Jiří Šimon

At the beginning was the Slovak television series Lekár umierajúceho czasu (Doctor of Dying Time), dedicated to the Rudolphine-era scientist Jan Jesenius. He ended up on the scaffold along with other gentlemen after losing the anti-Habsburg uprising. When director Miloslav Luther conceived the idea of making an abridged version of the footage for cinema, he had to not only rebuild the storyline but also dub it into Czech. However, the result was only an illustrative puzzle, describing the various stages of the hero's turbulent life.

Stage mime Antoine Moreau is compelled by the Gestapo to put on a performance for the children of Terezin, a "model" concentration camp, to convince the Red Cross observers that the camp is truly what it seems. Reluctant at first, Moreau slowly learns the true nature of the camp, including the meaning of the "transports" on which people leave. With a world-class orchestra (made up of people interned in the camp) and a cast of children, Moreau stages a show to end all shows.

A tribe of survivors take possession of a large but rundown building, killing all who put up resistance - but they don't know that the building is cursed by some demon god and haunted by a girl in white that seems to know a dark secret.

A sad story about love between Czech boy and German girl during 1944.

The musical version of the successful play of Oldřich Daněk was transferred to the screen by director Jiří Sequens in 1986. It takes place in the 14th century in Bohemia during the reign of King Wenceslas IV. Heroes of the story are three mercenaries who always fight on the wrong side and are always beaten, but they are moral winners of all conflicts and skirmishes.

In the mid-eighties, screenwriter and director Jaroslav Balík tried to give voice to the problems of an ambitious young woman who decides to get back to work after a few years spent on maternity leave. NFA.CZ

The true story of a group of Czechoslovak citizens who are building a paper industry in Alto Catumbela, Angola, as part of economic development aid. Based on a true story, the film describes the raid on the settlement, the kidnapping by UNITA gunmen, the hardships of the devastating march and the mental and physical exhaustion resulting from the situation.

Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Ladislav Smoljak, about the fictional national hero Jára Cimrman (universal genius, inventor, sportsman, criminalist, poet, writer and philosopher).

A story about a life of a group of children in the foster home.

A story about an everyday life of an inflectional department of Prague hospital.

Rock concerts used to be suspicious. They were supposed to attract all sorts of strange individuals who meant no good. In this case, it's a pair of escaped convicts who want to hide in the heat of the concert...

In the final days of the Second World War in 1945 Frantisek Pribyl is killed during a shoot-out with the Germans. After the funeral, the widow (Jana Svandová) and her two young sons Martin and Ondra move to her deceased husband's native village at the foot of the Kralický Snezník mountains. Life in the borderlands is far from easy for the lonely woman. The village is almost deserted, food supplies are delayed; the Werwolf (Nazi guerrilla squads) are hiding in the mountains, and shooting is heard from time to time. The elder son Ondra (Michal Dlouhý) is helping out his mother and at the same time absorbing intense new experiences. He meets an old Czech resident Skurek (Lubomír Kostelka), German women working in the forest, soldiers from the engineering units removing the mines, and a young first lieutenant. At night he dreams about his dead father whom he loved very much. This is why he runs away from home when he finds out that the lieutenant is courting his mother.

The trenches of World War I provide for a captivating backdrop to the drama of Corporal Hoferik. In his devotion to the Habsburg Monarchy, he fanatically carries out his military orders, but he ultimately suffers the Empire's disfavor.

Set in Prague during the years leading up to World War II, this family saga tells the story of a cobbler named Vincenc Bursik (Vladimir Mensik), who uproots his clan from the country to the city, only to suffer the loss of his wife and the failure of his shoe business within months. When his daughter moves away to go live with a wealthy businessman as his mistress, Vincenc is left to take care of his two sons, who spend their days in a secret garden vying for the affections of a teenage girl.

A young engineer, Štěpán Pavlík, dreams of becoming a cosmonaut.

A sensitively told story about the first hopes of love and harsh disappointments, about tender and impenetrable girls, but also about those who are characterized by ruthlessness, takes place at a girls' boarding school...

Late at night Eva Trojanová returns home to an agitated husband; three days later, her body is found with bruises on her neck. Her spouse, missing after a business trip, becomes the prime suspect and flees to northern Bohemia. When investigators learn he is innocent, Captain Hart continues pursuing him, not as a criminal but as a desperate man whose plight may endanger himself or draw him into conflict with the law.

