přemek ponáhlý (wolfberg)

The directing duo Wolfberg was formed in 2010 by Jan Kalvoda and Přemysl Ponáhlý. Together, they set out on a mission to save commercial filmmaking from mediocrity, monotony, and boredom. Their projects stand out with a unique visual style, hand-crafted visual approach, dry humor, and fresh storytelling. They have directed commercials for the likes of Sky Cinema, Budweiser Budvar, Jägermeister, The National Museum, Staropramen, and Google.

jan kalvoda (wolfberg)

The directing duo Wolfberg was formed in 2010 by Jan Kalvoda and Přemysl Ponáhlý. Together, they set out on a mission to save commercial filmmaking from mediocrity, monotony, and boredom. Their projects stand out with a unique visual style, hand-crafted visual approach, dry humor, and fresh storytelling. They have directed commercials for the likes of Sky Cinema, Budweiser Budvar, Jägermeister, The National Museum, Staropramen, and Google.

jan p. muchow

Music creates half the emotion in film, and this is doubly true in the case of Jan P. Muchow. The musician, composer, and producer has been one of the most influential figures in the Czech music scene in recent decades. In 1991, he founded the band Ecstasy of Saint Theresa, with whom he released five albums. Their album Slowthinking received an Anděl Award in 2002. Muchow has created the music for more than ten Czech films and received Czech Lion Awards for One Hand Can't Clap, Grandhotel, In the Shadow, and The Lake. He also composed the music for the films Men in Hope, Whisper, and Loners, in which he also played a supporting role. He occasionally plays concerts with the band Umakart, with whom he wrote the song “Půlnoční” for Václav Neckář.

filip malásek

An editor, music supervisor, and Chelsea fan, Filip Malásek is one of the closest collaborators of director Ivan Zachariáš. They founded the Robota studio together in 2001, and they have created projects for Honda, Stella Artois, and many others. As an editor, Filip has worked on hundreds of commercials, music videos, films, and TV series, both in the Czech Republic and abroad, including the miniseries The Sleepers and Wasteland, which were produced by HBO. His work has won awards at festivals such as Cannes Lions, BTAA, Clio, and D&AD.

jan malíř

is a Senior VFX Supervisor and Chief Executive Officer at UPP Advertising. He joined UPP in the late 1990s. Initially, he has gained experience working with 2D and 3D software. He later became a Flame artist. The drive to make visual effects as good as possible pushed him further, and he realized that to achieve impeccable results, he needed to be involved not only in the final stage but from the very beginning, to be present during the shoot and oversee the 3D process. Therefore, he became a VFX supervisor focusing on commercials. He later joined UPP as a partner and became CEO of the advertising department, which now has more than 70 employees. Malíř has worked on large international campaigns with world-class directors around the globe.

petra vaněk svarinská

is the founder and managing director of Vivid Casting, one of the most prominent casting agencies in the Czech Republic. Petra has been working in the film and advertising industry as a casting director since 1998, and her filmography comprises hundreds of commercials, feature films, and television series, such as the series Božena (for Czech Television), Sedmero krkavců, Ve stínu, and many others. In 2008 she founded the Reset Actors talent management agency, which represents some of the most renowned actors and actresses in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Her great passion is to work with a new generation of extraordinary emerging actors and guide their careers towards a breakthrough on both the local and international stage. She is a founding member of the professional talent database Actorsmap.cz.

pavel picek

has dedicated his entire professional life to film production in the Czech Republic and abroad. His career began in 1992, when he started working as a production assistant on major international productions. He worked on Les Misérables, Pinocchio, Hoffman's Hunger, and others. He later started working on commercials as a production manager, and for five years he was a part of the Sirena Film production house. In 2001 he co-founded Armada Films, where he is still active as an executive producer. Over the years, Armada Films has participated in hundreds of Czech and foreign commercials and has become a partner in several documentary film projects. Picek eagerly discovers new talent among the youngest generation of creators whose potential he can help develop.

