Zdeněk Troška (born 18 May 1953) is a Czech film director and screenwriter. He mainly directs comedies and fairy-tale films.

Personal life

Troška is deeply connected with the

South Bohemian Region The South Bohemian Region () is an administrative unit (''Regions of the Czech Republic, kraj'') of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia. The western ...

. He was born in the hospital in

Strakonice Strakonice (; ) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Strakonice consists of eight municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Strakonice ...

, but he grew up in Hoštice, where he still lives and where he filmed several of his films (mostly notably the ''Slunce, seno...'' trilogy). He studied directing at

Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague The Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague () or FAMU is a film school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1946 as one of three branches of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. It is the fifth oldest film school in ...

and also at

Lycée Carnot The Lycée Carnot () is a public secondary and higher education school at 145 Boulevard Malesherbes in the 17th arrondissement, Paris, France. The Lycée Carnot was founded in 1869, first bearing the name of École Monge and then renamed in 1 ...

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

, France. Troška came out as gay.

Work

Troška ranks among contradictory and sometimes controversial directors. Although he is educated and receives offers to direct classical operas and film dramas like ''

Andělská tvář ''Andělská tvář'' (translates as ''Angelic Face'') is a 2002 Czech adventure romance film directed by Zdeněk Troška. It is based on a novel by Marie Körnerová of the same name. The film was very expensive and producer Jiří Pomeje lend mo ...

'' (2002), he is most famous for cheap comedies and fairy tales intended for an undemanding audience. His films are usually highly criticized by film critics, but they are successful and profitable in cinemas. Troška made several

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

films, often following patterns where a young man ventures from a rural area to find love and defeat corrupt enemies. Films in this vein include ''

Princess Jasnenka and the Flying Shoemaker ''Princess Jasnenka and the Flying Shoemaker'' () is a 1987 Czechoslovak fantasy film directed by Zdeněk Troška and starring Michaela Kuklová and Jan Potměšil. It is based on a fairy tale by Czech writer Jan Drda. The film was shot in cas ...

'', ''

Princess from the Mill Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for t ...

'' and its sequel, '' Helluva Good Luck'' and its sequel, and ''

The Loveliest Riddle ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' ...

''. Among the comedies he has directed are ''

Slunce, seno, jahody ''Slunce, seno, jahody'' (''Sun, hay, strawberries'') is a Czech language, Czech comedy film made in 1983, usually regarded as one of the classics of the Czech comedy industry. Written and directed by Zdeněk Troška, it was filmed and set in Hoš ...

'' (1983), ''

Slunce, seno a pár facek ''Slunce, seno a pár facek'' (''Sun, hay and a couple of smacks'') is a Czech comedy film depicting life in one of the country's rural regions. It was released in 1989. Cast * Helena Růžičková as Mařena Škopková, Blažena's mother * Stan ...

'' (1989), ''

Slunce, seno, erotika ''Slunce, seno, erotika '' () is a Czech comedy film. It was released in 1991. Cast * Helena Růžičková as Mařena Škopková, Blažena's mother * Stanislav Tříska as Vladimír Škopek, Blažena's father * Valerie Kaplanová as grandmothe ...

'' (1991) and ''

Doktor od jezera hrochů ''Doktor od jezera hrochů '' is a Czech comedy film directed by Zdeněk Troška. It was released in 2010. Cast and characters * Tereza Bebarová as Zuzana Dobešková * Eva Holubová as Marie Košvancová * Jaroslav Šmíd as Dr. Čeněk Dob ...

'' (2010).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Troska, Zdenek 1953 births Czech film directors Czechoslovak film directors Living people People from Strakonice District Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) LGBTQ film directors Czech LGBTQ screenwriters Academy of Performing Arts in Prague alumni 20th-century Czech LGBTQ people 21st-century Czech LGBTQ people Czech gay men