MARKET ANALYSIS 2020
PRAGUE: Czech cinemas were closed from 10 March to 11 May 2020, and also from 12 October to the end of 2020, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It was impossible to shoot during a brief period of time at the beginning of the crisis, but after necessary measures were taken, the film industry was able to produce even during the lockdown. However, according to the Czech Film Fund, the pandemic has caused “enormous losses on all fronts”.
The yearly statistics in all areas (except VoD) show considerable decrease compared to the record setting season of 2019. According to the Union of Film Distributors, there were 288,202 screenings in 2020, which is 46% less than in 2019. They were attended by 6,384,953 viewers (65% less than in 2019), resulting in 35 m EUR / 905,992,643 CZK gross.
The Czech/Polish/Slovak/Irish coproduction Charlatan / Šarlatán directed by Polish director Agnieszka Holland and produced by Marlene Film Production in coproduction with Film and Music Entertainment (Ireland), Madants (Poland), Furia Film (Slovakia), the Czech Television, Barrandov Studio and RTVS, was chosen by the Czech Film and Television Academy as the Czech candidate for the 92nd American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards in the International Feature Film category. The film also won five Czech Lions – The Czech Film and Television Academy awards, including the award for best picture. Charlatan premiered at the Berlin IFF 2020.
Shadow Country / Krajina ve stínu by Bohdan Sláma, a Czech/Slovak coproduction produced by LUMINAR Film and coproduced by the Czech Television, Filmpark Production and i/o post, won the Czech Critics’ award for best picture, together with seven Czech Lions.
Caught in the Net / V síti by Vít Klusák and Barbora Chalupová, a Czech/Slovak coproduction produced by Hypermarket Film and coproduced by the Czech Television, RTVS, Peter Kerekes Film and Helium Film, was not only the most attended film in Czech cinemas in 2020, but also the most commercially successful Czech documentary of all time with 2.4 m EUR / 61 m CZK gross. The documentary about sexual harassment of children on the internet had more than 400,000 admissions and also a decent festival presence.
PRODUCTION
After the record-setting season of 2019, the pandemic year 2020 brought an inevitable decrease of film production. Yet cameras stopped rolling for only a brief period of time and many film productions still managed to go through, including numerous international coproductions, mostly Czech/Slovak.
Period films from recent Czech history, like Havel by Slávek Horák, produced by TVORBA Films in coproduction with the Czech Television, Charlatan by Agnieszka Holland or Shadow Country / Krajina ve stínu by Bohdan Sláma, represent a substantial part of the 2020 film offer.
Comedy remains a successful genre in Czech cinemas. In 2020, mainstream comedies like Deníček moderního fotra by Jan Haluza, produced by Fresh Lobster, and the directorial debut of the popular screenwriter Petr Kolečko Zbožňovaný, produced by MOJOFilm, were finished.
Some long-expected projects continued their production and postproduction, such as The Way Home / Cesta domů by Tomáš Vorel Sr., produced by Bontonfilm Studios, the ambitious internationally casted Medieval / Jan Žižka by Petr Jákl, coproduced by Genesy, Double Tree Entertainment, KORD.Media and Wog Film, and the animated film Nagano - zrození hrdinů by Pavel Sadílek, produced by VIAFILM production.
The international filming of Grand Prix by Jan Prušinovský, produced by Offside Men and coproduced by the Czech Television and Slovakia’s PubRes, was postponed to 2021.
Olmo Omerzu finished his new feature film Bird Atlas / Atlas ptáků, a Czech/Slovenian/Slovak coproduction produced by Endorfilm and coproduced by Cvinger Film, Punkchart films and the Czech Television.
Michaela Pavlátová, who was nominated for an Oscar for the animated short Words, Words, Words / Řeči, řeči, řeči in 1991, finished her long awaited animated feature debut My Sunny Maad / Moje slunce Mad, produced by Czech Negativ in coproduction with the Czech Television, French Sacrebleu Productions, the Czech companies BFILM and Alkay Animation Prague, French Gao Shan Pictures and US Innervision.
