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Prague - At the Heart of Europe

• Episode aired Dec 19, 2019

Prague is a city that resonates with deep historical significance, as the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque period, Art Nouveau, and Communism have all left their mark on the physiog... Read all Prague is a city that resonates with deep historical significance, as the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque period, Art Nouveau, and Communism have all left their mark on the physiognomy of this magical city. Prague is a city that resonates with deep historical significance, as the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque period, Art Nouveau, and Communism have all left their mark on the physiognomy of this magical city.

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• December 19, 2019 (United States)
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Wild Prague Planeta Praha

Czech republic, slovakia / 2022 / 83 min documentary.

Home — Films & people — Wild Prague

Radim Procházka

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Prague is one of the greatest tourist attractions the world has to offer. Whether it be the medieval atmosphere, or the Kafkaesque spirit, millions of people are drawn to it. But the Mother of all Cities also has a particular hidden aspect – hundreds of rare species you’d hardly expect to see here live within sight of the Old Town Square’s Astronomical Clock and Charles Bridge.

Writer / Jan Hošek , Radim Procházka    Story / Jan Hošek , Marián Polák , Radim Procházka    DoP / Jiří Petr , Marián Polák , Prokop Pithart , Rastislav Dobrovodský    Editor / Tomáš Doruška    Sound / Václav Flegl    Music / Ivan Acher

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Jessica Fostekew and Joe enjoy a Canarian caper, as they trike through Lanzarote's lunar landscape, sample volcanic vino and cactus croquettes, and explore the Jameos del Agua lava tunnels

Jessica Fostekew and Joe enjoy volcanic vino and cactus croquettes on their Canarian caper

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Prague, At The Heart Of Europe

Nov 4, 2023 | Art , Beauty , Culture , Environmental , Food/Drink , History , Nature , People , Political , Travel , Videos

Prague is a truly magical city, situated at the very center of Europe and home to a rich cultural history. This vibrant capital, only recently established as its own nation, has been influenced by many different eras in its past. From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, from the Baroque period to Art Nouveau and even throughout the communist era, Prague has become a living embodiment of time gone by. Its cobblestone streets are alive with stories of composers such as Mozart , writers such as Kafka, and artists like Mucha who have left their mark on the city’s landscape.

The documentary “Pierre Brouwers: A Journey to Prague” gives viewers an intimate look into this captivating city. Through his lens we can explore Prague’s plethora of monuments and monuments that tell its unique story. We can wander through its alleys and discover hidden gems tucked away among its buildings. We can experience unique moments amidst its modern-day attractions before finding ourselves lost in a place that seems frozen in time.

This documentary takes us on a journey unlike any other where we follow Pierre as he visits some of Prague’s most iconic locations as well as off-the-beaten path locales full of charm and whimsy. He shares stories about how these places have changed throughout history and how they continue to shape our world today. We’ll even get an inside look into local traditions like beekeeping which add another layer to Prague’s diverse culture.

If you’re looking for a way to explore Prague without having to leave your home then this documentary is just right for you! Join Pierre Brouwers on his journey through one of Europe’s most captivating cities and gain insight into all that it has to offer– from its past up until today!

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13 things to know before going to Prague, Czech Republic

Feb 22, 2024 • 6 min read

Here's what you should know about before heading to Prague © Michal Kalasek / Shutterstock

For a city that knows how to surprise, come to  Prague .

Wander its beautiful medieval core, and you’ll soon be bumping into both fairy-tale vistas and provocative street art. At night , small, dimly lit doorways can lead to vast convivial beer halls, whereas riotous music clubs hide behind grand art deco facades. Whatever brings you to the eclectic Czech capital, though, it’s best not to be thrown completely off guard.

No matter the season , come prepared with these insider tips and make the most of a trip to Prague.

1. Choose where (and where not) to stay

With its abundance of soaring spires and must-see attractions, Staré Město (Old Town) is a good-looking and convenient base – but don’t overlook Prague’s other neighborhoods . The center is compact, and the neighboring districts of Malá Strana and Nové Město are also handy for the sights and have their own gauntlet of pubs, bars and clubs. Just be aware that Wenceslas Square transforms from a respectable shopping destination into party central after dark, and its glut of strip joints can attract roaming stag parties. 

For those keen to see where locals kick back, head to the outlying districts. Both cosmopolitan Vinohrady and hip Holešovice have good-value stays, fun nightlife and top-notch transport links. 

2. Pack comfy shoes and layers

Central Prague’s timeworn streets and alleyways are best explored on foot. Pack comfortable shoes that are cobblestone ready; high heels can lead to unfortunate pratfalls. 

Besides dressing for upscale restaurants or a night at the theater, Czechs are a casual lot. Comfy layers – which can be peeled back in a subterranean pub and then restored during a blustery walk home – will help you blend in. Whatever the season, never discount the chance of a rain shower, so bring some kind of waterproof too.

3. The metro doesn't go all the way to the airport

Prague has an excellent affordable public transport system . Its main pitfall is that the metro doesn’t quite stretch to the airport. The cheapest route to Prague’s Old Town is to catch the often busy 119 bus to Nádraží Veleslavín station and then change to metro Line A. Tickets can be bought either in the visitor center or from machines in the terminals, which mostly accept contactless debit/credit card payments. If you’re staying close to Prague’s central train station, consider taking the slightly more expensive but direct Airport Express bus .

4. Pre-book your airport taxi for the best price

Opportunistic taxi drivers can be a problem. If you want to avoid hulking suitcases on and off buses, it’s best to arrange a transfer in advance rather than stepping into a cab outside the airport (or the main train station, for that matter). At the very least, ask about the price before you set off, and let the driver know you’ll want a receipt. Uber , Bolt  and local company Liftago are popular ride-hailing apps.

