Czech Television Documentaries

Iva Janžurová – acting icon, mother, grandmother, wife, partner, lover, friend and classmate in a feature-length documentary by her daughter and director Theodora Remundová. Thanks to the director's original intention, we get a glimpse into the personality of the popular actress through her memories of her parents and childhood, the loves of her life, motherhood and the pivotal moments that shaped her character and life. In the film, we witness many intimate, serious and joyful moments, memories, reflections and encounters of Iva Janžurová - with her daughters over old love correspondence, at family celebrations, at a class reunion, with her childhood best friend, with her acting colleagues in the theatre, with Marta Kubišová, with whom she welcomed Alexander Dubček upon his return from Moscow in 1968.

A documentary tour of the most important works of the Czech artwashing scene, which will take the audience through the works and institutions that have aroused controversy and debate among the artistic and professional public. The main question associated with them is whether the work or institution reflects an authentic and legitimate interest in art on the part of its donors or whether it is merely a utilitarian effort to use it as a tool to improve its public reputation and image.

Brutally beautiful, but brutally neglected. Alongside the grey flood of prefabricated apartment blocks, the second half of the twentieth century also saw the creation of extraordinary, spiritual and timeless buildings that attracted attention even in the West. Jan Zajíček has made a unique feature-length exploration of the pre-revolutionary architectural scene, based on a theme by Vladimir 518. Against the backdrop of impressive shots of the most interesting Czech and Slovak post-war buildings, supplemented by testimonies of leading architects and theorists, a plastic portrait of an era where much that was bold, modern and inspiring flourished alongside the official and structured.

The city of Brno is preparing the construction of a large-capacity cable car to connect the exhibition centre in Pisárky with the university campus in Bohunice. However, the implementation of the project could disrupt the lives of dozens of protected animals and destroy the roosting habitat of raven birds. All this in a situation where either a trolleybus or a tram can already be used for transport. Is the planned cable car an important piece of the Brno public transport puzzle, or an example of the failure of the responsible nature conservation authorities?

Millions of farm animals live together with humans in the Czech Republic. They often survive in appalling conditions. For example, over 350 cattle have died on the pastures in the Ore Mountains town of Měděnec in two years, and OBRAZ recently highlighted the living conditions of chickens in some Czech farms. The only thing that often determines the quality of life of animals is the economics of the operation. Is there any way of making life easier for these creatures before their bodies become a meat packet?

According to surveys, one of Europe's largest lithium deposits is located in Cínovec. Two thirds of it is found on the Czech side and one third on the German side. Both countries plan to start mining, but their processes may differ significantly. And, depending on the route taken, the environmental impact and quality of life for the local population may also differ.

The current system of care allowances is inadequate for people with the most severe disabilities. The highest level, level 4, corresponds to about 5 hours of personal assistance per day. In that time, it is possible to get up in the morning, take care of basic hygiene, get dressed, prepare food, eat and go to bed at night with the help of an assistant. That's all. For one year, Assistance o.p.s. has provided five selected people with physical disabilities with the so-called "fifth" level of support, thus ensuring that they receive the care they really need. How did they survive that year and what was it like getting back to normal life?

This is a 73-minute version of the film, which, in comparison to the TV version, focuses more on the biographical line of Franz Kafka's life, demythologizing his legacy, and also looks at Kafka's legacy in the field of contemporary artistic phenomenon, including examples of the work of David Lynch, Andy Warhol and other prominent artists. The documentary has more momentum and a gradual narrative, and in particular many of the world discoveries we come up with.

Dangerous gambling trends are thriving on social media and online today. Lootboxes, magic chests with randomly generated game equipment, are considered outright gambling. The whole system is deliberately targeting the younger generation and minors who, because of their addiction, acquire money in all sorts of ways.

Adolescents' search for their own identity and defining themselves in relation to the older generation, which persisted throughout the twentieth century, took various forms. In the final installment of the series, we learn who were the grebes, the crawlers, the hairies, and the punks. We'll take a look at dance halls, parties and discos, and find out why Czechoslovakia never introduced systematic sex education in schools. How to give birth, raise and educate a child to be happy and satisfied? A question that contemporary parents are asking themselves, but that their parents and grandparents were also facing. This five-part documentary series by the trio of directors Kateřina Kořínková Sobotková, Šarka Loukotová and Adela Klingohrová loosely follows the successful Chronicle of Orgasm, which was screened at the Jihlava Festival in 2022. Take an entertaining excursion into the history of Czechoslovakia through the perspective of children, teenagers and their parents, using a rich television and film archive that eloquently reflects the attitudes of society at different times. All episodes of the docuseries are available for viewing on iVysílání.cz.

