Lidice Brings Audience Back to Serious Czech Films
PRAGUE: The Czech WWII drama Lidice scored 121,000 spectators in the first ten days since its premiere on 2 June 2011, improving the balance of local cinema attendance for the…
MIFF 2011 Competition: Leaving
Leaving (Odcházení), the highly anticipated film directing debut by former Czech president and world-wide respected playwright/philosopher Václav Havel, premiered on 9 March 2011. Although it received mixed reviews, mostly due…
New Czech Station Plans Launch
PRAGUE: Harmonie TV, a station aimed at viewers age 45 and up, is scheduled to begin broadcasting on 16 June 2011.
Janacek Resigns from Czech TV
Jiří Janeček the General Director of public broadcaster Czech TV (www.ceskatelevize.cz) announced that he will resign from his post at the end of August 2011, after eight years in the…
Czech Station Ends Broadcasts
Czech station TV Public, which was broadcast by satellite on UPC, ceased broadcasts as of 1 June 2011.
TV Barrandov Gets Cash Infusion
PRAGUE: TV Barrandov has received an additional 4 million euros investment, raising the total investment into the station to nearly CZK 900 million, or 36 million euros.
PRODUCTION: A Night Too Young Goes into Postproduction
PRAGUE: Slovenian director Olmo Omerzu wrapped the shoot on the Czech-Slovenian feature film A Night Too Young (Prilis mlada noc) in late May, and the film has now moved into…
Zelezny Acquitted in Czech Court
PRAGUE: In connection with one of the longest and most prominent international legal cases in the Czech Republic, Vladimir Zelezny, the former Director of Central European Media Enterprises' (CME, www.cetv-net.com)…
Czech Foreign Minister Leads Delegation to Hollywood
PRAGUE: Karel Schwarzenberg, the Czech Foreign Minister, is leading a delegation to Hollywood to promote the Czech film industry. He departs for the US on 27 May 2011 and will…
FNE at DISCOP Budapest 2011: Czech Republic
PRAGUE: The Czech television market has always been defined by one overriding characteristic: the loyalty of Czech audiences to original domestic production, especially long-running TV series cast with popular local…
PRODUCTION: DonT Stop Begins Production
PRAGUE: DonT Stop, a Czech-Slovak coproduction directed by Richard Řeřicha and produced by Evolution Films (www.evolutionfilms.cz), began a six week shoot on 7 May 2011. The 800,000 euro film is…
PRODUCTION: Voskovec Documentary Completing Production
PRAGUE: My Father Voskovec, a 58-minute documentary on the communist exile of popular Czech actor/comic Jiri (George) Voskovec, is due to complete filming in May 2011 and move into postproduction…
PRODUCTION: Švankmajer in Preproduction on Čapek´s Insects
Czech auteur and animation artist Jan Švankmajer at age 76 is preparing a film adaptation of legendary Czech playwright and novelist Karel Čapek's book "On the Life of a Beetle"…
EFP Producer on the Move: Radim Procházka
Almost every production from Radim Procházka has received both critical acclaim and prestigious film awards, including The Greatest Czechs by director Robert Sedláček, nominated for seven awards at the 2010…
FNE AT FINALE PLZEN: Kooky and Eighty Letters Share Czech Fest Prize
PLZEN: Debuting director Vaclav Krdenka's (www.vaclavkadrnka.com) autobiographically-based Eighty Letters and Oscar-awarded Jan Sverak's (www.sverak.cz) family film Kooky shared the Golden Kingfisher prize for best feature film at the 24th edition…
CME Sells Czech Series to U.S.
PRAGUE: MediaPro Distribution, the sales agent for Central European Media Enterprises (CME, www.cetv-net.com ) announced a deal to develop the Czech crime series Organized Crime Unit in the U.S. The…
CME to Acquire Bontonfilm
Central European Media Enterprises (CME, www.cetv-net.com) announced on 28 March 2011 that its wholly-owned subsidiary CME Media Pro B.V.has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire 100% of the shares…
PRODUCTION: Vendetta in Production
PRAGUE: Czech producer Vratislav Šlajer of Bionaut Films company (www.bionaut.cz) and director/screenwriter Miroslav Ondruš are in production with a criminal thriller, Vendeta. The 20 day shoot began 10 March 2011…
PRODUCTION: Yuma in Production
The Polish/Czech coproduction Yuma, a drama set in the early 1990's directed by Piotr Mularuk, is scheduled to go into postproduction in May 2011. The Polish premiere is scheduled for…
Innocence sold to France and Benelux
PRAGUE: Innocense, by Czech director Jan Hřebejk, has been sold to France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg, producer Rudolf Biermann of Infilm announced. Biermann signed a distribution and franchise contract with…