5. Remember to validate your public transport ticket

Public transport tickets lasting from 30 minutes to three days can be bought at most newspaper stands, corner shops, and in all metro stations. Trams also have orange contactless debit/credit ticket machines onboard. Alternatively, you can use the PID Lítačka app . Just make sure to validate your ticket when starting your journey. This involves popping it into the yellow machine inside buses and trams or at the top of the metro escalators (or clicking the button on the app); forgetting can leave you with a hefty fine.

6. Prague’s not quite as cheap as it was (but it’s still good value)

Although prices have increased in recent years, Prague is still a good destination for budget-conscious travelers compared to many European capitals. The currency you’ll be spending is known as both Czech koruna and Czech crown. Beer remains refreshingly cheap, and a 500ml tanker will only set you back about 55Kč. A cappuccino is approximately 70Kč, and a decent traditional Czech meal costs around 200Kč. It’s usual to tip around 10% for table service.

Buying the Prague City Pass or Prague CoolPass means free and discounted admission to some key attractions and sightseeing tours, although you’ll need to work hard to make either worth the investment. If you’re on a budget, paying for a few key attractions and making the most of Prague’s free diversions makes more sense.

7. Don't expect much small talk

If you come from a culture where having a chat about the weather is the obligatory warm-up to every interaction, you may find the Czech approach more, well… abrupt. Czechs (like everyone) can be very warm and funny, but being reserved with strangers is common. Be polite, but it’s fine to get straight to the point.

8. English is widely spoken, but a little Czech is welcome

It’s common for people who live or work in Prague’s tourist hot spots to speak English. Menus and museum information boards will usually be translated into English, too. For the odd occasion where you’re struggling to be understood, it’s worth having the Google Translate app ready on your phone.

Despite the ubiquity of English in central Prague, some basic Czech is appreciated. Greet people by saying, " Dobrý den"  (good day) or "Dobrý večer" (good evening). The more informal "Ahoj!" (hi/bye!) is best saved for close friends and relatives.

9. Try traditional Czech baked goods

Chimney-shaped cakes called trdelník are hawked at stalls by most tourist attractions, and they’re an Instagram favorite. The thing is: they aren’t Czech, but rather Slovakian or possibly Hungarian. So, sure, devour one of these sugar-encrusted towers (they’re delicious), but it’s also worth scouring local bakeries for some more traditional Czech treats. Keep a hungry eye out for kolaches – palm-sized, sweet-bread disks filled with poppy seeds or fruit jam.

10. There are ways to sidestep the crowds

Prague can get hectic, especially in the late spring and summer. To escape the hubbub, venture beyond the tourist triad of Charles Bridge , Old Town Square , and Prague Castle . For example, instead of jostling through selfie sticks, admire Charles Bridge from the river islands of Kampa or Střelecký ostrov. Also, consider swapping the carnival atmosphere of Golden Lane for a romantic stroll around the tranquil castle district of Nový Svět . And if it all gets too much, bag yourself a shady spot in one of Prague’s handsome parks (some come with beer gardens and sweeping city views).

11. Be wary of exchange rates that look too good to be true

Some unscrupulous currency exchanges promise brilliant deals and then charge hidden fees. When changing money, ask for the final amount in writing before handing over your cash, and make sure you get a receipt. If you believe you’ve been given a bad deal and have changed less than €1000, you have three hours to cancel the transaction. A more scam-proof alternative is to have a bank account that offers reasonable rates and low fees for international withdrawals and use an ATM (cashpoint).

12. Take standard safety precautions and use common sense

Prague is generally a safe city: violent crime rates are low, traffic rules are followed, and the tap water is clean. Take the same precautions you would in your home country and be especially vigilant about your belongings: pickpockets have been known to target crowded tourist areas, trains, and trams. Should you need emergency help, calling 112 guarantees an English-speaking operator.

13. Get travel insurance 

The Czech Republic has high-quality health care. If you need a Schengen visa for entry, having medical insurance is mandatory. Visitors from the EU can get free emergency treatment in Prague by showing their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or, for travelers from the UK, the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC). It’s still advisable to take out travel insurance, as the cards do not cover all costs, such as medical repatriation.

This article was first published Jan 21, 2022 and updated Feb 22, 2024.

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Travel Documentary hosted by Craig Sechler , published by National Geographic broadcasted as part of NG Access 360 World Heritage series in 2014 - English narration

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What does it take to safeguard the world's most famous places? How do you maintain buildings that are thousands of years old? How do you secure a historical structure that contains millions of dollars worth of artifacts? In this new series, we take you on an exclusive, all-access tour behind the scenes of select UNESCO World Heritage Sites to illuminate the work that goes into running and maintaining these treasured monuments, buildings, national parks and even entire cities, ensuring that they survive in the best possible conditions for future generations to enjoy. Access 360 World Heritage: Prague The ancient castles and cathedrals of Prague draw millions of tourists every year-- and beneath the city is a hidden underworld that traces the story of this UNESCO World Heritage site through the ages. But time and the forces of nature are threatening to destroy what has survived for over a thousand years. Now, teams of explorers, engineers and master craftsmen must go inside Prague's secret spaces to safeguard its cherished heritage.

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New Czech nature documentary showcases the wildlife of Prague

Planet prague, opening in local cinemas next week, takes a look at the diverse and often hidden fauna that reside in the czech capital..

Do you know about the diverse creatures that live in your own backyard? Nature thrives even in the concrete jungles of the Czech capital, according to the new film Planet Prague ( Planeta Praha ), a new nature documentary that premieres in local cinemas next week.

The movie is a sequel to Planet Czechia ( Planeta Česko , also known as Wilder Than Wilderness in English), which was released to enthusiastic reviews four years ago and is currently streaming on Netflix in the Czech Republic with English subtitles.

Following in the footsteps of the BBC's Planet Earth series, Planet Czechia showcased a vibrant array of local animals that most Czech residents never knew existed, including Czech moor frogs that turn bright blue for one day every year during mating season.