petr oplatka

has worked as a production agent for firms such as Leagas Delaney and Fallon. He was also co-owner of Black & Biscuit before founding the boutique production company Creative Embassy in 2015, where he currently works as a producer. He also recently began working as a producer for Stairway Films, a production company that focuses on developing both feature-length and short films. Petr is not only a creative powerhouse himself but also a promoter of creative production in the Czech Republic. As president of the young art festival Czech Penguin (2007–2013), he extensively supported education for young people in creative fields.

daniel růžička

Czech advertising director Daniel Růžička began working as an art director for Young & Rubicam Prague in 1991, and he gradually worked his way up to the position of Chief Creative Officer. His works have received more than thirty awards from the Art Directors Club Czech Republic as well as many other international awards. In recent years he has focused primarily on advertising direction, and his work is associated with humor, witty one-liners, and concise storytelling. At the end of last year, he captivated the Czech Republic with his excellent campaign for Fio Bank “For all the worldly pleasures,” featuring the character of carnival worker Fredy Boháček.

ondřej erban

I was born in 1986, and with the exception of the six months I spent in the Netherlands, I’ve lived my whole life in Prague. I studied screenwriting at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU), and like many others I used to idealise the institution a little, which changed slightly once I started studying there. Nevertheless, I’m glad I had the opportunity to attend FAMU. Without it I would never have come to where I am today. The school gave me a great deal.

My filmmaking idol is Gaspar Noé. His films are a great inspiration to me. In my work I’ve also been influenced by Lars von Trier, Andrea Arnold and the Dardenne brothers (especially in their early period). My greatest filmmaking success to date has been the short film Sto dvacet osm tisíc (One Hundred and Eight Thousand), which among other matters was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and won a Czech Lion award, specifically the Magnesia Award for the Best Student Film. As a result, all had high expectations of my next film Protihřáč (The Opponent), though the film didn’t entirely succeed in living up to them. Nevertheless, I believe that thanks to this experience I’ve learned a considerable amount, and have developed my directing style a little further.

In cinematography it applies that the greatest milestones are linked with technological progress: advances in sound recording, the transition to colour film, the invention of the digital camera etc., and so as a director I welcome new innovations in connection with digital technologies, and am curious to see what they will bring. At the same time, however, I have a weakness for the aesthetic of 16 mm analogue film. With regard to my relationship to digital technologies on a personal level, in recent months I’ve decided to limit the time I spend on Instagram. I started to have the feeling that everyone around me was making advances, while I was just sitting at home and scrolling.

terézia halamová

I was born in 1997 in Nitra, in western Slovakia. Moving to Prague was a big and important step for me, but I still continually return to my homeland in my memories, which I draw upon ceaselessly. I am study film direction at FAMU, and the school (and the whole experience of moving to Prague) has absolutely changed my life. I came to Prague at the age of eighteen, and so the school shaped me in all aspects of my development. In part practically, in that I learned the basic essentials about film, both its history and about filmmaking by creating short films.

However, after a few years what I’ve begun to appreciate most is the most important thing the film school could give me, namely the people. To this day, the fellow students I met there continue to shape the whole of my experience at the school, and I draw upon these contacts constantly. My greatest pleasure so far has been the making of my bachelor’s film Zazpívej (Sing, 2020), because I was given a large amount of freedom in its creation, and (thankfully) had sufficient resources in order to realise my visions as I wished. Of course, looking back I’d make the film differently now, but I know that at the time when it was made, the final form of the film was in concordance with my idea at the time, which reached a large number of viewers and resonated with them. And in my view, that’s the greatest success an artist can wish for.

bart klimsza

I was born in November 1993 in Český Těšín, on the Czech border with Poland. As a result, I’ve been struggling with the issue of nationality since I was born. From the age of six I lived in Prague, then in Zlín, and now I’m once again living in Prague. In social situations I’ve often been faced with the question: do I feel myself to be Czech or Polish, a Silesian or a Praguer? Or even a native of Zlín, Třinec or Těšín? I see myself as simultaneously all and none of the above, and this is ideal.

