohemia'' (a novel published in 2019). In 2024, his first theatre play, ''Dobré ráno s Findou'' ('Good Morning with Finda'), debuted.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sverak, Jan 1965 births Living people People from Žatec Czech film directors Czechoslovak film directors Czech screenwriters Czech male screenwriters German-language film directors Academy of Performing Arts in Prague alumni Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners