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BILLION DOLLAR LOCATION: CZECH REPUBLIC
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Page 1: BILLION DOLLAR LOCATION: CZECH REPUBLIC Dollar Locatio… · BILLION DOLLAR LOCATION CZECH REPUBLIC FOR 85 YEARS, the larg-est and oldest film studio in Europe, located on the Barrandov

BILLION DOLLAR LOCATION: CZECH REPUBLIC

Page 2: BILLION DOLLAR LOCATION: CZECH REPUBLIC Dollar Locatio… · BILLION DOLLAR LOCATION CZECH REPUBLIC FOR 85 YEARS, the larg-est and oldest film studio in Europe, located on the Barrandov

PRAGUEBARRANDOV STUDIOP R E S E N T S

20% CASH REBATE ON QUALIFYING CZECH SPEND

10% ADDDITIONAL CASH REBATE ON QUALIFYING INTERNATIONAL SPEND

ADMINISTRATED BY THE STATE CINEMATOGRAPHY FUND

REBATE FUND IS OPEN ENDED

BARRANDOV.COM

UNIQUEFILM

FRIENDLYLOCATION

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WITH A STEADY stream of ambitious small-screen productions rolling in, and two major recent features recently wrapped and more on the way — all chas-ing incentives, talented artisans, and experienced crews — Prague and the Czech Republic have upped the ante in the competitive arena of Central Europe.

Although most coun-tries of the former East-ern Bloc are vying for busi-ness, the Czechs are out to prove they are serious and reliable partners on inter-national shoots — a point stressed by the first-ever visit to Hollywood by the country’s prime minister last April.

On his trip, Bohuslav Sobotka trumpeted tweaks that have made the Czech Republic’s 20% cash-back production incentives as user-friendly as anyone’s. The program has under-gone continuous stream-lining since its launch in 2010, and applications to the Czech Cinematogra-phy Fund are now accepted year-round.

Recent projects rang-ing from war drama “Moun-tains and Stones,” to Jessica Chastain-starrer “The Zoo-keeper’s Wife,” and “Under-world 5” have underscored the core value that U.S. and Western European produc-ers have known about for years: a phenomenal rep-utation for production design, modern infrastruc-ture, and remarkably capa-ble, affordable crews.

The creative tradition, for its part, dates back to the days of Art Nouveau championed by Bohemian artist Alfons Mucha, and Czech crafts folk can eas-ily transform a Barrandov Studios soundstage into a post-apocalyptic fantasy. →

Thanks to generous incentives, the capital — and the entire country — are drawing new foreign film and TV projects all the way through post Story by WILL TIZARD

Prague Provides Fresh Lures BILLION DOLLAR LOCATION CZECH REPUBLIC

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← They’re equally adept at time travel, creating World War II settings almost over-night from Czech forest locales and disused facto-ries. Baroque period pieces remain a natural fit for Prague and environs as pro-ducers regularly find that entire authentic palaces can be had for less than the time and money needed to build an equivalent set.

The crown jewels — Prague’s Colloredo-Mansfeld Palace, the Charles Bridge, and the Nostic Theater — were dressed in 1787 finery for the recent U.K.-Czech production “Interlude in Prague” — which also made use of the towns of Cesky Krumlov, Libochovice, Plo-skovice, Jemniste, and Dok-sany — to convey the story of Mozart’s work on his operatic masterpiece “Don Giovanni,” which he com-posed in Prague.

Authenticity and afford-ability are certainly selling points that Czech regional film offices make as they compete for the title of most film-friendly prov-ince, a kudo given out by the Czech Film Commission this year to Karlovy Vary.

Karlovy Vary mayor Petr Kulhanek is keenly inter-ested in attracting new work. “We surely strive for more and strongly welcome state incentives,” he says.

The three-year-old Regional Film Office there is actively improving access and resources, both finan-cial and in kind, adds Petr Zidlicky of the Karlovy Vary Department of Culture.

Things were not always this way, says Czech Film Commission topper Lud-mila Claussova, who has embarked on an ambitious road show to enlist the help of other authorities and created a prize for the most film-friendly region.

In the Czech capital, meanwhile, even politi-cal controversy has been turned to advantage. Prague political watchdogs have expressed skepticism over

the appointment of Czech media maven Andrej Babis as of finance minis-ter in 2014 — but local pro-duction companies point out that business-friendly Babis is the most commit-ted national policy leader in memory when it comes to attracting foreign pro-duction dollars – and that he understands the value of film incentives.

Babis has told industry types that he is working on increasing the 20% Czech cash-back incentive .

Prague post houses, meanwhile, have won over legions of foreign producers with advanced facilities and impressive effects. Industry leader UPP, usually work-ing with Soundsquare, and veteran Prague company IO Post are booked year-round, putting polish on produc-tions that see no reason to send their dailies back home after shooting.