Andy Fehu, who was known for a long time for his independent short films, finished his sophomore feature Shoky & Morthy, produced by Bionaut and Snake Catcher.
The Czech/Slovak coproduction Zátopek directed by David Ondříček and produced by Lucky Man Films in coproduction with the Czech Television, Barrandov Studios, Innogy Ceska Republika, T-mobile, Z Films, Accolade Holding, Azyl Production, ALEF NULA, Sebre, Olife Energy and RTVS, was also finished during 2020.
DISTRIBUTION
As many as 29 feature films were ready for their premiere during 2020, but only 19 of them reached the standard cinema distribution due to the pandemic. Possibly thanks to the absence of Hollywood productions, the attendance itself was quite sufficient for the domestic production. As a result, five most successful films in Czech cinemas were majority Czech productions, which would otherwise be highly unlikely.
The most successful film of the year was the documentary Caught in the Net / V síti directed by Vít Klusák and distributed by Aerofilms, with more than 400,000 admissions and 2.4 m EUR / 61 m CZK gross.
The second most successful film of 2020 was the Czech/Slovak comedy Far Too Personal / Příliš osobní známost directed by Marta Ferencová, produced by Joy department in coproduction with NUNEZ NFE and Trinity Pictures, and distributed by Bioscop.
Far Too Personal was followed by the third installment of the popular series The Grapes 3 / 3Bobule directed by Martin Kopp, produced by Tomáš Vican, and distributed by Bioscop.
Charlatan / Šarlatán by Agnieszka Holland, distributed by CinemArt, was the fourth, followed by the comedy Chlap na střídačku by Petr Zahrádka, produced and distributed by Bohemia MP, and Sonic the Hedgehog directed by Jeff Fowler and distributed by CinemArt, which was the most profitable American/overall foreign film with approximately half as many admissions as Caught in the Net.
Three of the five most successful films were domestic comedies aimed at the middle-aged audience and slightly leaning towards the female audience.
At the beginning of 2020, important films from last season, like the Czech/Ukrainian/Slovak Painted Bird / Nabarvené ptáče by Václav Marhoul, produced by Silver Screen in coproduction with RTVS, the Czech Television, Directory Films, Innogy, CertiCon, PubRes, Monte Rosso Production, Milada a Eduard Kučerovi and Richard Kaucký, and Daughter / Dcera by Daria Kashcheeva, produced by FAMU Film School in coproduction with Maur Film, continued their strong international presence. Daughter was nominated for the 2020 Oscars in the best animated short category.
The Czech/Slovak/Romanian Servants / Služebníci by Ivan Ostrochovský, produced by Punkchart films and coproduced by RTVS, Film and Music Entertainment, Negativ, sentimentalfilm, Point Film, Libra Film Productions, Hai Hui Entertainment, did not enter standard distribution in 2020, but managed to premiere at the Berlinale.
VOD PLATFORMS AND ONLINE DISTRIBUTION
The Czech VOD market is shared by both local and international platforms. Their audience has increased considerably during the pandemic.
Seznam TV is growing local Internet TV, producing news, interviews and other original content.
The traditional TV networks make their content available on the Internet in order to reach a larger audience with their own VOD platforms. TV NOVA has its video library Voyo.cz, Prima group runs PrimaPlay.cz, while the Czech TV offers its content via iVysílání.
The long-time most viewed VOD portal in the Czech Republic is local Stream.cz, which managed to grow in the public eye thanks to viral shows like the political satire Kancelář Blaník, which gained a notoriety comparable to standard TV shows.
Other large platforms are international HBO Go and Netflix, which are growing faster than expected. HBO Go is expected to be replaced by HBO Max in near future and Disney+ is also expected to enter the Czech market.
Specialised documentary VOD service is provided by DAFilms.cz.
Aerovod, the VOD of film producer and distributor Aerofilms, counted 2020 as its best year, among others due to the documentary Caught in the Net / V síti by Vít Klusák and Barbora Chalupová.