Planet Prague takes the theme of the previous movie even further to tell city residents that they don't even need to go to the wilderness to find strange and exotic animals: they can find them right in their own backyard.

"Four years ago, about 100,000 Czech viewers came to the cinema to be convinced that they don't have to travel to exotic landscapes in search of wilderness," Aerofilms' Jan Nohač states in a press release for Planet Prague.

"The creators of one of the most historically successful Czech documentaries are now going one step further to tell us: you don't even have to go to an exotic locale to find fascinating nature, and not even to the forest," adds Nohač.

Animals featured in Planet Prague include a herd of mouflon (wild sheep) that have long called the field by the Thomayer University Hospital in Prague 4 home. Native to the nearby Kunratice forest, the herd was chased out of their habitat by hunters with dogs decades ago, and has now found an unlikely home with mankind. 

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Planet Prague also includes the story of the invasive nutria, which escaped a fur farm and now reside by the Vltava river in Prague's city center. Now, they clash with the river's moorhens over food.

"Basically, you just have to look out the window, go to the streets, or to the park. Or to a sewage treatment plant, to a heating plant, to an abandoned stadium, to a landfill... Nature is all around us, full of secrets, adventures, surprises, and endless cuteness."

Planet Prague premieres in Czech cinemas from Thursday, August 4. The film is in Czech, but look for an English-subtitled version to pop up at city center cinemas such as Edison Filmhub or Kino Světozor in the near future.

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A weekend in Prague: travel guide, attractions and things to do

The fairy-tale Czech capital has a lot more going for it than cheap beer

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1. Why you should visit Prague

2. top attractions: things to see and do, 3. restaurants, cafes and wine: where to eat and drink, 4. hotels and accommodation: where to stay, 5. transport: how to get there.

Prague’s “stunning architectural masterpieces” and the fact that it contains the world’s largest castle complex, as well as its relative affordability, are all factors included in travel website Culture Trip ’s top ten reasons to visit Prague.

The Czech Republic’s capital “has kept up with European trends in the realms of art, fashion, gastronomy and more”, said The Telegraph , offering visitors superb galleries, theatres and restaurants to enjoy. And many will enjoy getting lost in the winding cobbled streets of the Old Town, Europe’s “best-preserved historic centre”, said National Geographic .

Today, Prague offers a “highly infectious mix of mediaeval and hyper-modern”. Its comprehensive tram and metro network make exploring a doddle during both the heady heat of summer and the snowy, sub-zero winter months.

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Worried you might bump into the dreaded droves of UK hen and stag dos? Avoid spending too much time in the drinking spots of Wenceslas Square, and you should be OK...

Get lost in Staré Město

Visit the Old Town square and you’ll immediately understand why Prague is often described as a fairy-tale city. A mix of gothic and baroque architecture – and the world’s oldest working astronomical clock – take centre stage.

Climb the Old Town Hall Tower for a view over the city, delve into the side streets to sample a trdelnik (a traditional cylindrical pastry) and wind your way through the side streets before ending up on the exquisite Charles Bridge.

Visit the city’s galleries

Prague’s National Gallery is spread across a number of buildings, including the Kinsky Palace in the Old Town square and the Convent of St Agnes of Bohemia.

Travel to Prague 7 and visit the Trade Fair Palace, the main building of the gallery complex, to see a mix of permanent and temporary exhibitions. From there, DOX Center for Contemporary Art and its wonderful rooftop Gulliver Airship is a short walk or tram ride away.

On the other side of town (and the other side of the train tracks), the non-profit contemporary art space MeetFactory is not to be missed. Two bright red cars hanging on the former slaughterhouse’s facade set the scene for what’s to come, with the innovative works inside the venue the brainchild of artist David Černý, the gallery’s founder.

Go to the theatre

Prague’s Nardoni Divadlo is comprised of four theatres – so check carefully when you book or risk turning up to the wrong stage. The ornate buildings are a wonderful setting for an evening’s entertainment, with a changing programme of popular ballets and operas – including Romeo and Juliet and The Nutcracker – as well as contemporary works.

Tickets are reasonably priced (particularly compared to the West End) and audience members over the age of 65 and under the age of 26 can access half-price seats.

Prague Castle

This is Prague’s most popular attraction, according to Lonely Planet . The castle complex features “a varied and fascinating collection of historic buildings, museums and galleries” and an “eclectic mixture of architectural styles”. Don’t miss the stained-glass window designed by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha in St. Vitus Cathedral.

From the castle, wander down to Malá Strana – “unquestionably one of the most enchanting and alluring” areas of the capital city, said Culture Trip . A trip to the Shakespeare & Sons bookshop is essential for literature lovers.

Spend an afternoon in a beer garden

To Czechs, beer is “liquid bread”. In the summer months, the best place to grab a freshly poured pint of Pilsner is Letna Park, overlooking the Vltava river, and Reigrovy Sady, a popular spot favoured by locals which offers unrivalled sunsets over the castle and Old Town. Naplavka, the riverbank, is also a lively location on the weekends with a series of pop-up boat bars.

If a Prague pint isn’t tasting quite fresh enough, the towns of Budweis and Plzeň are only a matter of hours from the city, making a brewery tour an easy day trip from the capital.

Explore the locals’ hangouts

You’re more likely to bump into hipsters than tourists in the neighbourhoods of Zizkov and Karlin. Follow their tracks to find pop-up galleries, art fairs and eateries. If you get a little lost, just look for Zizkov’s TV tower. As it’s covered in crawling baby sculptors (the work of Černý), you can’t miss it.

Located in the Old Town square, Restaurace Mincovna is a well-priced restaurant offering a refined take on traditional Czech cuisine. Favourites like goulash, duck thigh and pickled cheese (trust me) can be washed down in this elegant dining hall, where pints are poured from the tanks hanging over the entranceway.