The latter shingle, founded in 2005 when it worked with Czech New Wave director Jan Nemec on “Toyen,” has gone on to burnish the look of 45 features, usually as a co-producer.

Others winning mar-ket share in Prague are Bystrouska, Virtual Post and Barrandov Sound Music Studio. This area is another Czech forte, as shown by the regular film soundtrack bookings by all the major Czech orchestras.

How does the updated incentive differ from the earlier program?The amendment to the audiovisual law was approved in May 2016 and will come into effect Jan. 1, 2017. The most import-ant changes make the sys-tem smoother and more flexible. In contrast to the previous system, alloca-tions of rebates will be possible at any time of the year but not sooner than three months before the start of filming in the Czech Republic and not later than the first day of shooting.

How will applications for payments be handled?Two applications will be possible: the first after filming is concluded in the Czech Republic; the second, after all produc-tion and post-production is completed in the Czech Republic.

Can you quantify the effec-tiveness of the incentive? It has clearly brought back international production to the Czech Republic. It was introduced in 2010 when the volume was very low due to incentives in other countries and the hesitation of the Czech government, which waited too long to introduce an incentive here. With the new scheme we became competitive again and the volume of what interna-tional production spends

here increased maybe five times compared to 2009. The spend of inter-national film and TV pro-ductions that took advan-tage of the rebate in 2015 was around $168 million. Since the rebate was intro-duced in 2010, the Czech government has paid out more than $80 million in rebates to more than 150 film and TV projects. Rebates of $46 million are currently allocated to new projects.

How many producers are American, and how many are from other countries?In 2015 over 30 interna-tional film and TV proj-ects shot in the Czech Republic. The U.S. was involved in five of those either as major (and only) producer or as co-pro-ducer. The majority of films and TV projects shot in the Czech Repub-lic were European. This year, we have two big TV productions from the U.S. that will be shooting for several months (History channel series “Knight-fall” and Fox 21’s “Genius” for National Geographic Channel), and ABC Studio shot a pilot with us earlier this year, “Spark.” What do you like most about this job?It’s been a rewarding 12 years. I love promoting what I believe in and com-municating with passion-ate, creative people.

Period Glory“Interlude in Prague,” shot in the capital and smaller towns, tells the story of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.”

BRINGING IT HOMEFilm Commissioner Ludmila Claussova is on the front line for luring production

By Peter Caranicas

Rebate Helps Business Boom at Czech Anglo Productions“The past three years have been the best we have had for a long time,” says Kevan Van Thompson, head of Czech Anglo Productions.

He ascribes the boom to one main development: “Prior to the rebate, work was in very short supply.”

“Unlocked,” a thriller contemplating the risk of biological terror, subbed Prague for London, and art directors made the swap all but undetectable. “With some good dressing and a few days in London we were able to produce London at a much reduced price,” says Van Thompson.

Czech Anglo also passed off the multi-faceted Prague as New York, and director Michael Apted was “happily surprised at how easy it was to work here.” The project, “Unlocked,” featuring Michael Douglas, Noomi Rapace, Orlando Bloom, and John Malkovich, is just one recent score, along with Niki Caro’s “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” a World War II story of survival in Warsaw shot in Prague with Jessica Chastain.

As a warm-up act, Czech Anglo handled three seasons of the BBC’s irreverent actioner “The Musketeers,” which required 30 weeks of shoots for three years. Series producer Colin Wratten says Prague’s versatility was key: “They had everything we needed — castles, cobbled streets, basements with vaulted ceilings, churches, monas-teries and ruins.”

— Will Tizard

Passion ProjectsCzech Film Commissioner Ludmila Claussova oversees the incentive program.

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FOR 85 YEARS, the larg-est and oldest film studio in Europe, located on the Barrandov Hills, has tow-ered above Prague like a beacon to filmmakers. Its founders were brothers, Milos and Vaclav Havel, who built their own fac-tory for dreams on this spot at the start of the 1930s. And as the heart of Europe got caught up in filmmak-ing fever, the Barrandov Studio became one of the most sought-after filmmak-ing destinations on the con-tinent — and it remains so to this day. Over the years, 2,500 Czech and foreign films have been made in Barradov. Here, Petr Tichý — CEO at Barrandov Stu-dio and a vice chairman of the board of directors — answers Variety’s questions.

What’s happening at Barrandov these days?The founders’ concept was to create the largest and most sought-out studio, filled with the best crafts-man and creative artisans. That idea is still alive today. Of course we would never be able to maintain these standards were it not for the support of the majority stockholder in Barrandov Studio, which is Moravia Steel, and the continuing and growing support of the Czech film industry by var-ious government agencies. Demand for the facilities of Barrandov is growing as compared to six years ago, when incentives for film-makers were not yet in place. The introduction of incentives was a key step forward for Barrandov Stu-dio and for the Czech film industry as a whole. Today, our studio can once again compete with any coun-try offering the same incen-tives. But at Barrandov, you get much more.

