film culture

Without too much exaggeration, you could say that film is to the Czech Republic what cars are to Germany or wine is to France. Czech cinemas sold 12.9 million tickets in 2008 — not bad for a country of 10.2 million people. More than a third of those tickets were to Czech films. Producers are stepping up to fulfill this demand for local films. Thanks to increased state support in recent years, Czech filmmakers produce about 30 features and full-length documentaries annually.

Czech films are critically acclaimed internationally, and the Czech New Wave of the late 1960s is an essential part of international film history. Three Czech films have won the Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film — Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos's The Shop On Main Street in 1965, Jiří Menzel's Closely Watched Trains in 1967, and Jan Svěrák's Kolya in 1996. In addition to the winners, a further six Czech films have been nominated for the honour — Miloš Forman's Loves Of A Blonde in 1966, his The Firemen's Ball in 1968, Menzel's My Sweet Little Village in 1986, Jan Svěrák's The Elementary School in 1991, Jan Hřebejk's Divided We Fall in 2000, and Ondřej Trojan's Zelary in 2003.

The Czech film industry dates back to the earliest days of cinematography. The first local feature was shot here in 1896. Our historic Barrandov Studios opened in 1931. In the period between the World Wars, independent Czechoslovakia boasted a thriving film industry and one of the leading production facilities on the European continent.

After World War II, a new generation of filmmakers emerged with a new vision. Miloš Forman, Jiří Menzel, Ivan Passer, Jan Němec and the other directors of the Czech New Wave received the highest international awards and inspired filmmakers all over the world.

When communism finally collapsed in 1989, Czech filmmakers were in an excellent position to take advantage of the historic changes. The country's borders opened to allow in a boom in international films, TV productions, commercials and music videos.

Czechs love their film festivals, many of which are world leaders in their areas of specialization. The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the premier event for Central and Eastern European cinema, draws thousands of enthusiastic film fans from across the Czech Republic. The Zlín International Film Festival for Children and Youth, the Anifest International Festival of Animated Film, and the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival are likewise among the most important events for their respective types of film. In total, there are nearly 50 film festivals in the Czech Republic, and audiences for all of them.

You can learn more about Czech cinematography from our colleagues at the Czech Film Center.