Czech Republic

The Czech film industry has had a boon recently with its technicians and locations in the global spotlight as Netflix’s First World War drama All Quiet On The Western Front bathed in Oscar and Bafta glory. Make-up and hair supervisor Linda Eisenhamerova, sound mixer Viktor Prasil, VFX supervisor Viktor Müller and special-effects supervisor Kamil Jafar were among this year’s Oscar nominees, prompting Czech Republic deputy minister of culture Michal Sasek to claim this as “recognition of exceptional talents and top professionals who demonstrate the world-class level of the Czech film industry”.

Czech Film Fund CEO Helena Bezdek Frankova pointed out this success “signals to all foreign productions, platforms, co-producers and studios that Czech creatives and technical staff can head virtually all production departments”.

“The Czech Republic has always had a great history of filmmaking and new generations continue the tradition, including great craftmanship, reliability and friendly and co-operative workflows,” notes Pavel Müller, one of the head producers at Sirena Film, the service producer for All Quiet On The Western Front. The firm has also overseen the Czech shoots for Zentropa’s The Bastard and TV series Families Like Ours, as well as See‑Saw Films/BBC Film biopic One Life with Anthony Hopkins as the humanitarian Nicholas Winton.

“The great benefit of the Czech Republic is the wide range of diverse locations, mostly within reasonable driving distance from Prague,” adds Müller. “[There are] a number of accessible castles and mansions, and architecture allowing one to shoot various periods or places.”

Indeed, the Czech capital Prague continued to host a number of prestigious international projects throughout 2022. These included the Disney+/National Geographic miniseries A Small Light, Sony Pictures Entertainment/Hassell Free Productions’ reboot of The Crow, Lionsgate’s John Wick spinoff Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, and Constantin Film’s fantasy feature film/TV series Hagen based on Germany’s ‘Nibelungen’ saga.

Moreover, 2023 has seen production crank up on director Thomas Vinterberg’s first foray into serial television with Families Like Ours, and Focus Features’ Nosferatu remake, directed by Robert Eggers and starring Bill Skarsgard as the eponymous vampire. Meanwhile preparation is underway for the third seasons of AppleTV+ sci-fi series Foundation and Prime Video fantasy series The Wheel Of Time, as well as the second season of AMC’s Interview With The Vampire at Czech locations. 

“Dangerous Liaisons is set in 1780 Paris, but France and the UK were not an option because of the expense,” says series line producer Rob How. “Prague is a more economical place to film.” Other projects include Netflix’s action thriller The Gray Man, Searchlight Pictures’ 18th-century drama Chevalier (with Czech Republic doubling as Paris), and Amazon and Gaumont’s Totems. “Czech Republic is welcoming, with a high-­performing audio­visual industry, renowned film studios and highly skilled technicians,” says Totems producer Arnaud de Crémiers.

The country also boasts several impressive below-the-radar filming locations, including the recently renovated 1930s-style New Town Hall in Jablonec nad Nisou, about 15 minutes from Prague, which features a grandiose staircase with stone tiles, an observation tower and a cinema. Prague’s Charles University boasts a variety of historical interiors and exteriors, from gothic to minimalist, which are available to filmmakers.

In addition, Czech Republic is growing in popularity as a post-production hotspot. Local company MagicLab spent a year creating the visual effects for Guy Ritchie’s action film Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre, as well as overseeing the creative and technical aspects of the production, which involved more than 900 VFX shots.

Barrandov Studios — which handled Rupert Sanders’ reboot of The Crow and Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu remake — is one of the largest and oldest studios in Europe, with 13 soundstages and a 40-acre backlot that has a clear, natural horizon. Prague is also home to a burgeoning post‑production and VFX sector, with such players as UPP (All Quiet On The Western Front), PFX (Blonde) and Magiclab (Endless Borders).

Czech Republic is in the heart of Europe and has direct flights to all major cities as well as Toronto, Montreal, New York, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Dubai and Doha. The studios are located close to Prague city centre.

 Czech Republic continues to attract big international productions enticed by its 20% rebate, expert crews and stunning variety of locations.

Czech Republic is in the heart of Europe and has direct flights to all major cities as well as Toronto, Montreal, New York, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Dubai and Doha. The studios are located close to Prague city centre.

First person to contact

Pavlina Zipkova, film commissioner, Czech Film Commission: pavlina@filmcommission.cz