Otakar Vávra
(*1911) Czech Republic
Lifetime achievements
This legendary film director graduated from a secondary school in Hradec Králová and began studying architecture in Prague. However, he ended up not completing his studies and began to fully pursue film shooting. In 1931, he produced an experimental film called “Light Penetrating Darkness” and other short films. In 1937, he directed his first film, “History of Philosophy” followed by the next film called “The Guild of Kutna Hora Virgins.” After 1945, he filmed “Krakatit (The Explosive),” a film with a strong anti-war message. He made more than fifty films, among which the most valued are “The Golden Apple,” “Romance for Cornet,” and “The Witchhammer.” In the 1950s, he was greatly concerned in establishing the famous Film School of Academy of Performing Arts, where he taught for five decades as a professor since 1963. His students were Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Jiří Menzel, and other representatives of the Czech New Wave. He left the Film School in 2008 and in 2001, he was awarded the Czech Lion for Lifetime Achievement in the Czech Cinematography and the Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In 2004, President Václav Klaus awarded him the Medal of Merit.