You can also eat like a local by enjoying the set lunch menu of one of Prague’s traditional restaurants, which all start with a warming soup, followed by a hearty main. Lokál , which has several locations across the city, is a great spot for this and will be sure to fill you up for a day of sightseeing.

Czech cuisine is typically meat-heavy, but several eateries have taken the opportunity to set a high standard for Prague’s burgeoning vegetarian scene. Tucked behind the popular Hemingway cocktail bar, you can dine under the stars at the fully vegetarian Lehká hlava (which means clear-headed). The exquisite building is a feast in itself – but if you can’t get a reservation, try Maitrea , its sister establishment.

As long as you’re sticking to local brews, it’s hard to find a bad beer in Prague. That said, for those who enjoy the craftier side of the spectrum, U Kunštátů has a good range in a central location, or you can venture across one of the city’s many bridges to Malá Strana’s Craft Beer Spot .

For cocktails, head to Zizkov, Prague’s alternative district. Bukowski ’ s Bar is something of an institution, popular with locals and the city’s large ex-pat community. The plush red interiors and delicious mixes make it a perfect spot for a winter’s evening in the city. More centrally, opt for Beyond The Bar .

If wine is what you’re after, Champagneria is a relaxed spot to spend a celebratory occasion. Offering an extensive list of sparkling wines at very reasonable prices, you can sample locally produced fizzes as well as classic Champagnes, Cremants and Cavas.

There’s almost no end to high quality, affordable accommodation options in Prague.

For location, the Four Seasons, which is a matter of steps from the Charles Bridge and Old Town, is hard to beat. And a little off the tourist track, the Mandarin Oriental is a “discreet luxurious bolthole” on the other side of the Vltava, said The Telegraph .

The New Town has plenty of options for different price points; Hotel Elite is a “quirky but classy hotel” with spa facilities, while La Ballerina Hotel is an “upscale five-star spot” with “historical charm”. The city is also awash with Airbnbs – make sure you’re close to a tram or metro spot, and you can’t go too far wrong.

It takes no more than two hours to fly from London to Prague’s Václav Havel airport, with most major airlines serving the route. The airport is well connected and visitors can quickly make their way to the city centre by taxi or public transport in less than an hour.

FlixBus offers coaches from the UK and mainland Europe. From London, travel time will top 24 hours – but if you’re travelling from neighbouring Austria or Germany, you might expect to spend around four hours on the road from major cities like Vienna, Berlin and Nuremberg.

Otherwise, take the scenic route and opt for a luxury boat cruise from France or Germany.

Buy a public transport ticket when you arrive so you can hop on and off the buses, trams and metros hassle-free – there are options available for 24 hours (at £4.28) or 72 hours (£11.78).

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Julia O'Driscoll is the engagement editor. She covers UK and world news, as well as writing lifestyle and travel features. She regularly appears on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast, and hosted The Week's short-form documentary podcast, “The Overview”. Julia was previously the content and social media editor at sustainability consultancy Eco-Age, where she interviewed prominent voices in sustainable fashion and climate movements. She has a master's in liberal arts from Bristol University, and spent a year studying at Charles University in Prague.

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Your Unforgettable Prague City Break Starts Here

Are you planning to spend a couple of days in Prague and looking for little help with planning? Congratulations! You are in the right place. Here you will find answers to the most common questions: main attractions and useful tips, top things to do and places to visit in Prague, dishes to taste and beer to drink, information on how to use public transport and how to avoid scams.

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keeping it real

The Documentary Film Program at Prague Film School aims at creating the independent documentary filmmaker. Through intensive practical and theoretical work, each student learns how to adapt the narrative tools of drama to tell truthful stories about the real world that simultaneously entertain, educate and inspire audiences. The course is designed to develop professional-level production and post production skills.

• Why study in the documentary program?
• Documentary Year Program
• Documentary Semester Program
• Documentary Faculty

What makes Prague Film School special?

Praxis-oriented.

Students hit the ground running, shooting documentary projects from week one and then throughout the semester and year on a weekly basis. Each documentary students will shoot around 8 documentary projects per year.

Skills-oriented

Students completing the program are guaranteed to have acquired skills in working with Avid Media Composer editing software, DaVinci color correction, ProTools sound design and After Effects special effects programs. They will know how to operate the Black Magic Pocket, Sony 4K HDCam, Red Epic Dragon and Arri Alexa cameras. They will be proficient in recording with portable mixers, directional, shotgun, omni and wireless microphones, and knowledgeable of how to light using a wide range of lights, from 100 W Dedolights to 4K HMIs.

Knowledge-oriented

The program instructs the history and theory of documentary, involving students in viewing a substantial number of documentary films weekly. Production-based but academically rigorous, Prague Film School programs are approved for university credit by many top tier colleges, including Vassar, Bowdoin, Oberlin, Sarah Lawrence, Bard, Barnard, Northwestern, to name a few.

Creates the Self-Sufficient and Versatile Filmmaker

Students graduating from the course will have the technical skills to fulfill all key positions on a film set and be able to singlehandedly write, produce and edit their own works.

Stories Available

Living in Prague, a city with a tumultuous past (WWII, communism, etc.), students have access to a wealth of local historical, social and cultural subjects.

The Prague Film School Documentary Filmmaking Program offers the additional advantage of being a boutique course – run with a small and selective group of students paired up with top academics and documentary professionals.

The type of student who chooses Prague Film School comes to us because he or she has essentially only one year in terms of time or financial resources to cross from where he or she is in life at the moment into the world of professional filmmaking. We then have only one year to bring these students to a level of competence where they can operate professionally. As such the program is highly squeezed.

What does the program offer?

• Creates the self-sufficient and versatile filmmaker, competent in shooting, editing, lighting, sound recording at a professional level all on one’s own.
• Provides a total immersion experience, involving students shooting projects on a weekly basis
• Orients students to the diversity and breadth of the discipline, covering the history and theory of documentary from the early 20th century to the present.
• Provides a how-to guide in terms of interviewing techniques, coverage, ethics, authorship, voice, working with archival material and more.

