Josef Abrhám

This impressionistic film captures the uniqueness of life and creativity. An experimental feature comprising 40 distinct acting roles, each captured on its own 16 mm film roll, offering a kaleidoscopic mosaic of human traits that fluidly crosses comedy, drama, and documentary styles. Rather than following a conventional narrative, it presents standalone character portraits that collectively inspire creative artists to define and communicate their vision clearly.

Somewhere in the Forbidden Forest lives the evil wizard Kruciatus. A hundred years ago, he attempted to destroy the kingdom now ruled by King Alexander, who has two sons - the heir to the throne, John, and the younger prince, Charles. However, Charles refuses to accept his role as second in line at any cost. With the help of his servant Pakosta, he breaks into a forbidden chamber in the castle, obtains magical props left behind by the evil wizard, and intends to destroy his brother. Prince John drinks a magic potion served to him by his mischievous brother, which instantly erases his memory. John then recklessly sets off on a journey to the Forbidden Forest, where everyone who has ever entered has disappeared without a trace.

A bitter sweet comedy that follows a highly appointed Chancellor who set to step down from his position after years of service to his country. With just two last days left to enjoy his palatial villa before he is finally evicted, his situation gradually goes from bad to worse.

A story that takes place during Advent, we'll meet again with your favorite pair angel Petronel and devil Urias. Their eternal wrangling causes the rare apple from the tree of the knowledge to roll on earth. And that God is really angry. Petronel with Urias find themselves in a small Czech town on the eve of the feast of St. Nicholas. And after a series of human and "divine" tests our heroes eventually find that the path to knowledge leads primarily through self discovery through the strength of friendship, love and forgiveness skills.

The series follows Cyril and Methodius, two Byzantine Greek brothers born in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity and influenced the cultural development of the Great Moravian territory.

Charming 60-something José returns to Prague after 30 years living in Mexico, though he was convinced that he would never see his hometown again. He was persuaded by his deeply religious Mexican wife Dolores, who is convinced that only a miracle that might be fulfilled by Prague’s famous Infant Jesus can help their daughter Penelopé get pregnant. And the ideal time for this is Christmas. And when Ruda, his friend from Prague, also insists, José agrees to return to the places he used to know and to the memories that they bring back – including his former Prague love. And it becomes evident that the Infant Jesus is not the only one capable of making miracles come true in Prague. Penelopé’s longed-for conception is definitely not the only one…

Even after twelve years, Štěpán, Kendy, and Karas have remained true to themselves. They are inseparable friends with an inexhaustible sense of humor and a knack for self-irony, albeit with a slight touch of skepticism.

Prague, Czechoslovakia, during the inter-war period. Jan Dítě, a young and clever waiter who wants to become a millionaire, comes to the conclusion that to achieve his ambitious goal he must be diligent, listen and observe as much as he can, be always discreet and use what he learns to his own advantage; but the turbulent tides of history will continually stand in his way.

A minimalist portrait of ultimate love.

Marcela can't bear Jarda any longer, so she threatens divorce and takes the kids to her mom's, whose husband is a creep. While Marcela is there, Jarda is jailed, because he is part of a gang steeling cars and they get caught in the act. Benes, the urbane man whose car got stolen by Jarda and his gang, befriends Marcela. Soon she feels drawn to Benes and all of a sudden she must make up her mind: Jarda is still sexually attractive to her, but Benes offers security, and her own body and mind may not pull at the same strand.

A Slovak film adaptation of the eponymous play Radošina Naive Theatre. Time stood still at a small and neglected Slovak railway station. The locals are stuck in place, know each other well and live according to learned rituals with no prospect of change any time soon. An unexpected impulse to the sleepy community is brought about by the discovery of the corpse of one of the cronies in the station toilets and the arrival of an energetic policewoman to investigate.