I studied film and television production at secondary school in Panská, after which I went on to study film direction and screenwriting at Tomas Bata University in Zlín. At school I understood that everyone has a different way of thinking, and creates different types of works, and so competition in art makes no sense to me. After two years of studying I left the school, since I lacked any kind of distinctive mentor who could broaden my perception of the world, my abilities, who’d listen to me and help me find the path I’d decide to set out on. As a consequence my work has been influenced by the various different people, environments and contexts I move in – my parents, friends and colleagues, as well as philosophers, politicians and fools, just like I’ve also been influenced by love, humour and education.

Digital technologies and their positives and negatives are a part of our society’s transition to a new era of development. Overall my stance towards them is rather positive. And this also applies from a director’s perspective. I love Teradek!

adam martinec

I come from Silesia, from the foothills of the Jeseníky mountains. People are undoubtedly in some way influenced by their origins, but I believe that this is only a small part of a much bigger whole. I studied to be a tour guide, then I went on to study philosophy. Now I’m studying film direction, and my parents are looking forward to the day when it’s all over and I go out and find a real job. I’m currently studying at FAMU, and the school has absolutely met all the expectations I had of it. In my work I’ve certainly been influenced by Tomáš Klein, Jan Němec, Jasmína Blaževič and Bohdan Sláma.

As a director I always endeavour to give 100%, and it makes no difference whether I’m making my own film or working on a commercial project. I couldn’t sleep at night if I knew that I’d cut corners somewhere. I’d enjoy filming essentially anything and anywhere. My primary goal is a good result, when I succeed in creating something worthwhile. I’d also like to work exclusively with people who I like or respect. My greatest success is that right now I’m able to pay the rent on my own flat. On the other hand, I feel ashamed when I act like a fool. I’m also addicted to social networks, and it annoys me that I’m constantly reaching for my phone. Nonetheless, I appreciate every moment when technology makes my life easier. Sometimes it seems like magic.

david payne

What did you study?

I studied archaeology of prehistory and the Middle Ages at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, and then film direction at FAMU, both bachelor’s degrees. But I’ve forgotten all the archaeology I studied! Perhaps I haven’t forgotten so much from direction yet.

Do you have a particular goal you’d like to achieve through your work?

I’d like to make a good serial. Although I thoroughly enjoy going to the cinema, and I go there often and regard it as an experience that can’t be substituted, the fact is that today is rather the age of streaming platforms; people simply don’t go to the cinema so often these days. And thanks to its much better footage, the television format now has unprecedented opportunities for working with narration. But I’d also like to make a music video some time, or to work with a form that completely liberates me from narration.

What’s your approach to digital technologies? In your personal life and from a director’s point of view.

I was born at the end of 1993, and digital technologies have been a big part of my life since childhood. For example, as a small boy I was into web design – I moved onto other things later, but over the course of time this interest transferred to VFX compositing, which is what I do professionally today. For a director it’s an invaluable experience, because it’s increasingly hard to avoid visual effects – and above all there’s no good reason to avoid them; they open up immense possibilities. But without doubt I agree that digital technologies (mainly in the form of social networks) distract us and shorten our attention span.

valeria recmanová

I was born in Vienna, but from the age of three I grew up in Prague. My mother is Italian, and we often moved around. Even now I feel rather like a nomad, with a constant need to discover something new. I find it hard to identify my home as one specific place. It’s rather a kind of feeling I carry with me. I studied film direction at Tomas Bata University in Zlín, and now I’m at FAMU. To date I’ve been primarily filming my own works, most often short films. I consider my greatest success to be the fact that I’ve learned to be open to things. I try to understand the perspectives of people who are different from me.

I’m currently focusing intensively on audiovisual work, and my long-term goal is undoubtedly to make films. However, I’m aware that there are many different paths leading to this goal, with all kinds of diversions. My primary goal is therefore to make use of all the interesting opportunities that come along in life.