What do foreign production companies like most about Barrandov? Number one is the reli-ability and legacy of the Barrandov Studio trade-mark. But tradition is not by itself a road to success. Behind our good name is years of hard work, an abil-ity to quickly adapt, profes-sional flexibility, and gener-ations of Czechs who have extraordinary skills as arti-sans. Czech filmmakers are known for their multitask-ing. They are able to handle several professions at once, a quality much in need when filming, whether in the studio or on location. Another great advantage of Barrandov Studio is its cen-tral location in the heart of Europe. The Havel Intl. Air-port is only a stone’s throw from the medieval city cen-ter, and it’s close to many fabulous historic locations!

What do you think is the most attractive location in your country?Prague and to a large extent the whole of the Czech Republic are very sought-out locations. Just like the tourists that come in droves to get the feeling of the his-toric past, so the filmmak-ers come to make the past come alive. The number of nature reserves, historic buildings, and all kinds of extraordinary edifices, truly make our location unique. Without exaggeration though, the most sought-out location for filmmakers is Barrandov Studio. It cov-ers 12,000 square meters [about 129,000 square feet] of soundproofed stu-dio space and has 160,000 square meters [about 1.7 million square feet] of back-lot. On the whole I can say that it is really up to the production companies to pick and choose their loca-

tions in the Czech Repub-lic according to the size and requirements of their budgets.

What services does Barrandov offer?In addition to the studios and their support base, Bar-randov offers a complex range of products and ser-vices. As a service agency and production facility we have a set department that includes a carpentry shop,

View From AboveClockwise from top: an aerial shot of Barrandov Studio; CEO Petr Tichy poses with a vintage camera; the set of “Borgia.”

BARRANDOV STUDIO LIVES UP TO ITS LEGACYQ&A with the head of the country’s largest and oldest production complex

By VARIETY STAFF

locksmith manufacturer, plaster shop and additional storage and support space that’s among the best that Europe can offer. As well, Barrandov has a rich selec-tion of items in its furniture and prop depositories.

But our pride and joy is our costume depart-ment, which includes the world’s largest selection of costumes, counting over 350,000 items, plus acces-sories, and hairpieces from the middle ages to the pres-ent. Part of the costume department is, of course, a tailor shop that specializes in the sewing of historical costumes, including acces-sories of the finest qual-ity possible. This depart-ment is able to provide all services that are neces-sary for a filmmaker’s cos-tume needs, including a makeup department and prop department. They are

a complete one-stop center for film productions, televi-sion series, commercials, or social functions that take place in the studios them-selves, or anywhere in the CR, or internationally.

Undoubtedly a great advantage for props selec-tion is the digital prop-erties catalog, accessible online from anywhere in the world. Give us the cos-tume requirements that your project needs, and our professionals will prepare a turnkey presentation, that will include expedi-tion, administrative han-dling, transportation, and the securing of delivered

TipsheetWhat: Karlovy Vary Inter-national Film Festival panel: Inside the Czech Republic’s Production Benefits. Spon-sored by Barrandov Studio in partnership with Variety.

When: 11 a.m. July 4

Where: Hotel Thermal, Karlovy Vary

Web: kviff.com

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inventory directly at the place of delivery, anywhere, anytime.

As a service agency, what can Barrandov offer individ-ual production companies?In the last year Barrandov Studo serviced the project “The Ottoman Lieutenant,” directed by Joseph Ruben (“Sleeping with the Enemy”), with Josh Hartnett (“Black Hawk Down”) in the lead role. Barrandov helped with the submission of the application for the incentives program, all financial servicing, production facilitation, technical support, studio rental, and other essential services, including a very demanding redeployment of the entire crew to locations in Turkey.

Which recent project was the most demanding?

In the film business, you really can’t say which proj-ect is more or less demand-ing because every project is very specific. The people on each project are differ-ent, the budgets are differ-ent, but one thing always remains the same for us: our high quality of service can never change. That’s why it is said that the stu-dios are dream factories that make dreams come to life. And making dreams come to life is no easy task.

OK, then talk about the chal-lenges of some of the big projects.In terms of time, sets, and costumes, one of the most demanding projects has been the series “Bor-gia,” which called Barran-dov home for three years. During that time, we built on the backlot an incredi-ble set: a part of medieval

St. Methodius Cathedral. It’s very hard to pick out one project from the dozens of truly outstanding sets that were built by our craftsman in the last few years.

