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Local moviemakers battle for supremacy

Czech Republic No. 2 in Europe for film production

By Markéta Hulpachová
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
July 11th, 2007 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
The upcoming film The Seal Truce is about the danger of exploitation of animals, namely monk seals.
Czech movie-making is booming, creating new rivalries on the domestic market and putting an end to the traditional solidarity among local movie producers.
For the first time ever, two Czech films are scheduled to premiere the same night, Nov. 8: filmmaker Miroslav Novák’s feature-length documentary Mír s tuleni (The Seal Truce) and Michal Karjňák’s new comedy Poslední plavky (The Last Swimsuit).
In the past, domestic cinemas typically premiered approximately 20 domestic movies per year, and local producers generally kept a distance of at least two weeks in between the premieres of their movies and those of their colleagues.
“It used to be that one producer did not go against another in the same time frame,” said Jan Bradáč, president of the film distributing company Falcon. “The market was already small, so it made no sense to crumble it further.”
But with increased production driving up market competition, this gentlemen’s agreement has become a thing of the past.
“Czech films will be in direct conflict with each other this year,” Bradáč said. “I’ve personally participated in several clashes in which two [domestic] films went against each other. It was a ruthless battle.”
Czech films enjoy traditional popularity among local moviegoers. Last year, domestic films grossed 1.043 billion Kč ($49.6 million) and accounted for around 28 percent of the country’s overall box-office sales. That makes the Czech film industry the second largest in Europe only after France, according to a market analysis by the entertainment industry trade magazine Screen Daily.
In the first quarter of this year, already high sales at domestic cinemas saw additional growth, with attendance rising 500,000 and sales up 57 million Kč. According to Bradáč, this steady growth in popularity has not gone unnoticed.
“In the past decade, Czech films have enjoyed increased attendance in the cinemas, which may have given some people the impression that the film market is a profitable business,” he said.  
To gain funding for their projects, a majority of film producers apply for grants through the State Fund for the Support and Development of Czech Cinematography. The fund was established in 1992 and bolstered five years later through the country’s signing of the European film co-production agreement. Drafted in 1994, the agreement incites European countries to nurture their cultural heritage by subsidizing cinematographic projects.
“The cinematographic fund’s 2006 and 2007 subsidies are not just for production resources,” said Culture Ministry spokeswoman Marcela Žižková. “The fund also supports screenwriting, distribution, marketing and technological development.”
Until 2006, the subsidies allocated to the cinematographic fund through the Culture Ministry retained a steady growth rate of 23 percent. Last year, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek’s government allocated an extra 100 million Kč of the state’s 2007 budget to the Culture Ministry. The cinematographic fund’s budget increased from 83 million to 207.5 million Kč.
As a result, “The cinematographic fund’s budget will spawn a significantly higher amount of films this year,” Bradáč said.
Of the estimated 40 domestic movies currently in production, Bradáč predicts several will not be completed.
“Operators and distributors will have to be more selective,” Bradáč said. By establishing a process of natural selection, increased competition may improve the overall quality. “The growing rivalry among Czech films is healthy and highly beneficial to the market,” said Bradáč.
Aside from Hollywood blockbusters like The DaVinci Code and Pirates of the Caribbean, Bradáč’s company is responsible for the domestic distribution of acclaimed Czech films such as Želary, Pupendo and Horem pádem (Up and Down).
Due to increased competition, selecting premiere dates for domestic movies is “more complicated than ever,” he said. “The final date selection is dependent on project completion, as well as the pressure placed on producers and distributors. It is also important to consider the competition.” The most complicated requirement, however, is finding a common ground between the producer and the distributor, said Bradáč. “If the two parties do not collaborate in their efforts to maximize a project’s profits, the effects on the film can be fatal.”

Markéta Hulpachová can be reached at mhulpachova@praguepost.com


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