Services for Czech Producers
During the past decade, due to a steady flow of productions from abroad, Barrandov Studios has been perceived primarily as a service provider for American, British, French, and German filmmakers. Barrandov, however, also plays a significant role in the Czech film industry.
The production of Czech films at Barrandov has undergone significant historical development, including several sudden and violent upheavals. It started as the “Dream Factory” of the Czechoslovak First Republic survived the extremely difficult period of German occupation, then became a nationalized, socialist institution, rolling out up to forty films a year. Together with the social changes that took place after 1989, things at Barrandov Studios changed as well.
Although state subsidies are no longer directed at the film industry and the studios were privatized, Barrandov remains the mecca of Czech filmmaking. For example, Marie Polednakova crossed the threshold of Stage No. 7 in order to film her Jak se kroti krokodyli – Taming Crocodiles, with Bio Illusion in the role of producer. (This film is a loose sequel to the very successful films Jak vytrhnout velrybe stolicku – How to Pull Out a Whale’s Tooth and Jak dostat tatinka do polepsovny – How to Get Daddy Into a Fix.) For his picture Kraska v nesnazich – Beauty in Trouble, which is being produced in cooperation with T.H.A., Jan Hrebejk selected his favorite – Stage No. 4.
Czech filmmakers have access not only to the stages, but also to all of the other services offered by the studios, starting with the rental of film technology, including tasks performed by the film laboratories, and ranging up through sound postproduction. Barrandov also participated in the production of such films as Pribehy obycejneho silenstvi – Wrong Side Up (Petr Zelenka), Krev zmizeleho – Bonds of Blood (Milan Cieslar), Babi leto – Autumn Spring (Vladimír Michalek), and Kolja – Kolya (Jan Sverak). A full list is available here.
The Barrandov Studios Czech Film Division has direct ties to all of the services offered. Our goal is to simplify the work of the executive producer (accepting all orders at one location, combined billing at agreed-upon intervals, etc.). At the same time, we offer more advantageous pricing in the form of “packages” when several services are ordered simultaneously.
We approach each Czech project individually and remain faithful to tradition – Barrandov’s gates are always open to Czech filmmakers.
Barrandov Studios is a member of the Audiovisual Producers’ Association (APA).