In addition to renting its studios, Barrandov is a co-producer of Czech films. How long has Barrandov been doing this?Barrandov has been, and always will be, here to help in the making of Czech and foreign films. Last year, Bar-randov Studio helped many Czech films come to life, supporting them either as a partner, through the Film Foundation, or directly as a co-producer. In the area of co-production I could men-tion the picture “I, Olga Hepnarová,” which had its world premiere this year at the Berlinale, where it opened the competition section Panorama. Also at the Berlinale, another world premiere was “We Are Never Alone,” directed by Petr Vaclav, whose script received support from our Film Foundation.

Is Barrandov interested in doing international co-productions?Of course. Under the head-ing of Barrandov Studio we brought back to life a department that will focus exclusively on develop-ment and co-production activities. It will concen-trate on finding domes-tic and even foreign scripts and it is not an exception that the authors themselves are approaching our team directly. At the present time we are discussing a possible co-production project called “Speedway” by the Polish

director Doroty Kedzierza-wskiej and producer Arthur Reinhart.

Are you going to make investments?This year we are preparing an investment of 100 million crowns [about $4.2 million] to create a better support base for our film production. Last year, for instance, we invested dozens of millions in what I call the invisible infrastructure. These are improvements that have to be made but are not readily seen. This year we also want to build new props depositories, and new administrative areas because as the number of projects at Barrandov increases, so does the need for more facilities.

By the Numbers

15 Minutes from Prague’s international airport

10 Minutes from Prague city center

12k Square meters of studio space

160kSquare meters of backlot

13 Soundproof stages

20% Tax credit rebate on all eligible production expendi-tures. No sunset date.

2.5kCzech and foreign films made at Barrandov

200Film and television projects, including commercials, in the last two years

85 Years of creativity

Veteran ExecPetr Tichý is a film industry and media professional with an established history of film and television manage-ment, marketing and pro-duction. He’s a graduate of screen production, TV, and film management at Griffith University in Australia, and has gained extensive inter-national experience in film and television production. He joined Barrandov Studio in 2009 as head of inter-national film and television projects, and has been its CEO and a vice chairman of the board of directors since 2012.

Rome. And in our studio we constructed a true copy of the Sistine Chapel.

Another no less demand-ing project was the feature “Anthropoid,” where in a record time of three weeks we built in our studios a replica of the St. Cyril and

Today, our studios can once again compete with any country offering the same incentives. But at Barrandov, you get much more.”Petr Tichý

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Crossing Lines Writer: Edward Allen BerneroProducers: Tandem Com-munications, Bernero Pro-ductions, TF1, Film United, Stillking Distributor: NBC The third season of this crime fiction series starring Tom Wlaschiha, Donald Sutherland, and Lara Rossi focuses on a special unit that investigates serious crimes across Europe.

Emperor Director: Lee Tamahori Writer: Michael Thomas Producer: Film United, CorsanDistributor: Central Park Films, Eagle FilmsAn action epic about a

young girl who seeks revenge for the death of her father under holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The Czech- and Belgian-shot project features Adrien Brody, Sophie Cookson, and Paz Vega.

Jan ZizkaWriter-director: Petr JaklProducers: Petr Jakl, Ste-ven Brown, William Morris EndeavorDistributor: MAP Global HoldingCo-written by Kevin Bern-hardt and Ivo Trajkov, the historic epic on Bohemia’s greatest warrior, to be shot over the next two years in the Czech Republic in English and Czech, follows the rise of the young Zizka. The Ash Lad Director: Mikkel Brænne SandemoseProducer: Maipo Film, Syn-nove Horsdal, Sirena FilmThis Norwegian-Czech-Irish co-production, shooting this summer in the Czech Republic, centers on a favor-ite fairy tale by Norwegian authors Peter Christen Asb-jornsen and Jorgen Moe, set in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Borg vs. McEnroeDirector: Janus Metz PedersenWriter: Ronnie SandahlProducer: SF Film Produc-

tion, Tre Vänner Produktion AB, Sirena FilmA Swedish-Czech co-produc-tion that chronicles one of tennis’ greatest showdowns — the 1980 Wimbledon final match between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe — and the obsessive personali-ties surrounding it. The Death and Life of John F. DonovanWriter-Director: Xavier DolanProducer: Lyla Films, Sons of Manual, Film UnitedAn American actor’s career is jeopardized by his corre-spondence with an 11-year-old fan. The Canadian pro-duction will be shooting this fall in the Czech Repub-lic with Kit Harington, Nich-olas Hoult, and Jessica Chastain.