How will the program help filmmakers get into the industry?

• The program will inculcate the skills to make non fiction audio visual products at a professional level
• Students in the PFS documentary course take part in the industry section of both the Jihlava and the One World documentary film festivals held annually in the Czech Republic
• Part of the curriculum covers industry related topics – from pitching to film festivals and distribution

Student careers

Students entering the Prague Film School documentary program typically come socially-minded, prepared to tell truth to power and already sensitized to the infinite number of fascinating stories embedded in real life around us.  The documentary program gives its students the skills to tell these stories –structurally, aesthetically and technically.

★ Sample Alumni Career Trajectories

Caitlin Mae Burke (2005) pursued a career producing and directing non-fiction and reality television in the United States after her time at PFS. The feature films she went on to produce (both documentary and scripted) have won Emmy, Grand Clio, and Gotham Awards, and been nominated for Independent Spirit Awards and Cinema Eye Honors, as well as being broadcast and shown theatrically worldwide. She is an inaugural inductee into DOC NYC's 40 Under 40 and a 2018 alumna of Berlinale Talents.

Anne Svejgård Lund (2011) was accepted Britain’s prestigious National Film School largely based on her work at Prague Film School.  She was in the production of  The Russian Woodpecker , winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2015.  She is currently in production with her own feature documentary Deepali shot in India and produced in Denmark and the UK. In 2020 Anne completed Big Dreams in a Small Place ,  a poetic documentary telling the story of young women in a small community dreaming of becoming the majorette and leading the march in the traditional marching band.

Dieter Auner (2006) distributed his first acclaimed documentary feature, Leaving Transylvania, the year following his graduation in 2006. His second feature, Off the Beaten Track , was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2012 IFTA awards. His third feature, Dreams of a Clown , was distributed by EastWest Film Distribution. The skills Dieter picked up in Prague have enabled him to work today as a DP, camera operator and editor on fiction and non fiction films alike.

Omid Marzban (2010) directed the documentary Rebel Beats a few years following graduation at Prague Film School.  The film tells the story of a young female rapper in Afghanistan and was screened at One World Human Rights International Festival. Omid works as a video journalist at Radio Free Europe.

Documentary

Year program.

Next open dates: September 6, 2024 - May 23, 2025

The Documentary Production Program at Prague Film School emphasizes storytelling. Through intensive practical and theoretical work, each student at PFS develops his/her voice as a documentary storyteller and learns the techniques to grab the audience and take them on an emotional journey.

In the first semester of the Documentary Production course, students complete numerous shooting assignments designed to develop critical skills in documentary film language, camera technique and editing. Lectures, demonstrations, screenings, and analytical exercises provide the foundation for the fieldwork.

Students crew on each others’ assignments, gaining extensive practice in directing, producing, shooting, and recording sound. Rigorous critiques are a vital component of the course. In addition to these exercises, each student will produce and direct a 10-minute documentary short film on a subject of his/her own choosing, and crew on his/her classmates’ projects.

Specialized courses in Editing and Cinematography are the other key components of the program. Students learn to edit on Avid Media Composer and learn shooting and lighting theory across a range of formats.

Supplementing the practical component of the course, the documentary program will draw upon a rich pool of international and historical documentaries crossing themes and genres providing the student with a varied palette of documentary styles, techniques and approaches they can apply to their own work.

In the second semester, we focus on in-depth development and pre-production of the diploma film. Students complete weekly assignments for instructor and peer review, and learn to write a compelling Proposal & Treatment. Each student produces and directs his/her diploma documentary film and crews on classmates’ projects. Through extensive brainstorming and pitching sessions, students also leave the course armed with a portfolio of critiqued project ideas to further develop and make a reality after completion of the program.

Students further develop their technical skills through weekly shooting and editing exercises in the documentary workshop. Topics covered may include: Advanced Interview Techniques, Documentary Reenactments, Archival Research, Writing Narration, Music for Documentary and various Cinema Vérité-style shooting scenarios.

Content of the 1st semester

The first semester curriculum of documentary filmmaking program covers foundation courses including: (1) documentary theory / history (2) documentary workshop (3) cinematography, (4) editing and (5) documentary industry, in addition to a number of other subjects which can be taken as electives (see below).

1. Foundation Courses (obligatory)

Documentary Theory/History Documentary Workshop Cinematography Editing Documentary Industry

2. Production Workflow (obligatory)

Operation of film-making equipment (camera, lighting and sound systems) Crew production protocol Sound production (recording, mixing, design) Grip equipment (camera support systems)

3. Elective/Specialization Courses (each student takes 2 courses)

Aesthetics of the Film Shot as a Component of Film Language Acting Styles Advanced Cameras Central and East European Cinema Directing Actors Directing the Camera Film Industry Film Comedy Film Analysis Lighting Photography for Cinematography Post-production effects Post-production workflow Visualization

4. Studio Work: End of Semester Film.

64 hours of studio work.

Content of the 2nd semester

1. Documentary Core Classes

Documentary Production Documentary Workshops Documentary Editing Practicum Documentary Editing Theory Diploma Film

2. Elective Courses

Advanced Editing Theory Acting Styles Camera for Cinematographers Cinematography Workshop Cinematography Advanced Computer Animation Directing Workshop Directing Actors – Advanced Directing Actors – Beginner Documentary Production Documentary Workshop Documentary & Fiction Film History Editing Techniques: Commercials /Music Videos / Movie Trailers Editing Workshop Film Analysis Film Industry Photography for Cinematography: Composition Post Production Effects Post Production Work Flow Screenwriting Diploma Films Screenwriting Feature Screenwriting Across Genres Screenwriting Adaptations Visualization

3. Studio Work: Diploma Film.

Semester Program

Next open dates:

• September 6, 2024 – December 20, 2024
• January 10, 2025 – May 23, 2025 (joining the second semester of the 2024-2025 year program)

(* note: students applying for the Spring semester must have experience in documentary as they would be joining the second semester of the year course)

The semester documentary film progam is the first semester of the year documentary course. The curriculum is aimed at imparting technical hard skills through weekly filmmaking projects and a solid knowledge of the discipline through a rigorous examination of important documentary works throughout history and from around the world.