An aging street stuntman plans new equipment to make his motorcycle stunts even more impressive, but his daughter wants to end his nomadic life in a camper van.

A political conspiracy is brewing in an unnamed Latin American country. Everything is in play: blackmail, bribery, political assassinations, newspaper slander. The operation, code-named "Centaur", is conceived in Washington.

Third movie of the famous Czech adventure trilogy: Osada Havranů Na veliké rece Volání rodu

Taxi driver Koukal (Miroslav Machácek) is stopped by the police for a routine traffic check. In the boot of his car the police find the body of a naked man. Koukal is arrested even though he claims he knows nothing about it. The case is assigned to Major Mlynár (Milan Sandhaus). The police identify the corpse as that of an Austrian citizen called Mitrik. Koukal has been regularly driving people interested in gambling to a secret gaming den. The police are put onto the gambling den by another taxi driver, who admits that he drove Mitrik there. Mlynár and officer cadet Pecka (Ivan Vyskocil) feign interest in gambling and visit the gaming den incognito.

The comedy tells the story of a lonely mother of a small, naughty and immediate son who sometimes unwittingly does some mischief. Not for nothing does the mom say that in a family where they have such a boy, they would need a belt. The perceptive Petřík does not hesitate and goes to buy her a belt as a present at the department store. On this occasion, he invites the elderly nice saleswoman to their home, because their grandmother has already died and their father is gone too. In the shop, she meets a purse snatcher who tricks the boy for his address. On Christmas Eve, the mother is surprised not only by unexpected visitors at home, but also by a sympathetic young policeman who has accompanied her son home...

Second movie of the famous Czech adventure trilogy: Osada Havranů Na veliké rece Volání rodu

It’s a hot holiday season in the city and Alena is pretty much left to her own little self, fantasizing and running her personal daily rituals, keeping most people at a safe distance, yet trying to get male attention.

Sunday in September 1977, a celebration of the Miners Day. The old Hepnar is sitting at the cemetery and is recalling events from ten years ago. That time the representative of the ministry Barvír announced at the miners meeting that mining in the mines would decrease. He reasoned this decision by the fact the deposits of coal are almost used up. The boss of the mine and most of the miners protested. Barvír did not take their critical objections into account. He announced at the communist district meeting the closure of the business as the mine according to new economic principles did not prosper.

First movie of the famous Czech adventure trilogy: Osada Havranů Na veliké rece Volání rodu, based on the works of Eduard Štorch and directed by Jan Schmidt. Each of the films is a completely separate and self-contained story, although they are all connected by some characters and, of course, by time - five thousand years ago. The story of the Ravenpiercer, a young hero from the Stone Age, is shrouded in mystery - for he was brought there by a swollen river. He was fished out of the waves by a young hunter, Sokol, and adopted by the Raven village. The fate of the boy from his childhood through his desire to become a hunter, through the many disappointments that await him among the adults, to the founding of a new family - this is the plot thread connecting the individual parts.

A romantic story about Jakub, a student in the summer camp, and his teacher Klara.

The drama of a man for whom work has become the only meaning of life. His cold and impersonal manner arouses the disapproval of his colleagues and family members and leads to alienation. Eventually, he realizes the need for "time out" to reflect on his own life...

The film was based on the novel "Milión" by Karel Štorkán. The book and the film depict the events surrounding the great construction disaster in Prague in 1928, in which 46 construction workers died. The disaster thrilled the entire republic at the time, yet was never fully explained. The filmmakers focus on the story of Ing. Vondrák, the designer of the construction.

The years of Mánes' studies at art schools and on the period when the mature and distinctive artist was already promoting his concept of a new decoration of the Old Town Clock.

The economic crisis in the early 1930s also affected the inhabitants of the distinctive Moravian-Slovak countryside. The protagonist and his family returned to their native cottage from the city because he could not find work anywhere. But his younger brother does not welcome him with open arms...

An historical depiction of the events preceding the political murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, would-be emperor of the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on June 28th, 1914.

Blazenka likes to imagine she is on a desolate island and has to find a way how to survive. After the death of her mother she stays together with her baby brother and has to take care of the family. In this difficult situation, she plays this role-game that helps her to deal with the sudden loss of her mother.

Jan Vacek, a revolutionary of Czech origin, organizes the retreat of communist troops in Baku after the Bolshevik Revolution, following the fall of the local commune...

