Czech Television Documentaries

The story of an aging prostitute who’s never down on her luck. Anny has three grown children, has been divorced twice, and works as a restroom attendant. At the age of 46, she pursues a career in street prostitution – a choice she makes on her own – all so she can spend more money on her grandchildren for Christmas. In true time-lapse fashion, Anny captures 25 years of a quirky woman’s life. This is the story of someone who always holds her head high and never hits rock bottom. She looks for love and defies bad luck and disease. She takes all of life's difficulties with a great sense of humor and practical insight. Helena Třeštíková began watching Anny in 1996 as part of the comprehensive film Pleasure Without Risk (CZ: Rozkoš bez rizika) about Prague prostitutes. After its release on Czech Television, she returned to Anny and filmed with her for another ten years.

A determined man in his fifties has two passions in life: fast cars and his high-school sweetheart Jitka, who helped him rekindle his hope and desire to move on after a messy marriage. Jitka, the oldest autocross driver in the Czech Republic, would be hard-pressed to find a better mechanic and coach than Jaroslav. He constantly builds her racing cars out of clunkers, and together they hope for a big victory. But the motorsport championships serve as just a backdrop to the real “race of life,” in which both of them haven’t done so hot. The frustrations and disillusionment of the past can thus take a surprising turn. Director Miro Remo has devised a brilliant story of a seemingly match made in heaven, set along the Moravian-Slovak border and packed with more than enough drama and humor.

This documentary film aims to summarize the issue of placing children in institutional care instead of foster care. Compared to the rest of Europe, Czech institutions are still supported, although it has been proven for many years that institutional care does not meet the needs for healthy child development, which brings with it a whole slew of problems. And so, the question remains: why and for what benefit?

The documentary Dreams About Stray Cats tells the life story of fine artist Petr Sís, who is regarded as one of the most important figures in the contemporary international art and cultural scene. He is the author of many children's books, an illustrator, a graphic artist, and the creator of many animated films. Petr has also won dozens of prestigious awards throughout his career. Director David Sís fleshes out the inner world of his older brother, using it as a medium to tell the close relationship he shares with him. The film is composed of original footage shot in New York, Paris, Aubusson, and Lisbon, as well as in Prague and Brno. Footage is strategically spliced with the animations of Sís's works, allowing the viewer to confront the real world through the world of Petr Sís.

Married Slovak couple Michal Hanuliak and Lenka Hanuliaková have been conducting this unique experiment since their four-year-old son Mišek was born. They train him every single minute so that one day he’ll become a successful all-star athlete and an all-around “superior person.” To achieve this goal, they decided to put everything on the back burner, including themselves. The training methodology they’ve chosen is known as Kameveda, which stands for Comprehensive Mutli-Developmental Training for Children. This methodology was founded by Pavel Zacha, who systemically devoted much of his time to his own son Pavlík from birth, and their combined efforts ended with Pavlík's entry into the NHL. Michal and Lenka devote literally every minute of their lives to Hanuliak Jr.’s sports and mental training. In a constantly alternating machine-like rhythm, training is switched out with gameplay, gameplay is switched out with exercise, and then exercise is switched out with training. Rinse and repeat. The film captures the parents’ efforts over the course of a whole year, and through a series of real-life family situations, it raises a number of more general questions about the meaning of upbringing today as well as about one-sided performance orientation and the impending "robotization" of life.

This documentary presents all the major works of Milan Kundera and their themes. A Western reader has no idea about his early verses and plays. Until recently, none of his novels written in French were even published in the Czech Republic. What’s more, Kundera is shrouded in a number of myths. Why, since 1985, has he refused to give interviews or appear in the media? Why has he avoided public life? And why is he said to have very few friends? These myths make him seem like a freak of nature, and this documentary film gradually confirms or debunks them while emphasizing Kundera's artistic vision. The film is framed by a "student story" that’s adamant in getting Milan Kundera to do an interview. It gradually becomes more acquainted with his texts and opinions and with his friends and co-workers in order to finally understand that what’s essential and what’s left is his work and not the vicissitudes of life.

Hospitalized children legally have the right for their parents to be with them at all times. Despite this, it ultimately seems to fall on the goodwill of hospital staff whether they allow the parents to see their child or not. Jana Ustohalová gets to the bottom of this as she attempts to figure out what exactly stands in the way of hospitals complying with the law.

Fifteen families work together to build living facilities for their adult children suffering from mental disabilities. Are they on their own or will an institution help them out? For the sake of social interest, Hana Čápová liaises with state-level institutions and civic initiatives in the hopes that they’ll provide social security and support.

For large sums of money, elderly disabled people live in a boarding house on the border without any dignity or access to social services. Saša Uhlová investigates why.

The Czechoslovak-Jewish tragedy in the age of Nazism. From 1938, anti-Semitism grew. Then came blanket bans and segregation before Jews were eventually deported and murdered. These are the compelling firsthand accounts from the last surviving witnesses of the Holocaust, all made for a new cycle of documentaries capturing the problems of former Czechoslovakia.

The Czechoslovak-Jewish tragedy in the age of Nazism. From 1938, anti-Semitism grew. Then came blanket bans and segregation before Jews were eventually deported and murdered. These are the compelling firsthand accounts from the last surviving witnesses of the Holocaust.

Documentary filmmaker Jan Šikl has been searching for and collecting private film archives for many years; the faded and washed-out life stories of families… the celluloid echoes of both celebratory and everyday moments… It was through this fascination some time ago that he came across several hours of footage that captured the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. These unique, yet presumably never-before-seen shots led the director on a chase to find the very people that were depicted in them. Memories of specific events spring to life, and what starts out as an investigation gradually turns into a reflection of how a historical moment has imprinted itself into us all. Reconstruction of Occupation is a film about the experience of a threshold matter and the distinct form of social memory.

Throughout their work, doctors Ondřej and Kateřina often touch the untouchable. In this feature-length documentary, the pioneers of Czech hospital palliative care open up topics that have otherwise disappeared from our lives. Within the context of robotic medicine and glorified lab coats geared towards handling serious diseases, the person returns to the center of their attention. In a series of intimate interviews, doctors and their patients look for answers to a question that’s unfortunately often forgotten about in hospitals where life ends for 60-70% of Czech society: “How can you still have a good life while living with a fatal illness?”

“The Law of Love" guarantees marriage for everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, and it’s supported by the majority of the Czech population. We watch with suspense the tense journey of marriage for all, from the collection of petition signatures and TV spats between those with different ideological views to debates in parliament leading up to a key vote. There is no need for intervention from the director, simple observation is enough for the viewer to get a picture of the situation. Sometimes it’s authenticity that prevents evasion from this dispute between the viewer and the subject matter of the documentary. Politicians illustrate the clash between the progressive and conservative sects of the population through their speeches and exhibitions. The main role of the film will be played by the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic. Starring in the supporting roles are their opinionated opponents – the Alliance for Family and the We Are Fair movement.

Whether we’re women or men, we’re all central characters in this made-for-TV documentary produced by Czech Television. We play the traditional roles that are so ingrained in our heads and we’re willing to accept the prejudices and opinions of the majority of society. The system relies heavily on the functionality of people alone, but this form of harmony doesn't work in every case. Sexual violence against women will never be an important-enough issue until we start taking rape victims’ traumas seriously and until institutions start helping these victims adequately by offering solutions that are both empathetic and sensitive to their needs. Among other things, this documentary seeks answers as to why a large percentage of women don’t report rape at all or report it only after suffering a long period of depression and self-humiliation.