A cuddle or a smack? Mom or institution? Allow everything or nothing? The second part of the docuseries explores how the twentieth century moved the upbringing of Czech parents in different directions. Do Czech parents believe that a spanking is better than a spanking? What role did dads play in parenting? And why do nurseries in the Czech Republic have a negative label? How to give birth, raise and educate a child to be happy and satisfied? A question that contemporary parents are asking themselves, but that their parents and grandparents were also facing. This five-part documentary series by the trio of directors Kateřina Kořínková Sobotková, Šarka Loukotová and Adela Klingohrová loosely follows on from the successful Chronicle of Orgasm, which was screened at the Jihlava Festival in 2022. Take an entertaining excursion into the history of Czechoslovakia from the perspective of children, adolescents and their parents through a rich television and film archive that eloquently reflects the attitudes of society at different times. All episodes of the docuseries can be viewed at iVysíláni.cz.

Libuše Jarcovjáková is a legend of world photography and an unbridled woman who defied all conventions. Her life is a mosaic of fascinating encounters and wild stories - from the rough underground of communist Czechoslovakia, to exclusive photo shoots for fashion leaders in Tokyo, to her dramatic escape to West Berlin, where she witnessed the fall of the Iron Curtain. Thousands of analogue photographs and pages of personal diaries were turned into a formally unique documentary directed by Klára Tasovská, which thrilled the audience at the Berlinale.

The documentary maps more than a hundred years of Czech visual culture, offers stories of well-known and lesser-known brands and shows that top graphic art is still being created in the Czech Republic today. The film is guided by Nicho Lowry, an American native with Czech roots, an avid collector and graphic design lover who embarks on an adventurous journey in the footsteps of the best of Czech visual culture. During his journey, he meets a number of contemporary graphic designers, as well as the legacy of icons who have passed away, many of whom have succeeded abroad. The film will lead Nich to his own roots through the uncovering of Czech identity and will introduce Czech graphic design to those who do not know the Czech Republic.

The documentary film about Jasmina Houdek is a portrait of a strong woman who managed to overcome the trauma of rape in her adolescence and became an important personality in the field of self-defense and especially in the fight against sexualized violence in the Czech Republic.

Daňa Horáková, the wife of director Pavel Juráček, has written a harrowing book about her cohabitation with the director, one of the representatives of the new film wave of the 1960s. Juráček, the cursed poet of the screen, screenwriter and director, author of the award-winning films A Character to Prop and The Case for a Budding Executioner, and author of two voluminous volumes of his diaries. The idea for a film about two strange personalities came about after reading Dani Horáková's book about life with Pavel Juráček. The book is a very refined confession, a desperate life inventory, an indictment of the normalization regime in Czechoslovakia, which took away people's hopes of continuing their professions and sometimes their very existence. It is "An anatomy of a relationship, of a time, of creation, of love and hate", wrote Olga Sommerová, the author of the theme and director of the film, in the introduction.

The documentary series is a loose continuation of the Czechs Rescue series from 2018. This time it will touch on ethical and practical issues of our relationship to the landscape that is physically closest to us. It will therefore look at its current state, modern conservation, the position of wildlife in our value ranking and visions of sustainable landscapes that relate both to traditional farming methods and the need to respond to contemporary changes. We will screen two episodes entitled Land with Raccoon and Acacia and Land with Wolf Pack.

The documentary film by Olga Malířová Špátová follows Anastazia Krausová and Martin Tomášů both in and out of assisting. The film is part of the asistujeme.cz campaign, which introduces the general public to work that enables people with disabilities to live freely.

In 2014, Poland was rocked by a wiretapping scandal whose trail led clearly to Russia.Why? What do we know about Russian diversions and massive influence on public opinion in Bulgaria? What do we make of the situation in Latvia, where a large Russian minority lives? The film Putin's Playground tells us about all this. In the Czech Republic, Konrad Szołajski filmed Vrbětice, where Russian agents blew up an ammunition depot and killed two people in 2014. The director and his producer, Małgorzata Prociaková, follow the agents' trail and, for example, stay in the same room of an Ostrava hotel with the Corrado shooting range (which impresses them as "the Russian dream of Las Vegas").

The story of three Polish women who, in a difficult life situation, found help from the volunteer organization Ciocia Czesia, which helps to mediate abortions in the Czech Republic for those women who are prevented by the restrictive abortion law in Poland.

A documentary film by Martin Dušek on the topic of taste as it manifests itself in our settlements, dwellings and how we are changing the cultural landscape of the Czech Republic. The documentary is structured as a travelogue through the Czech Republic with stops and documentary situations, supplemented by testimonies of local people, well-known personalities of design, architecture, experts on social geography and history. Each place will have its own theme that defines the situation of Czech taste (the role of tradition, money, the state of crafts, the role of chains with their unified products).