BritanniaDirector: Kari Skogland Producer: Neil Marshall, Anne Mensah, Anne

CZECH OUT THESE PROJECTSA roundup of major film and television productions that have found their home in the Czech Republic

By WILL TIZARD

Thomopoulos, James Rich-ardson, Terry Cafolla, Film UnitedDistributor: Sky UKOne of the Czech Repub-lic’s most ambitious pro-ductions, from the director of episodes of “Vikings” and “House Of Cards,” the series — based on Rome’s inva-sion of what would become Great Britain — will lens in summer and fall, starring Kelly Reilly

Knightfall Director: not named yet Producer: A+E Studios, Don Handfield, Jeremy Renner, The Combine, Midnight RadioDistributor: A+E NetworksThe 10-part series for His-tory follows the Knights Templar, warrior monks during the Crusades. Pre-miering late this year, it was created by Renner’s produc-ing partners, Don Handfield and Richard Rayner.

Post House Universal Production Partners Turns to TVHaving grown steadily since its founding in 1994 and now with offices in Prague, Budapest, and Bratislava, the Czech post house formally known as Universal Production Partners has created VFX and CG for scores of local and inter-national projects. With an Emmy for 2003’s “Children of Dune,” the company has grown with a strong focus on TV work.

Vit Komrzy’s venture is now one of the largest facilities in Europe for image enhancement, offline and online editing, on-set post-production, digital dailies, deliverables and transcoding. “We offer the complete package for more and more shows,” Komrzy says. “Visual effects are standard in Prague already.”

With regular clients including TNT, Fox 21, and a new project for Robert Zemeckis, UPP’s other primary job of late has been putting the finishing touch-es on “The Zookeeper’s Wife.”

One hot new specialty is scanning objects or actors’ heads for 3D imaging, allow-ing editors to remake them into whatever shape or look is needed. “These kinds of services are more common,” says Komrzy, especially for foreign productions that choose to stay in Prague for their post work.

— Will Tizard

UPP’s Vit Komrzy

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IN 1990, not long after the Velvet Revolution brought an end to 41 years of com-munist rule, American producer Rick McCallum came to the Czech Repub-lic to work on Lucasfilm TV series “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.”

The production had to bring in department heads, but it was able to staff the rank and file of the crew with experienced locals. And while the soundstages were in decent shape, the real appeal for McCallum was the practical locations.

“You could go anywhere — any castle, any building — and the location rates were minimal,” McCallum says.

A quarter of a century later, the Czech Republic’s film and TV production infrastructure has matured along with the rest of the economy, but locations — historic and otherwise — are still plentiful, easily accessible and, while not as cheap they once were, more affordable than those in the U.K., Germany, France, or the U.S.

And local crews, long

since adjusted to free mar-ket production schedules, earn raves from outside producers for their old-school craftsmanship, inge-nuity and strong work ethic.

Producer Kim Zubick says the Czech crew on “The Zookeeper’s Wife” “lit-erally gave 1,000%. There was none of the guff you get with a Los Angeles crew, for example, when they start grumbling about the catering.”

The producers had con-templated shooting “Wife” in Romania or Serbia, then settled on Hungary. But when they dug deeper, Zubick says they found that the Czech Republic could provide a deeper crew base and better locations — such as an abandoned com-munist-era town that they could turn into facsimile of a bombed-out neighbor-hood. They also discovered that the general popula-tion had “more of a Polish

Tentpole ActivityLarge productions such as “Mission: Impossible” (top), with Tom Cruise, and “The Bourne Identity,” with Matt Damon, have shot in Prague.

RESOURCES GROW AS FOREIGNERS FLOCK IN Outsiders working in the Czech Republic find a lot to love in the country’s infrastructure

By TODD LONGWELL

look,” which would serve them well when casting extras for the film, which is set in Warsaw during World War II.

Zubick also learned that the country had a wealth of retired animals from old-school circuses and private zoos that could provide the production with ani-mal stars for its re-creation of the Warsaw Zoo, which was constructed at Exhibi-tion Park in the center of Prague.

For years, the inexpen-sive high-quality work-force and cheap locations were enough to lure foreign productions to the Czech Republic ranging from 1996’s “Mission: Impossi-ble” to 2002’s “The Bourne Identity.” But as prices rose, spurred by the improving economy — and as neigh-boring Hungary, not to mention the U.K. and other countries, enacted increas-ingly rich incentives — the Czech Republic lost more and more shoots to competitors.

So in 2010, the govern-ment established its own incentive, which today offers a competitive 20% base rebate on qualifying Czech spend, along with an additional 10% on the cost of foreign cast and crew if they agree to pay the 15% Czech withholding tax on their salaries. The rebate is managed by a single body, the National Fund of Cin-ematography. According to McCallum, the entire pro-cess is quick, painless, and

transparent.It is also easy for visit-

ing producers, casts and crews to communicate with Czech locals. “Any-body who’s below 30 speaks good English,” says Wil-liam Stuart, the U.S. rep-resentative for Barrandov Studios. “With older crafts-men, there still can still be a language barrier, but the younger people act as translators.”

