Roman Vávra
Roman Vávra (1965) is a contemporary Czech filmmaker. He first graduated from the University of Economics and was interested in journalism. Eventually, however, after 1989 he turned to FAMU where he graduated from the Department of Documentary Film.
During his studies he began to cooperate with Czech Television in 1992 and to shoot his first films as Czech TV productions. He specialized in documentary production. In the mid-1990s, for example, he was fascinated by the peculiar portraits of The Gravedigger and the documentary Warriors about a group of harvesters weeding cowslips. In 1998 he directed his first feature film – What You Catch in the Rye, for which he was nominated for five Czech Lions and won prizes at a number of international festivals. He received honors for his next feature-length documentary Battle for Life, which he co-wrote with Miroslav Jank and Vítek Janeček. This film was also the first post-revolution documentary to be put on general cinematic release. Roman Vávra is also a multiple holder of the Prize of the Czech Literary Fund and the Pavel Juráček Prize. In 2003 he made a fairy tale in Czech-Slovak-German co-production. With the writer Miloš Doležal he prepared a documentary about the life of Josef Toufar.
Vávra is not only a director, but often acts in his films also as a screenwriter, cameraman and editor. And also he plays in minor roles. He also directs for theater.
Fiction
2010
Škola princů (Princes’ School), TV film
2003
Nadměrné maličkosti: Drámo (Excessive Little Things: Drama), TV film
Čert ví proč (The Devil Knows Why), feature fairy-tale film, director and script-writer
2001
Skříň (Closet), TV film
1998
Co chytneš v žitě (What You Catch in the Rye), Czech Lion Award Actress in a Leading Role + 4 nominations, the best film including, director and script-writer
1995
V žitě (In the Rye), student film, director and script-writer
Documentaries
2018
Rudí prezidenti (Red Presidents), TV series
Poslušný generál – Ludvík Svoboda (Obedient General Ludvík Svoboda)
Sjednotitel ve strachu – Klement Gottwald (Consolidator in the Fear – K. G.)
2016
Jako bychom dnes zemřít měli (Like to Die Today), documentary about parson Toufar, director and script-writer
2015
Kronika králů (Kings Chronicle), TV film, documentary about Dalimil’s chronicle
Mrtvolu sprovoďte ze světa, TV film, director and script-writer
Můj pokus o mistrovský opus, TV series
2013
Ivan Havel: Pozdní sběr (Ivan Havel: Late Grape Harvest)
Století rádia (Century of a Radio), TV film
2011
Heydrich – konečné řešení (Heydrich – Final Solution), TV series
Trafačka – Chrám svobody (Trafačka – Temple of a Freedom), Czech Lion award – the best documentary
2008
Tajemství kufru Arnošta Valenty (Secret of Arnošt Valenta’s Suitcase)
2007
Azory pod hladinou (Azores Islands under the Surface)
2004
Karel IV. (Charles IV.), TV film 2001 Chaos, TV film
Jak jsem se zbláznil (How I Went Crazy), TV film
2000
Bitva o život, (Fight for Life), director and script-writer
1999
Rádio Limonádový Joe, TV film
1995
Bojovníci (Warriors), TV film
1994
Hrobník (Gravedigger), TV film