The short story film follows the fate of three young men who will soon have to decide what to do with their lives. The first "Poet", an aspiring author, publishes his first poem, while the sporting career of the second "Rep", a national table tennis player, is disrupted by a maths repartee. The last "Beaver Grizzly" is a tramp more used to solitude, yet he starts a pioneer troop...

Young seminary student Franziskus has been ceremonially ordained. He wants to escape the harshness and injustice of the world and devote himself to the service of God in the quiet seclusion of a monastery. He is also hoping to forget the beautiful lady Aurelie, whose life he saved in a flooded brook and with whom he spent an amorous night. He knows that her father would never allow her to marry him. But the devil dressed in a monk's habit and under the name Viktorin intervenes in Franziskus's destiny and attempts to lead him astray. To do so he first uses the diabolical elixirs kept at the monastery as a rare relic. When the young monk gets expelled from the monastery, Viktorin prepares another trap with the help of Aurelie's stepmother Euphemie.

This lavish Soviet/Czech co-production is based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's famous novel, The Gambler, which tells the story of a Russian living in Germany, in a gambling resort. This film is set at the turn of the century, and was filmed in Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), Czechoslovakia. Played by Nikolai Burlyayev, the gambler succumbs completely to his addiction, using up every resource he has (human, spiritual and financial) in his wagering, finally becoming a rootless drifter.

In the early 1970s, the class struggle flared up in full force on the big screen - the hero of this film, set in the interwar period, is a staunch communist journalist who arrives in the Ostrava region during the economic crisis to instigate a strike. The impoverishment and hopelessness of the miners had exceeded all limits...

In 1757, the second year of the Seven Years' War, Frederick II the Great stands at the gates of Prague. He has been trying to take the city for weeks, as the enemy commander Duke Charles of Lorraine is inside. Frederick has just defeated him, but the tide could soon turn against the Prussians, as new Austrian troops are approaching. None other than the famous master thief Andreas Christian Käsebier is to sneak into Prague to open the gates from the inside. As a reward, the king promises him freedom. Käsebier accepts the offer because he is tempted to steal an entire city. But by chance, Käsebier learns that the king wants to betray him. After a successful battle, he is put back behind bars for life. This doesn't suit the master thief at all, especially as he has just fallen in love with Katka in Prague.

Sherlock Holmes likes to play violin and expects a great career in music. He gets a place in a spa orchestra, but he is again and again distracted by criminal cases. Therefore he is the only one who does not see that his violin has no future. He solves the criminal mysteries in passing but the final test shows that the famous detective is tone-deaf.

Czech nobleman Petr Vok of Rozmberk (Milos Kopecký) is no longer so young, but his amatory adventures continue to arouse the envy of men and the indignation of respectable ladies. In his "female retinue" at the chateau in Bechyne he has twelve comely girls, but he still manages to seduce the miller's wife and the maid. Lord Vok is in great financial difficulties. His elder brother Vilém advises him to marry a rich woman. Petr surprises him by announcing his intention to marry the very young Katerina of Ludanice.

JUDr. Kroupa will take over as President of the Civil Court from his colleague who is retiring. His job description is mostly to judge married couples who are divorcing and arguing over alimony, with the very least concern for the welfare of their children. With his new job, Kroupa "inherits" a handsome but peculiar secretary, Zdenka, who takes a liking to him. However, his attempts at courtship are occasionally thwarted by strange events...

A young waitress, Dana, works in a roadside motel. She longs for the big, distant world, for beautiful things, and perhaps even for love. But her life is filled with various short-term relationships, her lover is a passing truck driver, a rich, elderly stranger, and random acquaintances who give her gifts. The girl does nothing to fulfill her dreams. Coincidence brings a group of students to the motel, and one of them, Martin, takes a liking to the waitress. A relationship develops that could perhaps lead to sincere love, to the fulfillment of her wish for a new life...

In the 1600s, an overzealous clergy hauls innocent women in front of tribunals, forces them to confess to imaginary witchery, and engages in brutal torture and persecution of their subjects.

Radio announcer Petrícek reads the evening news in a studio. Viki, the female editor of a woman's program, is annoyed by the stereotypical information he provides as well as by the speaker's melodious voice and his heart-felt performance. Then she gets an idea for a prank. She calls the speaker from the neighboring room on the phone and pretends to be an unhappily married woman who draws all her strength to live from Petrícek's voice.

