Czech Television Documentaries

A distinctive, sensitive and candid glimpse into the life of Japanologist, artist and journalist Petr Geisler, seen through the eyes of his daughter Ester.

Operation Asanace was a communist crime against humanity that remains unpunished to this day, and its victims have yet to receive proper redress. Why is justice so difficult to achieve in our society, and forgetting so easy? And what meaning does the notion of moral vindication still hold today? The machinery of arbitrary power through which the totalitarian regime systematically destroyed the lives of its opponents, using coercion by the secret police (StB), has never been adequately condemned. Following the legal battles of some of its victims, the documentary explores why obtaining justice and redress is so difficult in our society, and how convenient it is to suppress certain memories.

A documentary portrait of one of the last surviving filmmakers of the Czechoslovak New Wave: director Hynek Bočan, whose work includes the films Čest a sláva, Pasťák and S čerty nejsou žerty, as well as the television series Záhada hlavolamu and Zdivočelá země. Hynek Bočan, the last surviving representative of the Czechoslovak New Wave, looks back on his life and filmmaking career. Through his films, previously unpublished personal diaries, new interviews and rare material from his private archive, the documentary reveals a director who has remained true to his own vision of cinema and the world throughout his life. An intimate portrait of an exceptional filmmaker and one of the last direct links to the Czechoslovak New Wave generation.

Russia never stopped regarding the independent Czech Republic as part of its sphere of influence. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it continued its systematic efforts to infiltrate Czech political, economic and security circles, with some senior politicians willingly facilitating these efforts. On 17 April 2021, relations between the Czech Republic and Russia reached a major turning point. The Czech government announced that it had reasonable grounds to suspect that agents of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, were responsible for the 2014 explosions at ammunition depots in Vrbětice. The blasts killed two Czech citizens.

They gradually climbed to positions of influence and amassed vast fortunes on the backs of politicians. They pushed those politicians into the spotlight while keeping themselves out of sight, free to pursue their business dealings undisturbed—especially those involving the state. Political godfathers have become emblematic of the past 25 years. Their influence over the make-up of governments, the shaping of laws and the allocation of public funds has fuelled widespread disillusionment with politics.

Marking the 90th anniversary of Václav Havel’s birth, this documentary departs from conventional biography, moving beyond the accounts of his political and private life explored in previous films. It examines how relevant his ideas and concepts remain in today’s world, and how his emphasis on living in truth and human rights resonates with younger and middle generations. At its heart is his essay The Power of the Powerless, which takes on a chilling relevance amid the current geopolitical crisis. The film also juxtaposes previously unpublished interviews recorded twenty years ago with the present, offering a critical perspective on the clash between moral visions and the populism and extremism increasingly shaping our world.

For five years, director Pepa Lubojacki documented the emotional stories of her own family. Why did addiction cost her beloved brother and two cousins their relationships, sense of security, health and a roof over their heads? And what if the underlying cause is not addiction itself, but something that began much earlier? An inventive blend of intimate video diaries, animated photographs, stylised memories and graphic collages makes the film a distinctive experience, at once raw and playful. As both a filmmaker and a sister, Pepa faces questions with no easy answers: where does love end and control begin? Should she try to save them or let them go? This brutally honest film won the Best Documentary Award at the Berlinale.

Karel Cudlín is one of the Czech Republic’s leading documentary photographers. For half a century, he has documented disappearing worlds: working-class neighbourhoods, Roma communities, the withdrawal of Soviet troops, everyday life in Ukraine and the many faces of Israel. He has photographed Václav Havel, the Dalai Lama and people whose names remain unknown. Throughout it all, he has never put his camera down. Director Bára Kopecká follows Cudlín on the move as he prepares a book about Israel, sets up exhibitions and searches an archive full of banana boxes labelled “Troop Withdrawal” or “Lucerna”. Along the way, he reflects on photography as the only way to hold back time.