The documentary charts a voyage of almost 2,000 nautical miles across the Arctic Ocean. But the expedition to places where frost and ice reign supreme was no mere adventure. The film adaptation by director Vladimír Šimek gives the viewer a glimpse into the authentic atmosphere of these wild places, to experience the stunning, yet so fragile beauty that goes beyond the simple human imagination. In addition to educating and entertaining, the film crew has prepared for its viewers an extraordinary aesthetic experience that shows us in a non-violent way how vulnerable our planet is if we do not change our emissions policy.

A documentary portrait of the leading Czech theatre director Jan Antonín Pitínský, who has been involved in theatre since the 1980s. In 1985 he founded the Ochotnicky kroužek Brno, where he soon came to prominence with his productions of F. Kafka's Amerika and Matka (Mother), which he wrote himself. After the Velvet Revolution, he began directing at many theatre venues in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. He has won several Alfréd Radok Awards, and in 2007 he was awarded the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. His work has influenced the next generation of theatre directors and filmmakers. His most recent production is The Search for Lost Time at the National Theatre in Brno, which he staged in 2019. During his career, he has also been an active playwright, poet and writer.

A portrait of one of the most prominent personalities of Czech post-Soviet journalism, a traveller, economist, adventurer, Russophile, lifeguard, Czech and European politician, anticommunist, geologist, organizer of humanitarian actions, climber, war correspondent, writer, waterman, balloon pilot, designer of Matylda and a good man. "His life was and still is not free of obstacles, Štětina had to work hard and suffer through his victories," says the author of the documentary, director Petr Jančárek. The uniqueness of Jaromír Štětina lies in the simple fact that he was never average and was very successful in the vast majority of his activities.

"Pěšáci", "Attention Aux Hommes!", "Tanečnice", "Opakování"... The list of well-known hits by the Prague band Tata Bojs could go on and on. Always energetic, different many times during their existence, precise in their conceptual approach to the visual and musical grasp of individual albums and performances. No wonder Marek Najbrt decided not to go the way of a conventional documentary. He tells the band's story in the form of a playful collage, composed of rich archives, concert recordings and futuristic live-action inserts with actors from the Vosto5 theatre. Thus, we see a picture of a distinctive band that, despite the alternative nature of its work, rightly ranks among the leading domestic musicians.

What is body shaming and what are its consequences? People who have responded to the TV challenge come to the studio to talk about their experiences with bullying, ridicule and unsolicited criticism from those around them. At first glance, few would think that they might have a problem. Although they appear to be ordinary, good-looking people, in their minds they feel inadequate. They're addicted to exercise, bulimic, anorexic, depressed. They come to share previously unspoken emotions to help others fight prejudice and mean comments. They are accompanied by experienced guides - psychologist Jan Kulhánek, plus size model Natálie Debnárová, actress Bára Jánová and rapper Raego.

The Czech Republic is called the nation of dog breeders, but it is also infamous as a breeding superpower. Moreover, this business, in which incredible money is made, is constantly evolving. For example, a new 'profession' has emerged to outwit the system and the customer. Resellers. The documentary charts the Czech Television team's search for one of them. Where did an innocent-looking anonymous advertisement with a photo of a cute Chihuahua lead the documentary filmmakers? What role do traffickers play in the breeding business, how to recognize them? How to proceed if we come across them? Where is there a systemic solution in all this?

The young director's debut takes the audience into the unknown world of a giant musical group. Police Symphony Orchestra is an amateur group of 80 young people from Police nad Metují, which Petra Soukupová founded at the age of 15 together with her brother. This East Bohemian orchestra has played hundreds of concerts all over the country and abroad. Together they try to overcome and break down myths and stereotypes of classical music. During its existence, the orchestra has managed to give away over two million crowns through fundraising events, while performing as amateurs themselves without receiving a fee. For the opening of its 10th season, the PSO fulfilled a big dream - a birthday concert in the sold-out Prague Lucerna.

Eighteen-year-old Johana enters the critical year of her teenage life. She wants to leave her small Czech hometown – but there’s more than high school graduation that stands between her and her aspirations. Johana’s life is largely defined by her younger sister’s atypical autism and mental disability which shape the everyday life for the whole family. Her decision to leave the town slowly crumbles under the feeling of guilt and responsibility. Can her sister understand, given Johana is her only friend? Can Mum and Dad manage without her help? Johana must figure out how to leave so she can return with love. A coming-of-age documentary about responsibility, sisterhood, and loving not only others, but also yourself.

The phenomenon of negative manipulation is known to all of us, and very few of us can always defend ourselves and not have at least some remorse. And when the source of the manipulation is a supposed good, but it harms rather than helps and is part of a huge mental massage in a cult, we have a big problem. What effect can negative manipulation have on our lives? How to detect it and defend ourselves? We illustrate the topic with the story of Dusan Straus, a photographer and writer who got into the Chinmoy sect. Gradually, he left his job and started to devote himself only to the affairs of the sect. His wife hoped that it was only momentary, but he fell into the sect completely. The world outside the sect ceased to exist for him.