Vladimír Smutný (13 July 1942 – 7 June 2025) was a Czech

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

. He was an eight-time winner of the Czech Lion Award for Best Cinematography. He was also a cinematographer of

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 ...

winner '' Kolya'' (1996). His father was a photographer. His sister, , is an actress. After graduating from FAMU in Prague, he worked as an advertising photographer for Tesla Holešovice and as a camera operator for Krátký film Praha. From 1974 he worked as an assistant cinematographer. His first projects as director of photography were in the 1980s when he worked primarily with directors Jiří Svoboda and

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, 1924, in Vyškov, Czechoslovakia. His father was a government officer. His mother wa ...

. Beginning in the mid-1990s he worked primarily with directors

Jan Svěrák Jan Svěrák (; born 6 February 1965) is a Czechs, Czech film director and screenwriter. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák, with whom he collaborated on his most successful films. He is among the most recognized Czech filmm ...

and

Václav Marhoul Václav Marhoul (; born 30 January 1960) 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 2008, his ...

. From 1997 he taught at FAMU in Prague. Smutný died on 7 June 2025, at the age of 82.

Selected filmography

* '' Scalpel, Please'' (1985) * '' When the Stars Were Red'' (1991) * '' Kolya'' (1996) * '' Lea'' (1997) * '' Love Lies Bleeding'' (1999) * ''

Dark Blue World ''Dark Blue World'' () is a 2001 war drama film by Czech director Jan Svěrák, the Academy Award-winning director of '' Kolya''. The film is about Czech pilots who fought for the British Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. The scr ...

'' (2001) * ''

Mazaný Filip ''Mazaný Filip'' is a Czech comedy film released in 2003 and based on a stage play by Sklep Theatre. Cast * Tomáš Hanák as Philip Marlowe * Vilma Cibulková as Velma Hatfield * Oldřich Kaiser as Paolo Perrugini * Ivo Kubečka as Jule ...

'' (2003) * '' King of Thieves'' (2004) * '' The Headsman'' (2004) * ''

Empties ''Empties'' () is a 2007 film directed by Jan Svěrák and written by his father Zdeněk Svěrák, who also stars in the film. It was released first in the Czech Republic in March 2007. The film is a comedy from the same team which made '' Ko ...

'' (2007) * ''

Tobruk Tobruk ( ; ; ) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.)."Tobruk" (history), ''Encyclop� ...

'' (2008) * '' Kooky'' (2010) * ''

Flower Buds ''Flower Buds'' () is a 2011 Czech drama film written and directed by Zdeněk Jiráský. Plot The film is about the Hrdina family, who live in an industrial Czech border town. Jarda Hrdina is a middle-aged railway signalman who is deep in de ...

'' (2011) * '' Viy'' (2014) * '' Three Brothers'' (2014) * ''

Po strništi bos ''Po strništi bos'' (English - ''Barefoot'', or ''Barefoot on Stalks'') is a 2017 Czech war comedy film directed by Jan Svěrák. It is a prequel to ''The Elementary School''. Plot The film follows the young boy Eda Souček and his extended fam ...

'' (2017) * '' Golden Sting'' (2018) * '' The Painted Bird'' (2019) * ''

The Last Aristocrat ''The Last Aristocrat'' () is a 2019 Czech comedy film directed by Jiří Vejdělek. It is based on a book by Evžen Boček of the same name. Cast * Hynek Čermák as Frank Kostka * Tatiana Vilhelmová as Vivien * Yvona Stolařová as Marie * ...

'' (2019)

Awards and nominations

* Czech Lion Award for Best Cinematography wins: '' Lea'' (1997), ''

'' (2001), ''

'' (2003), '' King of Thieves'' (2004), ''

'' (2008), ''

'' (2011), ''

'' (2017), '' The Painted Bird'' (2019) *Czech Lion Award for Best Cinematography nominations: '' Kolya'' (1996), ''

'' (2007), '' Kooky'' (2010), '' Three Brothers'' (2014), '' Golden Sting'' (2018) * Medal of Merit (2024)

References

External links

* * 1942 births 2025 deaths Czech cinematographers Mass media people from Prague Academy of Performing Arts in Prague alumni Academic staff of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) {{Cinematographer-stub