EXHIBITION AND BOX OFFICE
Due to the pandemic, the yearly results show considerable decrease compared to the record setting season of 2019. According to the Union of Film Distributors / Unie filmových distributorů, there were 288,202 screenings in 2020, which is 46% less than in 2019. They were attended by 6,384,953 viewers, representing 65% less viewers, and resulting in 35 m EUR / 905,992,643 CZK gross.
The average ticket price in 2020 fell for the first time since 2014 by 1% to 5.55 EUR / 142 CZK.
The Union of Film Distributors lists 16 Czech distribution companies: Artcam Films, AČFK, Aerofilms, APK Cinema Service, Bioscop, Blue Sky Film Distribution, Bohemia Motion Pictures, Bontonfilm, CinemArt, Falcon, Film Europe, Forum Film Czech, Mirius Film Distribution, Národní filmový archiv, 
ROLLING PICTURES Entertainment and Vertical Entertainment.
The long-time largest distribution companies in the Czech Republic are Falcon, CinemArt, Vertical Entertainment and Bontonfilm.
The largest multiplex cinema operators are Cinema City and CineStar.
The most attended film of the year was the documentary Caught in the Net / V síti by Vít Klusák and Barbora Chalupová with over 400,000 admission and 2.4 m EUR / 61 m CZK gross, distributed by Aerofilms.
GRANTS AND COVID-19 MEASURES
The main tool for public support of Czech cinema is the Czech Film Fund (CFF). Since 2017, CFF follows a three-point programme: 1) Quality film development and production of rich and diverse cinema; 2) Support of Czech films in distribution and support of useful distribution channels; 3) Better promotion of Czech cinema abroad.
As the film industry was not selected for the crisis state support during the pandemic, CFF together with the Ministry of Culture had to work on the crisis management by relocating the original budgets. Among other things, four special calls covering development, production and distribution were organised in order to support the industry. To compensate, CFF was granted extra 3.8 m EUR / 98 m CZK from the state budget at the end of 2020.
The calls of 2020 were chronologically: conferences and research projects in the field of film science; production of short fiction films with Czech majority; complete development of documentaries; complete development of feature films; production of animated films; non-periodical film publications; minority coproduction of fiction, documentary or animated films; production of documentaries; film distribution; two-year grant for full year budget of an institution; production of feature films; COVID call for distribution; COVID call for development of feature films, animated films or of TV series; COVID call for promotion of cinema halls and cinema screenings; complete development of animated films; promotion of Czech cinema; first draft of screenplay for life-action or long animated films production for first time directors; 
production of experimental films with Czech majority; complete development of animated TV shows; minority coproduction of life action animated or long documentary films; distribution projects; periodical publications and web pages; film distribution; complete development of feature films; production of documentaries; film festivals in 2021; complete development of documentaries; production of feature films; film education in 2021; audiovisual innovation.
In 2020, the Czech Film Fund distributed 2.5 m EUR / 61.5 m CZK among 110 developing projects and 10.5 m EUR / 240 m CZK as production grants.
The Fund, through its division the Czech Film Center, represents and promotes the Czech cinema and film industry, and it increases the awareness of Czech film worldwide. It also supports the activities of film offices in the Czech Republic through the Czech Film Commission, helping Czech and foreign filmmakers to shoot in various regions of the country.
Among the important feature films supported in 2020 are The End of the World / Konec světa, a feature debut by Ivan Zachariáš, produced by LUMINAR Film, Furious Beauty / Vzteklá krása by Štěpán Altrichter, produced by moloko film, Vyvolený by Tomasz Mielnik, produced by Background Films, the animated film The Pearl / Perla by Martin Kotík, produced by Rolling Pictures, and the documentaries Blix by Greta Stocklassa, produced by PINK, and Planeta Praha by Jan Hošek, produced by Produkce Radim Procházka.
The Czech Film Fund also administrates the production incentives for film and TV productions shot in the Czech Republic. Life action, documentary and animated films at least 70 minutes long, life action shows with episodes at least 30 minutes long, and animated shows with episodes at least five minutes long are eligible.