Concretely, the first semester covers the following: documentary camera and coverage, interviewing techniques, research, preproduction, story structure and analysis, ethics, authorship and voice. Students learn to edit using Avid Media composer and shoot using Blackmagic Pocket and Ursa Mini, Sony 4K HDCam and Canon.

Film and practical exercises play an extremely important role in the program. Classroom-based courses are supplemented with a number of practical exercises in the studio and at different locations. In the first semester, each student completes seven film projects.

The semester program is the first semester of the year course. It is possible to enroll in the semester course and then prolong ones studies to the second semester of the year course while studying in the semester program. However, doing so incurs higher fees than enrolling in the year program directly.  Kindly refer to the application form for fees.

Content of the semester

Masa Hilcisin, Ph.D.

Directing, documentary film, experimental cinema.

Masa Hilcisin is a visual artist, and educator. She has been making documentary films, experimental videos, and other visual forms on personal narratives and social issues for more than 20 years. Her works have been screened and exposed at various film festivals and exhibitions around the world. Masa's professional background includes work for media, cultural and human rights organizations where her interests were centered around use of art as a social tool, and creative activism. In 2020, she started to work on a series of books for children dealing with stigma, prejudices, and stereotypes. Masa is a founder of the organization World Community Connect that aims to cultivate plurality of all people regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or age through community art projects, and visual storytelling workshops around the world. She holds a PhD In Film Studies and Audio-Visual Culture from the Masaryk University.

Gabriel M. Paletz, Ph.D.

Screenwriting.

Gabriel M. Paletz, Ph.D (Screenwriting, Documentary, Film Comedy and Learning from Bad Films), with a BA from Yale University, is the first PhD graduate from the University of Southern California in film history, theory and film production. Dr. Paletz has taught film at the College of William and Mary, Duke University and USC. He has published numerous scholarly essays and articles, as well as pieces in popular journals like Variety . He has served on several film festival juries and as both historical consultant on the film Serena starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, and as visual storytelling consultant to the Ethiopian Aids Resource Center in Addis Ababa. He has just completed a book that reveals the connections between the multi-media innovations in the career of Orson Welles. As a film programmer, his recent series include "The Cinema of the Absurd," with new restorations from nine Eastern European national film archives, that has played in both Hong Kong and the U.S. National Gallery of Art, and "Creators of the Photoplay," a series dedicated to the great women screenwriters of Hollywood silent cinema.

Thomas Krivy

Cinematography.

Thomas Krivy, son of Czech parents and brought up and raised in Germany, gained experience as a camera assistant in Berlin and at the Babelsberg Studios before earning his MA in cinematography from the Czech national film academy. He regularly works on narrative feature films, commercials, documentaries and music videos.

Robert Gottman

Editing, sound.

Robert Gottman is a master Avid instructor and has 21 years of experience at the university level teaching editing, sound and color in both the U.S. and Czech Republic. He served as editor at NBC and other television networks for 16 years, and has edited multiple Emmy and award-winning, internationally distributed programs including numerous dramas, documentaries, news specials, travel, sports, business programming, commercials and music videos.

Steve Reverand

Steve Reverand is a French-born and now Czech-based producer, graduate from Prague Film School. He co-founded in 2012 in Prague the production company "The LAB". Steve has been developing, producing and post-producing international fiction projects from short to feature films, with a focus on European-based hybrid genre narratives that can tap into a niche worldwide audience. Among the successful short film he produced are Kaveh Daneshmand's Occasional Showers (Best Short Film - Iranian Society of Film Critics’ Awards, 2016), Nicole Goode's Supine (Silver Méliès Winner 2019) and Rusty Lake: Paradox (6m views online). In 2020, he produced for The LAB his debut feature project as a film producer, the queer fantasy film Playdurizm (winner of the Jury Prize for Best Feature Film at LUFF 2020 and distributed internationally).

Luka Knezevic

Editing, aspects of film language.

Luka Knezevic is a PhD candidate in film studies at the University of Zagreb and manages the post production facilities at Prague Film School. He is a graduate of Prague Film School (2012) and is an active writer/director. His latest short, Pressure Point , was completed in 2018 and screened at several international festivals (Myrtle Beach, TIFF Oda)

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Three Great Documentaries to Stream

This month’s streaming selections include one director’s look at a hometown ritual, the story of an improbable ruse and a celebration of student activism.

By Ben Kenigsberg

The proliferation of documentaries on streaming services makes it difficult to choose what to watch. Each month, we’ll choose three nonfiction films — classics, overlooked recent docs and more — that will reward your time.

‘The Virgin of Pessac’ (1968), ‘The Virgin of Pessac 79’ (1979)

Stream them on the Criterion Channel .

Jean Eustache, the French director best known for “The Mother and the Whore” (1973), directed two documentaries capturing an antediluvian ritual in his hometown. Every year, following instructions from a deceased resident’s 1896 will, officials in Pessac, France, selected a young woman to be crowned as the municipality’s rosière . That word is left untranslated in the subtitles, but the role amounts to being Pessac’s “rose”: The rosière gets paraded around with a lot of pomp and circumstance as her fellow townspeople treat her like a mascot — a woman they can objectify as part of their birthright. The main criterion for selection? Moral virtue. Eustache filmed the 1968 and 1979 competitions, if “competition” is the mot juste for a contest whose participants appear to have little say in taking part.

