Jan Svěrák
Czech film director and screenwriter (born 1965)
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Jan Svěrák (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjan ˈsvjɛraːk]; born 6 February 1965) is a Czech film director and screenwriter. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák, with whom he collaborated on his most successful films. He is among the most recognised Czech filmmakers. His best-known films are the Oscar-winning Kolya and the Oscar-nominated The Elementary School.
Jan Svěrák | |
|---|---|
Jan Svěrák in 2007 | |
| Born | 6 February 1965 |
| Education | Academy of Performing Arts in Prague |
| Occupations | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1988–present |
Life
Jan Svěrák was born on 6 February 1965 in Žatec, into a family of pedagogues. About one year after his birth, the family moved to Prague and his father Zdeněk Svěrák became a screenwriter and actor.[1] He made his first amateur filmmaking attempts at the age of twelve. As a teenager, he earned extra money by working at the Barrandov Studios. He originally wanted to be a cameraman, but graduated from the documentary filmmaking at Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (1983–1988).[2]
Jan Svěrák is married and has three children, sons František and Ondřej, and daughter Kateřina.[3] František became a film editor and collaborated with his father on the film Bethlehem Night (2022).[4]
Work
Svěrák is considered one of the most talented and successful Czech filmmakers, which is why he is sometimes nicknamed the "Czech Spielberg".[5] His mockumentary debut Oil Gobblers (1988) won student Academy Award for Best Student Film. His notable work includes the films Kolya (1996), which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and The Elementary School (1991), nominated on the Academy Award. The success of these films caused him to receive offers from Hollywood to direct The Cider House Rules (1999) and Chocolat (2000), but he declined. His other successful film is the fairy-tale film Three Brothers, which was the most-attended film in Czech cinemas in 2014.[1]
Svěrák has appeared in cameo roles in several films, including An Uncertain Season (1987), An Ambiguous Report About the End of the World (1997), Rebelové (2001), Román pro ženy (2005), Guard No. 47 (2008) and Barefoot (2017).[2]
Filmography
| Year | English title | Czech title | Director | Writer | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Oil Gobblers | Ropáci | Yes | Yes | Student Academy Award for Best Student Film |
| 1991 | The Elementary School | Obecná škola | Yes | No | Nomination for Academy Award[6] |
| 1994 | The Ride | Jízda | Yes | Yes | Crystal Globe Award at Karlovy Vary Festival |
| 1994 | Accumulator 1 | Akumulátor 1 | Yes | Yes | |
| 1996 | Kolya | Kolja | Yes | No | Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film,[7] Czech Lion Award for Best Director |
| 2001 | Dark Blue World | Tmavomodrý svět | Yes | No | Czech Lion Award for Best Director |
| 2004 | Tatínek | Daddy | Yes | No | |
| 2007 | Empties | Vratné lahve | Yes | No | Czech Lion Award for Best Director |
| 2010 | Kooky | Kuky se vrací | Yes | Yes | |
| 2014 | Three Brothers | Tři bratři | Yes | No | |
| 2017 | Barefoot | Po strništi bos | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Bethlehem Night | Betlémské světlo | Yes | Yes | |
| 2026 | Five Plums | Pět švestek | Yes | Yes |
Literary and theatre work
After filming Barefoot (2017), Jan Svěrák expressed a desire to retreat into seclusion, away from popularity. He began writing the memoirs Světakrásy ('World Beauties'), which was published in 2023.[8] His other books are the child book Kuky se vrací (2010), based on his film of the same name, and Bohemia (a novel published in 2019).[5]
In 2024, his first theatre play, Dobré ráno s Findou ('Good Morning with Finda'), debuted.[9]