A gifted poet checks into a Gothic hotel in hopes of meeting the woman with whom he has long been enamored. He is surrounded by a variety of offbeat characters like the hefty homosexual cook, shadowy clerks, snooty waiters, and valets prone to violence. He finally meets the woman of his dreams only to lose her and ultimately meet with tragedy.

In the forest near the village of Drahovice, a nurse from the local health center is found murdered. Three months ago, another young woman died nearby and a sexual motive was proved in the case of her murder. In the case of the nurse, the motives are not so clear. Two criminologists from Prague - Major Kalas (Rudolf Hrusínský) and Lieutenant Varga (Radoslav Brzobohatý) - patiently collect all available leads and question the villagers.

This forgotten detective story starring Svatopluk Beneš focuses on those ills of the past regime that were allowed to be glossed over - mainly the theft of socialist-owned property and illegal business. Criminals here come across illegal machinations in the hospitality industry, foreign guests are even offered sexual services... But the youth-friendly story unfolds lazily, unimaginatively, emphasizing an excess of dully delivered dialogue that replaces action and suspense.

Michal, a disillusioned teenager, clashes with his authoritarian father and runs away from home. Adrift in the city, he navigates a restless journey of fleeting encounters while rejecting the rigid values of his parents' generation.

Two young men, thinking that they've killed someone, flee to Poland.

A passionate communist worker is discouraged by the changing political climate and the failure of his peers to live up to his ideals.

A tragicomedy set in a village where it depicts a diverse assemblage of old geezers spending the autumn of their lives in different ways. Some are amused by watching cars speeding around an obscure bend, but one agonises over both humiliating poverty (his pension is barely enough to buy the most basic food) and the rude behaviour of those closest to him.

Twelve graduates of one year of DAMU decide to go to the regional theatre together. During the first season, the enthusiastic collective breaks up and only five remain, determined to continue.

While a woman is in the hospital preparing to deliver her child, her husband has all day to reflect upon his wife and their relationship. As he tends to his job as a television repairman, Slavek fondly remembers how he first met Ivana and the days they spent getting to know one another. Slavek also grows increasingly aware of the environment that surrounds him and questions the society his new child will be entering.

Three separate short stories by Jan Drda from the collection The Dumb Barricade: The Dynamite Watchman, Hatred and Traces.

Czech friends help refugees from Nazi Germany escape in 1939.

A character from a musical film falls into the real world in this short, predating similar films by Woody Allen (The Purple Rose of Cairo) and Wojciech Marczewski (Escape from the 'Liberty' Cinema).

The winter Krkonoše Mountains have many pitfalls, especially if you are overly concerned about their treacherous splendour. The somewhat unheroic hero of this clumsily and uninterestingly shot film is a mail carrier who volunteers for the Mountain Service. Only in a blizzard does he overcome his fear of avalanches when he saves the lives of two hikers caught off guard by the suddenly deteriorating weather...

A funny story about a friendship between the children of East Germany and Czechoslovakia.

Farmers get away from their arguments by embarking on a religious pilgrimage, enjoy a picnic en route, and on their return decide to form a cooperative.

A student commits suicide out of unhappy love to a married man; story is recounted in retrospective by a "judge" who asks the audience to decide who is the guilty party.

An orphaned young woman named Jana moves into the household of Robert and his older, possessive wife, Klára. While Klára maintains a strict and manipulative control over the home, a mutual attraction develops between Robert and Jana. The three characters continue to live together as their domestic tensions increase.

The commander of the military training camp, newly promoted Major Cibulka, keeps his subordinates in line. Because of an unexpected emergency, he refuses to give leave even to the young lieutenant Zabran, whose wife is due to give birth any day. In addition, a false article appears in an army newspaper claiming that Zábrana is an example of a bad company commander. In fact, it is he who has the best leadership skills. Fearing for his wife's health, Zábrana disobeys orders and departs for Prague at night to visit his wife in the maternity ward. Cibulka decides to push the envelope even harder, and drives Zábrana, whom he has long disliked, before the prosecutor.

A thirteen-year-old girl whose mother suddenly dies during the birth of her second child is forced to start taking care not only of herself, but also of her father and newborn brother.

The story of a gypsy named Fabian, who came to work in Kunčice, and his son. Their lives change fundamentally on the great construction site of socialism. They both learn to read and write; Fabian becomes a skilled welder, and little Fabian is accepted into the pioneer organization. However, their transformation is not easy, it is not without many encounters, just like the transformation of Fabian's co-workers, many of whom have not yet overcome their racist prejudices.