Father Viktor, highly capable and successful in his profession, and his son Petr, an equally successful and promising student, suddenly find themselves in an unexpected situation – after the death of their wife and mother, these two exemplary models of the perfect man and student must deal with such a mundane matter as taking care of the household. As capable, intelligent, and successful men, they naturally see no problem with this. Their experienced neighbor Lupínek, a distinguished grandfather with four grandchildren to look after, warns them in vain and offers his help. Male vanity and pride are stronger. As a result, they gradually find themselves in a whirlwind of embarrassments, problems, and disasters that gradually erode their self-confidence and destroy their firm belief in their own perfection. Fortunately, Uncle Artur comes to the rescue.

The fairy tale tells the story of a royal couple who cannot have children. With the help of a magical prop, they finally succeed, but in double measure. They give birth to twins. Which prop is responsible for this? Well, take a guess, or better yet, take another look at the title of the fairy tale. When the boys grow up and one of them is supposed to take over the joys and responsibilities of ruling, an unsolvable problem arises: should it be Vojta or František? We won't reveal the plot with all its twists and turns, but one thing is certain: the boys set out into the world with the understanding that the one who can perform the greater heroic deed will become king. The princes, even though they are not exactly cut out for it, take on the task with all their vigor and responsibility.

After a colleague is murdered, insurance worker Kafka gets embroiled in an underground group who are attempting to thwart a secret organization that controls the major events in society.

A professor reunites with an old friend who inspires him to return to Czechoslovakia for the first time since he emigrated years ago.

Czechoslovakia 1918. The newly formed National Assembly has made Stoklasa the administrator of the Kratochvile Castle. Although with no aristocratic background, he is a man of fortune and is trying to buy the castle. To impress his neighbors and the local politicians he invites them to a great hunting party. Uninvited comes a man who claims to be Duke Alexej. Stoklasa believes him to be a hustler. This hustler, however, manages to charm all the women before he leaves.

Told from the perspective of man reflecting on his childhood in Prague in the early years of World War II and the eventual destruction of his family as the Nazis rise to power. The storyline focuses heavily on Jewish-Czech Silberstein family members. Drama was filmed on the real events as a tribute to Mr. Nicholas Winton, the British humanitarian who organized the rescue of 669 children, most of them Jewish, from Czechoslovakia on the eve of the Second World War in an operation later known as the Czech Kindertransport from German-occupied Czechoslovakia and likely death in the Holocaust.

No synopsis available yet.

A period musical comedy set in a quiet Prague quarter at the end of the fifties. Using the western plot device of the "man from nowhere" a generation gap story unfolds of changing social climate. The action is driven by the character of a young man named Baby who causes a local rebellion by bringing rock'n'roll to a Communist neighborhood raised on swing.

Biography of Karel Čapek.

Unlike any other opera, the so-called Beggar's Opera is not just one composition, but a lineage of adapted compositions, beginning with the original hugely successful 1728 political satire written by Englishman John Gay. Composers and writers have penned variations on it ever since. The most famous of these was A Threepenny Opera by Bertholt Brecht and Kurt Weill. Some things these compositions share in common is their setting among the poor and criminal classes, and the roguish character Macheath. This production is based on an adaptation of Gay's original by Vaclav Havel the freedom-fighter, writer and philosopher who became the first (and only) president of the united post-communist country of Czechoslovakia, and it retains many traces of its theatrical origins. Film reviewers were not too tolerant of what they called "slavish adherence" to the noted Czech writer's stage production, but theater, philosophy and history buffs may feel otherwise.

No synopsis available yet.

Loosely inspired by a real criminal court case. It took place in Prague and the Tatra Mountains between 1926 and 1928 and was later described as one of the biggest, if not the biggest, cases the pre-Munich Republic had ever seen. Nevertheless, the police and judiciary at the time failed to clarify and close the case in such a way that it would not raise legitimate questions long after the trial had ended. Even though the court handed down its verdicts, the case remained open in a way, and this is also reflected in the script, which remained faithful to the facts in its basic outline," says screenwriter Václav Šašek, author of the two-part television production The Trial of the Martyn Murderers...

It is April 1945, spring begins and ends the war. German transport heading away from Bohemia.

No synopsis available yet.

Charming, witty and smart men represent a fictitious insurance company who soon fall for an innocent-looking young woman smarter than she seems.