While the Czech Repub-lic doesn’t have the depth of production infrastruc-ture found in Los Angeles, where any piece of tech-nology or talent can be accessed almost instantly, producers say it’s is easy to ship equipment from neighboring countries, and London, with its wealth of talent, is a mere hour and 45-minute plane flight away from Prague.

You could go anywhere, any castle, any building, and the location rates were minimal.”Rick McCallum

American Expat Finds Home in PragueFrom his base in the Czech capital, it’s easy for Rick McCallum to keep up on the shifting landscape U.S. filmmakers need to be aware of when weighing a location shoot. The Amer-ican producer of the three “Star Wars” prequels and “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” is now working on the medieval revenge adventure “Emperor” from his own production company, Film United. Co-producers include Belgium’s Corsan. McCallum founded Film United in Prague after falling in love with the emerging Czech democracy — and with the Czech woman who is now his wife.

“After working in over 50 countries, I always have a great time shooting here,” McCallum says. Most recently, Film United worked abroad and at home as co-producer of “A United Kingdom,” a true story fea-turing David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike portraying the romance between Botswana’s first president and an English woman. Film United’s work spans a dozen features, including George Lucas’ Prague-shot, World War II-set “Red Tails.” The company generally co-produces; it rarely acts as a simple service provider.

Work ranges from back-ing promising Czech direc-tors such as Karin Babinska in the upcoming drama “Following the Dream,” to joining forces with Cannes Grand Prix winner Xavier Dolan on “The Death and Life of John F. Donovan.”

— Will Tizard

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WHY DID PRODUCTION designer Tom Burton rep-licate the England of 43 A.D. in the Czech Repub-lic instead of in England, for Sky Channel’s historical drama “Britannia”?

First of all, the Czech Republic was cheaper.

“My construction costs in the Czech Republic are two-thirds of what they’d be in the U.K.,” Burton says. “Shooting here means I can build a lot more for the budget that we have. And the crew wasn’t fazed about having to build Stonehenge

in 12 weeks.”The Czech Republic was

also much better for “Bri-tannia” logistically, with all the open countryside and forests it needed located within 45 minutes of down-town Prague, although it did go to Wales for some coastal shots.

“Prague has only 1.5 million people,” Burton says. “In London, you have 10 million people to get through. And, with so much of the U.K. densely devel-oped, we would have to be so spread out.”

Not only is much of the Czech Republic undevel-oped, it also has a wealth of historic buildings that, unlike their counterparts in other European countries, were spared from dam-age and destruction during Word World II.

That attribute was put to good use by production designers Will Hughes-Jones and Dave Arrowsmith on BBC series “The Musketeers,” set in France in the 1820s.

In the Czech Repub-lic, “there are lots of sub-terranean basements with vaulted ceilings, monaster-ies, churches, and an end-less supply of castles open to the public,” says “Muske-teers” producer Colin Wrat-ten. “They haven’t had much done to them since they were built, so they’re freaking cold and they hav-en’t had all the modern fix-tures and fittings put in. So, for us, it was just a case of going in and dressing them

All for One, One for AllBBC series “The Musketeers,” set in France in the 1820s, found its perfect period locations in the largely unspoiled Czech Republic.

TRADITIONAL CRAFTS ARE ALIVE AND THRIVINGSkilled artisans can physically re-create any object ever built in any period of time

By TODD LONGWELL

to what we needed.” Not everything about

the production was vintage, however. “The Musketeers” needed digitally replaced skies, added rivers, and rep-licated crowds. Fortunately, the production was able to call on Prague-based UPP for that work.

Czech production designer Martin Kurel, who recently won a Cesar award for his work on the French-Czech co-produc-tion “Marguerite,” likes to quote an old Czech direc-tor who used to tell him, “Dear boy, you can find any-thing within one hour from Prague.”

“I thought he must be kidding, but now I under-stand what he meant,” Kurel says . “Quite frankly, a cou-ple of things would be a problem [like] Niagara Falls [and] the Sahara Desert. But even the Sahara Desert could be [created with] 200 trucks of sand brought into

Barrandov [Studios].”Many productions avail

themselves of the resources of Barrandov Studios, the largest facility in the coun-try. “We do a lot of busi-ness with productions out-side of the Czech Republic, like ‘Game of Thrones,’ ” says William Stuart, Barrandov’s U.S. rep.

Nonetheless, produc-tions often find it neces-sary to bring in materials from outside the country. For instance, on “The Zoo-keeper’s Wife,” set in WWII Poland, costume designer Bina Daigeler turned to rental houses in Germany, Spain and England for most of the cast’s costumes. For the custom-designed outfits for leads, Jessica Chastain and Daniel Bruhl, made with the help of a Ger-man cutter and a dress-maker from Prague, Daige-ler imported the materials from the U.K., Italy and France.