By prescription, the judges consist of Pessac’s mayor, the parish priest, a justice of the peace and several others, including, “preferably,” a gaggle of winegrowers’ wives. The nomination process essentially officializes gossip, as various local busybodies suggest women based on hearsay about them and their families. Candidates must have been born in Pessac and must be, per the recitations of the rules, “of nubile age.” The 1968 mayor doesn’t seem too concerned about saying cringeworthy things. “Those who film the ceremony have promised to delete anything embarrassing,” he says, referring to Eustache’s team. But later, he expresses delight at the winner’s photogenicity: “Even though we didn’t choose according to looks, I’m glad she’s so cute. It will be good for TV.”

It is not clear what Eustache might have held back. “The Virgin of Pessac” is a good illustration of Frederick Wiseman’s frequent assertion that camera subjects don’t realize how they look to an observer. Until a priest mentions the unrest of May 1968 — a touchstone in Eustache’s work — “The Virgin of Pessac” could almost pass for something shot in the late 19th century.

By the time of “The Virgin of Pessac 79,” the townspeople, while still upbeat, look marginally more mortified at carrying on the tradition, and they have relaxed some of the rules. (It’s become harder to find winegrowers’ wives, for one thing.) There are whispers of past rosières who may not actually have been chaste. Who could designate the virgin of Pessac in a post-“Mother and the Whore” era?

‘The Imposter’ (2012)

Stream it on Freevee , Kanopy , Peacock , Pluto and Tubi . Rent it on Apple TV , Fandango at Home and Google Play .

Late in “The Imposter,” we hear about a woman who passed two polygraph tests before flunking the third. The director Bart Layton’s documentary creates a kind of lie-detector test for the viewer. You can’t trust anyone in this movie, not even the filmmaker.

Owing a considerable conceptual and aesthetic debt to Errol Morris, “The Imposter” centers on an infamous real-life impersonation case . In 1997, the title subject, a French-born man named Frédéric Bourdin, passed himself off as Nicholas Barclay, a San Antonio teenager who had gone missing three years earlier. At 23, Bourdin was clearly older than Barclay would have been. He had a French accent and several physical dissimilarities with the boy he was claiming to be. Nevertheless, he lucked into enough bureaucratic incompetence to make his way from Spain to Texas, and Barclay’s family welcomed him into their home. Did they believe him? Were they deceiving themselves?

“The Imposter” tells this story from multiple points of view. Bourdin, talking head-on to the camera, describes the cleverness of his ruse step by step. At times even he appears incredulous at his success — but naturally, everything he says ought to be regarded with great skepticism. In some ways, the bigger mysteries involve Beverly, Nicholas’s mother, Carey Gibson, his half sister, who are among the interviewees. Bourdin can describe the logistics of making phone calls and disguising himself physically, but Layton is also interested in penetrating the more abstract headspaces of Nicholas’s apparently duped relatives. The filmmaker comes to no firm conclusions, and by the end of the movie his sympathies seem to lie with a colorful private investigator who was working for “Hard Copy” — a sleuth who is presented, fairly or not, as having Bourdin’s number when authorities shrugged.

Layton’s use of re-enactments (some of which feature multiple Bourdins) may be a bit of a cliché, but it adds to the sense that nothing onscreen is stable.

‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’ (2021)

Stream it on the Criterion Channel . Rent it on Apple TV and Google Play .

It is not strictly accurate to call “A Night of Knowing Nothing” a documentary: This debut feature from Payal Kapadia, whose second feature will screen in competition at Cannes next month, mingles modes so freely that she has described it as “a long dream.” Visually, much of it consists of footage shot by Kapadia, her cinematographer and her friends, along with home movies and other archival material.

The voice-over, though, is fiction: The main narration comes from invented letters supposedly found at the Film and Television Institute of India, which Kapadia herself attended; their author is an imaginary student known simply as L. The letters are to the young man she loves, and who wanted to marry her. But his parents have forbidden him from seeing her because she comes from a lower caste. The dramatized narration folds in real-world events and issues: a strike by the institute’s students to oppose what they saw as the political appointment of a new chairman; the suicide of a Dalit student — a student from a group once known as “untouchables” — whose death led to protests in India; outrage at a citizenship law that opponents saw as anti-Muslim ; and the general atmosphere of suppression under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The free-flowing structure makes “A Night of Knowing Nothing” tough to reduce to a concise description, and the movie is easier to follow on a repeat viewing than the first time through. But a sense of tumult is integral to Kapadia’s design. The film is in large measure a celebration of student activism and mobilization. Actual protests are shown throughout, as both L and the director find their political voices. “Time has put us in a certain place,” a man says at the end, referring to the film students’ movement, adding that they reacted in the way that they could.

Evan Gershkovich, U.S. Reporter Detained In Russia, Tops List Of Urgent Cases On World Press Freedom Day

Global media outlets, united as the One Free Press Coalition, publish this annual “10 Most Urgent” list to spotlight journalists whose press freedoms are being suppressed or whose cases are seeking justice.

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In observance of World Press Freedom Day on May 4, the One Free Press Coalition relaunches its “10 Most Urgent” list to bring global attention to journalists whose press freedoms are being suppressed or whose cases are seeking justice. Published today by leading media organizations around the world, this list includes reporters, editors, media entrepreneurs and a filmmaker who have been killed, imprisoned or otherwise targeted while working to keep the public informed.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) documented 320 journalists behind bars last year as of December 1, 2023, and this number was the second-highest recorded by CPJ since the census began in 1992—a disturbing barometer of entrenched authoritarianism and the vitriol of governments determined to smother independent voices.

Given the state of press freedom, this is a crucial time to use our collective voices to highlight the most urgent cases and shine a light on the threats to journalists around the world.

Evan Gershkovich

1. Evan Gershkovich

Europe & central asia (u.s./russia, imprisoned in russia).

