The Czech Republic Welcomes Indian Filmmakers

“One of the primary missions of the Czech Film Commission is to present the Czech Republic abroad as an attractive filmmaking destination and be a reliable source of information and advice to incoming producers. We actively participate in international film markets and production trade shows. In 2018, we attended the IIFTC–the India International Film Tourism Conclave. India has great potential, it’s one of the world’s largest film industries and we want to encourage Indian filmmakers to shoot with us,” says Pavlína Žipková, the film commissioner for the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic is not unknown in Bollywood and other centers of the Indian film industry. In recent years, a number of successful films have been shot there, such as Jab Harry met Sejal (Red Chillies Entertainment), Bang Bang (Fox Star Studios), Rockstar (Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision), and Drona (Eros International). In addition to feature films, Indian production companies also come here to shoot commercials and travel shows. “Filmmakers are interested primarily in Prague – understandable as it’s one of the most beautiful cities in Europe – but also in other architecturally interesting locations such as Ceský Krumlov, Karlovy Vary, and the plentiful castles and chateaus scattered throughout the country. And of course, we want to present to Indian filmmakers other, equally interesting Czech locations, of which the country has a plethora,” explains Pavlína Žipková.

Interest has also been shown in the opposite direction – Czech films are not an unknown quantity in India, as can be confirmed by the 420-minute long documentary film CzechMate: In Search of Jirí Menzel, directed by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. The film comprises 85 interviews with around twenty Czech personalities, primarily of the Czechoslovak New Wave. This was one of the greatest eras of Czech film, recognized with the highest international honors including two Academy Award winners: The Shop on Main Street (1965) by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos and Closely Watched Trains (1966) directed by Jirí Menzel. Dugarpur’s film originally focused on Menzel, but during the seven years working on his documentary, he became acquainted with other personalities of the Czechoslovak New Wave, including Jan Nemec, Vera Chytilová, Ivan Passer, and Miloš Forman.