If items are not available in the Czech Republic, they can be easily manufactured. When the 19th century props needed for “The Mus-keteers” were not available in sufficient numbers, the production commissioned a local metalworker to make swords, daggers, wrought-iron gates, spears, fake bombs and muskets. When there was a scene involving a boat going down a river, a boat builder was brought in to build a wooden boat using period-correct pro-duction methods. When the musketeers’ garrison was constructed in the court-yard of a disused monas-tery, the construction crew used solid wood.

“If you were doing that in the U.K., you would build it with scaffolding then clad all the scaffolding with wood and plaster to make it look like it had been built with wooden beams,” Wrat-ten says. “They built as they would’ve done it at the time, with actual wooden beams, so it had a much more authentic look to it.”

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WHILE THE CZECH Repub-lic’s historical architecture, scenic landscapes and state-of-the-art soundstages have made it a favorite location for international filmmak-ers, the country’s long tra-dition of animation, along with its high-tech visual effects and post-production sectors, have helped solidify the nation’s place as a cin-ematic hub in the center of Europe.

As with production, the Czech vfx and post indus-tries have benefited from

the country’s film incen-tive program, which con-tinues to lure major film and TV projects. “Interna-tional productions in the Czech Republic are very dependent on rebates and subsidies,” says Vit Kom-rzy, managing director of Prague-based Universal Pro-duction Partners (UPP), the country’s leading post-pro-duction and vfx house.

UPP has handled vfx ser-vices for such recent shows as the FX series “Tyrant,” BBC’s “The Musketeers,” and

Netflix’s “Marco Polo” while also continuing to work on major studio films such as “Gods of Egypt” and Robert Zemeckis’ “The Walk.”

Smaller vfx outfits include Progressive FX, which recently worked on Roel Reine’s Dutch histor-ical epic “Admiral”; Daz-zle Pictures, whose credits include Giuseppe Torna-tore’s “Best Offer,” with Geof-frey Rush; and I/O Post, which focuses largely on domestic productions.

In animation, the Czech Republic’s toon tradition continues to make its mark. Animation company Maur Film co-produced the exper-imental short “Superbia,” which unspooled at this year’s Cannes’ Critics’ Week, and Lucie Sunkova’s short “The Tree.”

Like many of the coun-try’s animators who embrace the traditional craft and individuality of hand-drawn animation,

Creatures Great and SmallClockwise from top left: Aurel Klimt works on “Lajka”; UPP handled effects for “Gods of Egypt”; Lucie Sunkova works on “The Tree.”

CREATING WORLDS OF WHIMSY AND FANTASYAnimation and visual effects thrive in an environment of intense creativity, bolstered by state subsidies

By ED MEZA

Sunkova’s paint-on-glass technique is labor-inten-sive: one second of film involves repainting a scene 24 times. In an interview with Monocle, Sunkova says the technique serves her artistic style well, although financing remains a strug-gle because Czech cinemas do not show short films.

Veteran animator Jan Svankmajer, meanwhile, is working on his latest film. His Athanor produc-tion company has started an Indiegogo crowdfund-ing campaign to raise funds for the 81-year-old’s surreal film “Insects,” which he says will be his final film.

Recent productions from young up-and-coming ani-mators have also wowed auds on the festival circuit, including “Zoo Story,” by Veronika Zacharova, which next screens at this year’s Munich Film Festival, and “Happy End,” Jan Saska’s black comedy about death, which unspooled this year in Cannes’ Director’s Fort-night and won best student film at this year’s Anifilm in Trebon.

Building on Czech tra-ditions of puppet anima-

tion established by the likes of Jiri Trnka and Bretislav Pojar, Filip Posivac and Bar-bora Valecka’s short “Deep in Moss” premiered on Czech internet TV platform Stream.cz. It also saw lim-ited distribution in selected domestic cinemas earlier this year before winning the best Czech film prize at Anifilm. Producer Pavla Janouskova Kubeckova of production shingle Nutpro-dukce says the collabora-tion with Stream.cz made it possible for “Deep in Moss” to reach new viewers.

Other emerging anima-tors include Aurel Klimt, who is currently making “Lajka,” an animated pup-pet sci-fi musical with Stu-dio Zvon, UPP and Studio Bystrouska that re-imag-ines the voyage of the star-crossed Soviet space dog. Jan Balej impressed critics last year with “Little From the Fish Shop,” a stop-mo-tion adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” from Mira-cle Film.

Meanwhile, Prague-based 3Bohemians is playing an integral role in training and skill improvement for domestic and international animators. Working with professional mentors from Pixar, DreamWorks and BluSky, the company orga-nizes the Anomalia series of educational courses in the small Czech town of Litomysl.