In 1992, Prague is the capital of a small kingdom. The prince is supposed to choose his bride to be at a royal ball. But to everybody's surprise, he chooses an ugly cleaning-woman. She is shy and silent, but after the marriage she turns into a wild and rumbustious woman with an obstinate and stubborn mind. They both try to kill each other, but the queen is thrown into the dungeons.

An episodic film about the inhabitants of Kersko, their hardships and their joys, most prominently hunting. A lyrical and humorous adaptation of writings by Bohumil Hrabal.

A comedy concerning a down on his luck bookshop owner with a penchant for women who decides to make some money by pretending to be a waiter and collecting cash from unsuspecting diners.

Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Ladislav Smoljak, about the fictional national hero Jára Cimrman (universal genius, inventor, sportsman, criminalist, poet, writer and philosopher).

A police inspector and inexperienced trainee search for a mysteriously disappeared manufacturer of ointments for hair growth.

An aging professor at a Prague neurological clinic is forced to confront his personal values and the harsh boundaries of medical science. Already burdened by the ultimate questions of life and death, his ethical convictions are put to the test by Víťa, a young patient with an inoperable tumor.

Set in 1918, this World War I drama follows a group of Austro-Hungarian soldiers—Czechs, Jews, Italians, and others—confined in a provincial barracks under German officers. Subjected to the cruelty of a sadistic lieutenant, they rebel, humiliate him, and later attempt escape. Disguised as guards for veterinary surgeons in Budapest, the deserters are eventually recaptured and returned for court-martial, forced once more to face their tormentor.

No synopsis available yet.

A scientist meets a nice girl and they start dating. He decides the only way to find out for sure if she’s the one is to take a long trip with her, but things don’t go quite as he’d hoped.

No synopsis available yet.

Jealous of her vapidly "good" sister's popularity, poisonous Viktoria doses pretty Klara's tea with a slow-acting fatal substance. As the latter grows hysterically weak, the former finds success increasingly compromised by guilt, blackmail, and the pesky need to kill others lest she be exposed.

Czechoslovakia, 1942. Three brave Czech patriots risk everything to rid their country of its brutal Nazi leader, SS-General Reinhard Heydrich.

Over the course of several months, a young pregnant woman as she becomes slowly acquainted with the joys and responsibilities of motherhood.

No synopsis available yet.

A comedy about exchange of 12 apartments , which, its organizer, lawyer Radosta, rightly called Action Ball Lightning. To prepare, organize and execute the exchange of twelve apartments is a work worthy champions. Radosta, who was excellently played by Rudolf Hrušínský, solved all sudden difficulties and complications on the fly and with grace. To be sure that the on the D-day everything goes well he prepares a little rehearsal, which reveals many minor issues caused for example by wedding ordered to inappropriate term or hesitation of some participants. Last but not least a night exercise announced by drunk psychologist Knotků, creates a lot of confusion that nearly sabotaged the whole operation.

This comedy is about one average family. The father works as master in the factory and his son is studying on high school. One day father must start to visit the evening school. It's the same school as his son visiting. The lives both students are connecting together. The son must teach the math and physics his own father. The father getting to know, that the life of the students is not simple as he supposed.

Two gentlemen, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, have a brilliant plan! To spice up their quiet country life and bring some excitement into it, they invent a person they absolutely must travel to. Jack creates an imaginary brother, Philip, who he uses as an excuse to travel to London to see the lovely Gwendoline. Algernon, on the other hand, has an imaginary friend, Banbury, who is constantly ill and must urgently visit him at his hospital bed. Everything starts to fall apart when Moncrieff starts calling himself Philip after visiting Worthing's young protégé, Cecilia, at her country estate. When the two gentlemen find themselves under the same roof together - it's time to discover how important it is to have Philip!