Evan Gershkovich, a U.S citizen based in Moscow as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal , has been detained in Russia since March 2023 on espionage charges that he, his newspaper, and the U.S. government all deny. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

On March 30, 2023, Russia’s Federal Security Service, the FSB, announced it had detained Gershkovich on suspicion of spying for the United States. The FSB alleged Gershkovich was trying to obtain classified information related to “the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”

Gershkovich has lived in Moscow for six years, was accredited with the Russian Foreign Ministry, and was covering Russia as part of The Wall Street Journal ’s Moscow bureau. He had reported extensively about Russia’s war in Ukraine .

Alsu Kurmasheva

2. Alsu Kurmasheva

Europe & central asia (u.s., imprisoned in russia).

Alsu Kurmasheva, a U.S.-Russian dual citizen and an editor with the Tatar-Bashkir service of U.S. Congress-funded, editorially independent Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), has been detained in Russia since October 18, 2023, on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent. A new charge of spreading “fake” information about the Russian army was later brought against her. If convicted of both charges, Kurmasheva faces up to 15 years in prison in total.

Kurmasheva, who lives in Prague, traveled to Russia for a family emergency on May 20, 2023 and has been unable to leave the country since. She complained of harsh conditions behind bars, of health issues that recurred while in detention and of getting a “minimal” medical treatment.

On April 1, her detention was extended until June 5.

3. José Rubén Zamora

Americas (guatemala).

José Rubén Zamora, president of the Guatemalan newspaper elPeriódico , was sentenced to six years in prison in June 2023 on money laundering charges that were widely condemned as retaliation for his journalism.

An appeals court annulled his sentence in October 2023 and Zamora remains behind bars ahead of a retrial scheduled for 2024. He has been in detention since his arrest in July 2022.

Zamora, one of Guatemala’s most high-profile investigative journalists with a career spanning more than 30 years, has faced repeated threats and attacks for his decades of reporting on corruption and human rights violations.

4. Genet Asmamaw

Africa (ethiopia).

Genet Asmamaw, a reporter with the YouTube-based Medlot Media , which is part of the Yegna Media group, and covers political issues related to the Amhara people, was arrested in April 2023 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. She was physically assaulted during the arrest.

She was charged with terrorism in June, alongside 50 co-defendants, three of whom were journalists. Genet, who could face the death penalty if convicted, joined a hunger strike in May to protest what detainees described as political persecution. As of late 2023, she was in prison awaiting trial.

5. Jimmy Lai

Asia (hong kong).

Hong Kong media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, 76, the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and a British citizen, has been detained since December 2020.

Lai is currently serving a prison sentence of five years and nine months on fraud charges related to a lease dispute and is on a separate trial under national security charges, which could see him jailed for life.

The charges of foreign collusion under the national security law – imposed by Beijing three years ago – has been used to stifle free speech and crush dissent in Hong Kong, once a bastion of press freedom in Asia.

Shireen Abu Akleh

6. Shireen Abu Akleh

Mena (west bank).

Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian American correspondent for Al-Jazeera Arabic, was fatally shot in the head on May 11, 2022, while covering an Israeli army operation in the West Bank town of Jenin, according to Al-Jazeera and other news reports .

A video of the aftermath of the shooting, posted on Twitter by Qatar-based Al-Jazeera, shows Abu Akleh wearing a vest marked “Press.” Multiple investigations into her death concluded that the veteran reporter – a household name in the region – was shot by a member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

As of May 1, 2024, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), preliminary investigations showed at least 97 journalists and media workers were confirmed dead since October 7, 2023; journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to deliver news during the ground conflict.

Viktoria Roshchina

7. Viktoria Roshchina

Europe & central asia (ukraine).

Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchina was reportedly abducted by Russian forces in Ukraine in early August 2023 and has been held by Russia ever since.

Roshchina, who planned to travel on a reporting trip to the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine via Russia, left Ukraine for Poland on July 25, 2023, and was expected to reach the territories three days later. Her current location is unknown.

Roshchina is a freelance reporter who has been covering the war in Ukraine for several Ukrainian media outlets, including Kyiv-based independent news website Ukrainska Pravda, regional news website Novosti Donbassa, and privately-owned news website Censor.net.

8. Shin Daewe

Asia (myanmar).

Award-winning Myanmar documentary filmmaker Shin Daewe is serving a life sentence on charges of illegal possession of an unregistered drone, a criminal offense under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Law.

Daewe was arrested on October 15, 2023, while picking up a video drone she had ordered online to use for filming a documentary. Police interrogated the journalist for nearly two weeks before charging her and transferring her to Yangon’s Insein Prison where she was tried by a secret military tribunal and denied legal representation during the proceedings.

Shin Daewe, a former reporter with the local media group Democratic Voice of Burma and a regular freelance contributor to Radio Free Asia, is known for her documentary coverage of environmental issues and the toll that armed conflict has taken on the country’s civilians.

9. Dieudonné Niyonsenga

Africa (rwanda).

Dieudonné Niyonsenga, who also goes by the name Cyuma Hassan, owned and reported for Ishema TV , a YouTube channel that covered local politics and human rights. He was initially arrested by Rwandan authorities in 2020 who accused him of breaching COVID-19 lockdown orders. He was later charged with impersonating a journalist and forging a press card.

Niyonsenga was acquitted in March 2021, but authorities appealed that ruling, and he was retried, convicted and jailed for seven years in November 2021. In January 2024, it was reported that Niyonsenga had been tortured in a Rwandan prison.

10. Gustavo Gorriti

Americas (peru).

Gustavo Gorriti is Peru’s most prominent investigative reporter and the founder of IDL-Reporteros, the journalism arm of the Legal Defense Institute, an independent organization dedicated to fighting corruption and improving justice in Peru.

In April 2024, Peruvian authorities opened a preliminary investigation into Gorriti, which could force the journalist to reveal his sources.

Since 2015, IDL-Reporteros has published exposés about corruption within Peru’s judicial system and about Odebrecht , a Brazilian construction firm that admitted to paying $800 million in kickbacks to politicians across Latin America in exchange for public works contracts.

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