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KARLOVY VARY INT’L FILM FESTIVAL

Vibrant Film Fare in a Spa-Town Setting Legacy and innovation mix at Central Europe’s chief cinematic celebration

By JAKUB ZIKA

Once again the Kar-lovy Vary Intl. Film Festival is set to

open its doors and host the most important event for the cinema community in Central Europe. For eight days the film industry and film lovers will experience a busy program of screenings, workshops and parties.

On July 1, festival presi-dent Jiri Bartoska, together with artistic director Karel Och, will welcome attend-ees at the gala opening in the Grand Hall of the Hotel Thermal. The celebration will include the world pre-miere of Sean Ellis’ “Anthro-poid,” and will be attended by the film’s stars — Jamie Dornan, Charlotte Le Bon, and their Czech colleague Anna Geislerova.

The film’s story con-cerns a key moment in World War II — and a fate-ful one in what is now the Czech Republic — the assas-sination of Reinhard Hey-drich, the No. 3 man in Nazi

TipsheetWhat: 51st Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival

When: July 1-9

Where: Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

web: kviff.com

Germany, by Czechoslo-vak members of the Brit-ish commandos. The U.K./France/Czech co-produc-tion will debut Aug. 12 in the U.S.

One of the fest’s main features is the East of the West section, a competition of first and second films from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Greece, Turkey, and the territories of the former Soviet Union. This gives filmmakers from this part of the world an opportunity to showcase their work.

Young talent recently discovered at this competi-tion includes Russian direc-

tor Ivan I. Tverdovsky in 2014. This year he is going after the Crystal Globe in the main competition with his new film, “Zoology.”

The wide range of pro-graming at the festi-val is rounded off by the non-competitive section. This part is designed to pro-vide opportunities to a new generation of less-conven-tional artists and includes Variety’s Critics Choice, 10 new international films that have impressed Variety critics (see separate story).

New this year: the fes-tival, in co-operation with Barrandov Studio, is intro-ducing a section called the Film Industry Pool. This gives producers, distribu-tors, sales agents, film fes-tival organizers, and repre-sentatives of international film institutions the oppor-tunity to meet, network, and keep track of the ever increasing programs and incentives for filmmaking professionals.

Eurimages Lab 2016 will present publicly for the first time eight selected projects using new and innovative approaches to filmmaking. The best of these projects will receive a 50,000 euro ($56,000) prize.

Another section, Works in Progress, offers an attrac-tive post-production pack-age to the most promising project, with the winners

receiving sound and audio services, and funds for the completion of their projects at Czech companies, includ-ing UPP, Soundsquare, and Barrandov Studio.

For the second year, a network of indepen-dent European distribu-tors will be represented at a workshop by Europa Distribution.

Ted Hope, head of motion picture production at Amazon Studios, will speak about his vision of the film industry.

One of the festival days will be dedicated to Czech scriptwriter, producer, direc-tor, and educator Frank Daniel (1926-1996). Before immigrating to the United States he cooperated on over 40 films in former Czechoslovakia, such as the foreign-language Oscar-win-ning “The Shop on Main Street” (1965).

In 1969 he became the first dean of the American Film Institute. Former stu-dent David Lynch thanks Daniel in his 1977 “Eras-erhead,” and in 1981 Rob-ert Redford named Daniel artistic director of the Sun-dance Institute.

Mission to Save EuropeStars of Sean Ellis’ World War II thriller “Anthropoid,” including Jamie Dornan, left, will attend the film’s world premiere at KVIFF.

Titles in CompetitionThe main section includes the late Jan Nemec’s “The Wolf From Royal Vineyard Street,” Jan Hrebejk’s “The Teacher,” and Roberto Ando’s “The Confessions.”

By the Rails Director: Catalin Mitulescu Romania, Italy, 2015, international premiere

The Confessions Director: Roberto Ando Italy, France, 2016, international premiere

It’s Not the Time of My Life Director: Szabolcs Hajdu Hungary, 2016, world premiere

My Father’s Wings Director: Kıvanc Sezer Turkey, 2016, world premiere

The Next Skin Directors: Isaki Lacuesta & Isa Campo Spain, Switzerland, 2016, international premiere

Nightlife Director: Damjan Kozole Slovenia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2016, world premiere

Original Bliss Director: Sven Taddicken Germany, 2016, internation-al premiere

The Teacher Director: Jan Hrebejk Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2016, world premiere

Waves Director: Grzegorz Zariczny Poland, 2016, world premiere

We’re Still Together Director: Jesse Klein Canada, 2016, world premiere

The Wolf From Royal Vineyard Street Director: Jan Nemec Czech Republic, Slova-kia, France, 2016, world premiere!

Zoology Director: Ivan I. Tverdovsky Russia, France, Germany, 2016, international premiere


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