How do you capture an artist whose work transcends the scale of galleries, landscapes and even the planet? This distinctive documentary portrait of internationally acclaimed Czech artist Magdalena Jetelová traces her journey from monumental wooden sculptures and smoke performances to laser drawings and a dialogue with the Moon. It reveals the remarkable personality of an artist for whom boundaries are simply an invitation to go beyond them. For decades, she has transformed spaces, challenged certainties and sought new ways of perceiving the world. The film is also a personal reflection on freedom, emigration, home and an enduring need to create and explore the unknown.

He is one of the leading names in contemporary glass art worldwide. Elton John and Leonardo DiCaprio own his works, and he created a glass Infant Jesus of Prague for Pope Francis. Yet Martin Janecký’s name is better known in America than in his native Czech Republic. The documentary enters the world of the American glass art community, where Janecký rose to international prominence, while also following his return to Prague—to his Czech roots, craftsmanship and tradition. A story of exceptional talent, passion and an obsession with glass. Martin Janecký has pushed the unique technique of inside sculpting—shaping molten glass from within—to its limits. He alone has succeeded in giving glass not only a human face, but also emotion.

David Stypka was not only an exceptional musician but also a sensitive observer of the world. He sought beauty in ordinary moments and found light even in the darkest times. His music inspires people across generations. Who doesn’t know songs such as “Jericho”, “Kříž” or “Dobré ráno, milá”, his duet with Ewa Farna? Yet few knew him as he truly was—how he lived, created and faced the difficult hand life had dealt him.

The documentary explores a subject long overlooked in Czech historiography: Czechoslovakia’s restrictive policies towards the Roma minority after 1948. Through eyewitness accounts, archival material and expert commentary, it reveals the state’s systematic efforts to assimilate Roma people, from forced relocations and bans on traditional ways of life to unequal access to education, forced sterilisation and the severing of family ties. The arbitrary exercise of state power turned the lives of an entire community into a social experiment aimed at erasing its identity. The film poses a fundamental question: to what extent are today’s prejudices and social exclusion a direct consequence of these practices, some of which persist even in a democratic society?

The bilingual documentary Through the Landscape of Literature / Tschechische Literaturlandschaften explores Czech writers and the places that inspired their work. The German version is intended for the Frankfurt Book Fair, while the Czech version is made for Czech Television’s streaming platform, iVysílání. The filmmakers drew on footage shot for the 13-part documentary series Literární místopis, currently airing on ČT art. While the series takes a geographical approach, with each episode devoted to a particular region, the documentary follows a thematic structure. It aims to revisit celebrated names such as Bohumil Hrabal, Milan Kundera and Josef Škvorecký, as well as German-language writers including Franz Kafka, Gustav Meyrink and Otfried Preußler. Above all, it seeks to showcase contemporary writers such as Jiří Hájíček, Radka Denemarková, Miřenka Čechová, Alice Horáčková and Jan Novák. As in the series, viewers are guided through Czech literary landscapes by Jaroslav Rudiš, a prominent author who writes in both Czech and German.

They’re like a classical music concert on a beach in Bibione. A talk show on the road and a concert by a band you either love or don’t get at all. Bert & Friends is Albert Romanutti’s psychedelic pop project, blending absurd humour with a distinctive visual style. Their musical universes sit somewhere between retro aesthetics and futurism. Mardoša joins the band in a van to explore where their ideas come from. How did Romanutti give himself permission to stop following all the rules about how pop music should be made? Finally, the van delivers the band to the venue, and a breathtaking performance can begin.

The eight-part series Women, Men, Love Songs explores Czech popular music from the 1950s to the present as a vivid cultural record of its times. Catchy pop melodies and familiar lyrics were never merely a backdrop for listening and dancing. They reflected the values, norms and profound social changes of their day. Each episode focuses on a different period or phenomenon: the influence of the sexual revolution in the 1960s, marital stereotypes in the 1970s, ambivalent portrayals of sexuality in the 1980s, and the uninhibited freedom and commercial glamour of the 1990s. The series also explores emerging queer narratives and the gradual emancipation of women in the 21st century. With wry humour and sharp criticism, music critic Pavel Klusák examines how deeply gender stereotypes were—and still are—rooted in us, and what the hits that continue to fill the airwaves and television screens reveal about the changing Czech identity. What do songs whose lyrics entire generations know by heart tell us about Czech society?