I maintain a distance from digital technologies. I believe that all those minor details of interpersonal communication, such as the possibility of touching, of looking someone in the eye, are in fact an essential part of our lives, which digital communication robs us of. From a director’s point of view I can’t turn my back on all that. It’s a global theme that defines our time, and as an artist I have to remain receptive to it. There’s something fatal in it, which in many respects is inspiring.

david semler

I was born in Prague in 1990. From the time of my adolescence, I tried to get out of here to a bigger and more vibrant city, or to somewhere warm by the sea, to a place where society is more tolerant and the laws are more accommodating to minorities. I’ve tried out all of these places, but every time I’ve ultimately returned gratefully to Prague. Over the course of time I found that I ought to appreciate my homeland and the culture I come from, and that instead of running away from what I don’t like I should try to change it. I embarked on my studies of screenwriting at FAMU after completing my studies of Czech and English at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University.

In my first years at FAMU I was a little disconcerted by the seemingly lax regime that prevailed at the school. It was only over the course of time that I realised that I didn’t need a drill and a firm hand for me to learn something, but rather that I need strong internal motivation and the desire to further my education, to improve, listen and create. As a director I’ve so far focused exclusively on my own original work. As a scriptwriter I work on projects to order. I take my influences from all the good films and books that I’ve seen or read. In addition, however, I’ve also been influenced by consultations with enlightened script editors and co-writers, who have helped me develop my works.

I’m ceaselessly fascinated by contemporary and future technologies. I’m aware of their potential risks, but I follow with interest where progress is taking us. Paradoxically though, as a person and as a filmmaker I don’t rely to such an extent on digital technologies, and I do not utilise anything like all the options they offer at present. I’m at my most satisfied when I can take a break from all digital devices at least for a moment, and engage in some sporting activity in a natural setting.

insar shaken

I was born in Kazakhstan, but I’ve lived in Prague since the age of four. I set the plot of my first two feature-length screenplays within the environment of a steppe which we once crossed on the journey to Astana (the capital of Kazakhstan). We travelled through complete emptiness for a full ten hours, and I wanted to convey that feeling somehow. After studying politics and law, I finally came to study screenwriting and dramaturgy at FAMU, where I’m now completing my master’s course. At school I miss a greater emphasis on dramaturgy and craft. In addition to school, I’ve been influenced by a whole range of diverse artists. It’s always someone different, but all round I probably most admire Paul Thomas Anderson. I consider it my greatest personal success that I’ve recently begun to like myself. My greatest failure is that it took me so long. I’d like to see my next film screened in an outdoor cinema somewhere by a lake. I have a weakness for hot summer evenings.

Digital technologies are a slightly more refined version of television. You can spend a lot of time on them that you’ll never get back. The worst is that some people might spend four hours a day like that, but when you add it up, then in eighty years of life that comes to ten years spend by your screen, which is insane. From a director’s point of view, I think that now filmmakers are in a much more difficult position in terms of maintaining the viewer’s attention. Today people prefer to unwind on Instagram than to sit and watch a more demanding film. During some films I’ve even caught myself feeling the need to check my telephone to find out what’s going on, instead of concentrating on the plotline.

petr vlček

I was born in Prague in the autumn of 1998. Prague is my first and strongest point of contact with culture. Some flee from the noise and bustle of the big city. I myself fell in love with it, and within the greatest frenzy I’ve found my own peace. It’s a kind of symbiosis. The city lives around me, and I live within it. I hope that in time I’ll return to it at least part of what it’s given me.

In my work I’ve been fundamentally influenced by the video library where I used to go to borrow films with my parents. I regard my success as consisting in the fact that so far I’ve been able to study and do what I most enjoy and find fulfilling. In retrospect I slightly regret wasting time on things that didn’t fulfil me. People are simply afraid to say “no” to some offers. My parents are artists. Thanks to them I know that it’s no easy matter to make a living only from my own creative work, and that I have to constantly choose between what I want to do and what I have to do. In future I’d like to achieve greater personal and professional freedom. My goal is to make films, to be self-sufficient and engage in projects that I find meaningful. I view digital technologies as a positive development, but I try to approach them with caution and respect.

Technology is not something we can choose either to have or do without in this day and age. It penetrates every realm of our life, and reflects the good and bad in us. Fear of technology springs from fear of ourselves. We worry that it might start to behave like us. A machine isn’t capable of doing good or evil. Only a human can do that.