International Film Production at Barrandov
„I have worked in practically all of the studios of the world and at least visited many of them, and I think this is the finest. … Nowhere else could we have made this film in such a way as we did here.“
Roman Polanski, director, Oliver Twist
Barrandov Studios is the largest film and television studio in Eastern Europe. It consists of the most comprehensive services available to the international entertainment industry. Producers from around the world come to Barrandov because of the wide range of services provided by the Studio. Barrandov is a great decision for filmmakers looking to shoot in Europe, not only because it houses all your production needs under one roof and offered at an appealing price, but because it is also located in the architecturally stunning city of Prague. Prague has long been known as one of the premiere locations for its visually rich and cinematic qualities, not to mention the numerous, noteworthy, filming locations throughout the entire Czech Republic.
Because of its all-around, well-developed film industry, which employs approximately 20,000 people in the Czech Republic (including location agencies, service and production companies, postproduction services, and others), film productions and filmmakers from abroad have selected Barrandov Studios as their production base for decades. You can find a full list here of our past productions.
- Thanks to its varied architecture and landscape, Prague can double for a number of other European cities and countries.
- An extraordinarily well-developed film infrastructure can be found at Barrandov. In the 1980s, Barrandov produced up to 30 films a year and the studios employed over 2,000 craftsmen within the framework of state-funded cinematography.
- Filming at Barrandov Studios in Prague still remains less expensive than other international locations. Generally speaking, Barrandov costs are on average 25% below filming in the U.K. and 40% below filming in the United States.
- Barrandov has played host to countless top of the line professionals within the Czech film community: Oscar-winning art director and set designer Karel Cerny and Oscar-winning costume designer Theodor Pištěk, as well as, Oscar-nominated cameraman Miroslav Ondricek, to name a few. Producer/Director Milos Forman was also a crucial part of bringing notoriety to Barrandov Studios.
Amadeus, as pioneer…
During the first half of the 1980s, Barrandov was rediscovered by the world thanks to Czech film director Milos Forman. Together with producer Saul Zaentz, Forman brought the filming of Amadeus to Prague, which was still under communist rule at that time. The gleam of the eight gold-plated Oscars received by the film highlighted Prague and Barrandov Studios as a viable place for film production.
Forman was followed to Prague by Barbra Streisand and the film Yentl, but, above all, by director Brian de Palma and actors Tom Cruise and Jon Voight. Their Mission: Impossible became the first, big budget US film, which opened doors for Barrandov to compete among the world’s leading film service providers.