Three generations of Ukrainian men with ties to the Czech Republic face the same dilemma: die in the war against Russia and fulfil their duty to their country, or care for their loved ones and avoid military service? Director Ondřej Herskovič follows the lives of three men: Dima, whose wife, adult son and grandchildren live in the Czech Republic while he fights on the front line with the Ukrainian army; his son Ivan, who now works as a lorry driver and is raising young children with his wife; and Andrei, a young man who has just reached adulthood and can enlist voluntarily, but is unsure which choice is right. “War does no one any good,” says Dima, a seasoned soldier, as he tries to dissuade young Andrei from joining the army. Both also reflect on what will happen after the war, when traumatised men return home. In every Ukrainian town and city, portraits of the fallen and their names are impossible to escape. A pressing question resonates far beyond the Ukrainian community in the Czech Republic: after the war, how will the men who fought get along with those who did not take up arms to defend their country?

The documentary follows three parallel personal stories, offering three perspectives on a traumatic past that intersect during the first-ever Sudeten German gathering in the Czech Republic, held in Brno in late May 2026. The past comes alive, becoming the subject of heated debate. While opponents see the gathering as a cause for moral outrage, German participants see it as a chance to visit their hometown, perhaps for the last time.

“We’re not going to have children” is a statement that stirs emotions, often provoking disappointment, disapproval and incomprehension. It can also cause anxiety for those who have to say it, having chosen a different path from the one expected of them. Through the personal accounts of several couples and individuals, this documentary explores the growing phenomenon of choosing not to have children. They speak openly about the reasons behind their decision and their belief that fulfilment in life can take many forms. What price do they pay for their choice in a world where parenthood is deeply ingrained as an essential part of a “normal” life? How much should other people’s expectations and ideas shape our lives? The film raises questions about changing family structures in the 21st century, freedom of choice in modern society and the many ways to lead a fulfilling life.

A documentary exploring the drug problems facing schools today. What exactly counts as a drug, which substances can schoolchildren actually access, and why aren’t they banned? These questions unfold through the stories of promising graphic designer Denisa Holubová, who is trying to overcome her addiction, and Tereza Hodanová—known as Teri Blitzen—who recently spoke publicly about her own. Having overcome her addiction, Teri now seeks to help young people struggling with mental health issues. Together with Teri, can we find a way forward and understand why increasing numbers of young people are becoming addicted to drugs and experiencing mental health problems? Which drugs were, until recently, entirely legal in schools—and why?

The documentary offers a sensitive look at the everyday lives of people experiencing homelessness and challenges entrenched stereotypes that reduce homelessness to personal failure. Is it really true that “all it takes is willingness and hard work”? Do people end up living under bridges through their own fault? By bringing two worlds into direct confrontation—people experiencing homelessness and local government—the film reveals a fundamental gap between political rhetoric and the actual availability of social support. It explores the deeper causes of social exclusion and asks how systemic failings in housing, social policy and public policy contribute to it. Are political leaders addressing the heart of the problem? And do we realise how easy it is to fall through the cracks, and how difficult it is to find a way back? These uncomfortable questions challenge us to reconsider assumptions we often take for granted. The film opens an important debate about our collective responsibility and about who remains unable to access help, and why.

Maia is a young woman living with functional neurological disorder who leads a full and inspiring life. “My life is full of challenges, but also full of love, joy and fulfilment. I have Jakob, Bailey and lots of friends. My disability doesn’t define me. I’m Maia, and I live my life to the fullest,” she says. Together with her assistance dog, whom she raised and trained herself, she encourages others to take an active approach to life. In her spare time, she educates her audience about her disability and assistance dogs. Her videos often highlight social barriers, sharing both the difficult and positive experiences of living with a disability. Marcel Petrov’s documentary reveals the strength, determination and independence with which Maia navigates everyday challenges, while also exploring the prejudices that people with disabilities continue to face.