The main character of the story is Professor Trojan, the head of a Prague clinic, who is not experiencing the happiest of times. His cat has been poisoned with cyanide, he has a falling out with his son Petr, who has moved to Brno to be with his wife, the promising singer Eva, and only seeks out his father when he needs money, and as if that weren't enough, someone shoots him in the evening. Trojan initially considers it a mistake or a prank and does not share the fears of those around him. But then cyanide is discovered and one of the patients takes it from the assistant Dvoracek, who borrowed it for an unauthorized experiment. Trojan pairs the cyanide with a gunshot and slowly begins to suspect that someone is trying to kill him. At first he suspects Dvorak, who might become the foreman after his death, but later, as he falls deeper and deeper into a psychosis of fear and apprehension, he begins to suspect everyone around him...

A story of a man threatened by a fatal illness evaluating his life (the number 322 in the film title stands for the diagnosis of one kind of cancer). He understands his illness as a form of punishment for his cruel deeds in the 1950s. In the face of reality and his efforts to cleanse himself he hits a barrier of indifference, lack of interest, and individual and collective selfishness. He has to find his own reconciliation with his illness and his past and present life.

A Czech TV film adaptation of Budd Schulberg's novel The Harder They Fall, which had previously been made as the 1956 US movie of the same name starring Humphrey Bogart and Rod Steiger.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

In a suburban villa, a woman of means is murdered. Police Superintendent Zdychynec from the Prague Liben neighborhood reports the case to Police Councilman Vacátko, upon whose order an investigation is launched immediately. Zdychynec begins to suspect the wooer of his own daughter, a handsome dragoon named Rudi, of the crime. In Rudi's absence, Zdychynec searches his rented room in the apartment of the elegant Mrs Dragicová. All his findings - among others, sand left on Rudi's jackboots and a decent amount of money in his bedside table - convince the superintendent that he is following the right lead, especially when Rudi refuses to say where he was at the time of the murder.

A few days in the life of a Czechoslovak teenager when he starts work.

At a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatcher’s apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Oblivious to the war and the resistance that surrounds him, this young man embarks on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery, encountering a universe of frustration, eroticism, and adventure within his sleepy backwater depot.

While a woman is in the hospital preparing to deliver her child, her husband has all day to reflect upon his wife and their relationship. As he tends to his job as a television repairman, Slavek fondly remembers how he first met Ivana and the days they spent getting to know one another. Slavek also grows increasingly aware of the environment that surrounds him and questions the society his new child will be entering.

Czechoslovakian Zbynek Brynych directs this psychological drama set in World War II Terezin ghetto. A dark, visual portrayal of the trials and tribulations the Theresienstadt people faced on a daily basis presented in a series of memorable stories. Their hopes and dreams unfold against the perpetual threat of deportation (or worse) by the Nazis. Based on the novel "Night and Hope" by Arnost Lustig.

A dark comedy about a murder and its consequences presented in a backwards manner, where death is actually a rebirth. The film starts with an "execution" of the main protagonist and goes back to explore his previous actions and motivations.

​In 1947 Prague, Holocaust survivor Dita lives in a hostel for orphans, acting as a protective mentor to a younger girl while failing to fix her own shattered life. Unable to form lasting bonds or find a place in a society that has moved on, she drifts through emotional isolation.

Engineer Jan Sebek (Jan Kacer) is undergoing treatment in a mental home after his unsuccessful attempt to commit suicide. His therapist, via discussions both with the patient and with people who know him, tries to find out what made the young and seemingly satisfied man decide to end his own life. Jan's pretty wife Jana (Jana Brejchová) claims not to know about anything but she is conducting an affair with a family friend, almost publicly and with the blessing of her parents.

Comedy based on short Sean O'Casey play. John Jo Mulligan finds himself in a situation with which his pious conscience cannot cope. He has spent a night with the cunning seductress Angela. Full of remorse and dreading the ruin of his reputation, he tries to get rid of her, fearing that his pal Halibut or his landlady Miss Mossie might get to know. Angela sees her chance, turns gold-digger and does not leave before relieving John of a considerable amount of money.

No synopsis available yet.

A dark fable set in an early 1950s Czech village, a time of Soviet-style socialism which saw the implementation of collectivized agriculture and the mass closure of monasteries and convents.

No synopsis available yet.