The incentives are granted in the form of a 20% cash rebate on Czech production costs and 66% on the withholding tax on non-resident labour costs paid in the Czech Republic. The incentives are available for feature, animated and documentary films, TV and animation series, including postproduction. Maximum eligible costs are set at 80% of the total budget and there is no cap on the incentive per project or per applicant. The applications can be submitted any time of the year.
The incentives allocated in 2020 included 70 projects and reached 44 m EUR / 1.1 b CZK.
The most prominent project that used the CFF’s incentives in 2020 was Carnival Row 2 (Amazon, Legendary Television), created by Travis Beacham and René Echevarria, which had 121 shooting days in the Czech Republic, earning incentives of 9.6 m EUR / 246 m CZK. The production had to be postponed due to the pandemic, but after applying all the necessary precautions it was able to conclude shooting. The production was serviced by the Czech company Partnership Pictures.
The Wheel of Time (Amazon, Sony Pictures) created by Rafe Judkins and serviced by Stillking Features spent 79 days in the Czech Republic in 2020, earning 5.4 m EUR / 138 m CZK incentives, which is only part of the allocated money as some shooting had to be postponed for 2021.
The HBO production Oslo directed by Bartlett Sher was shot in the Czech Republic for 31 days, collecting 1.7 m EUR / 44.4 m CZK. The production was taken care of by Stillking Features.
Other international projects shot in the Czech Republic in 2020 include Tag Team / The Falcon and the Winter Soldier created by Malcolm Spellman, produced by Marvel Studios for Disney+ and serviced by Stillking Features, We Children from Bahnhof Zoo directed by Philipp Kadelbach, produced by Amazon and serviced by Wilma Film, and Transatlantic 473 directed by Peter Thorwarth, produced by Netflix and serviced by Sirena Film.
All these productions had been postponed due to the pandemic, but they were successfully concluded eventually.
The CFF doesn’t expect the pandemic to negatively influence the interest of international coproductions for shooting in the Czech Republic. In fact, the sum of film production in 2021 in the Czech Republic is expected to match the record-setting year 2019.
TV
The major TV companies in the Czech Republic are NOVA group, the Czech Television and PRIMA group.
The Czech Television currently runs six channels: CT1, CT2, CT3, CT24, CT sport, CT:D and CT Art.
NOVA group channels include NOVA, Nova Cinema, Nova Action, Nova 2, Nova Gold, Nova Sport 1, Nova Sport 2 and Nova International.
PRIMA group consists of Prima Cool, Prima Krimi, Prima Love, Prima Max, Prima Plus, Prima Star. Prima Zoom, CNN Prima News.
The market for TV advertising is dominated by Nova and Prima (90%), while advertising on the Czech Television is limited to the minimum by the law. The television is traditionally the strongest advertising medium in the country.
Television networks play a large role in the production of quality content for local film and TV productions. The Czech TV is a permanent partner of the Czech cinema, with its in-house production sector Film Center, coproducing increasing numbers of feature films. Czech TV is also a coproducer of almost all documentaries released in Czech cinemas.
Among the film projects coproduced by the Czech Television in 2020 are Havel by Slávek Horák, the Czech/Slovak/German Droneman / Modelář by Petr Zelenka, produced by 0,7km films and coproduced by the Czech Television, Innogy, Slovakia’s Punkchart films, Germany’s Fabula and Czech Hangar Films, Caught in the Net / V síti by Vít Klusák and Barbora Chalupová, Shadow Country / Krajina ve stínu by Bohdan Sláma, Charlatan / Šarlatán by Agnieszka Holland, and many others.
Among the important TV projects produced by the Czech Television in 2020 that still await the premiere is the third and final season of international coproduction Maria-Theresa / Marie Terezie, which is coproduced by the Czech Republic (Czech Television), Austria (ORF), Slovakia (RTVS) and Germany-France (ARTE).
Rats / Zrádci, a mini-series directed by Viktor Tauš and produced by the Czech Television, was awarded a Czech Lion and a Film Critics’ award.
The mini-series Actor / Herec by Peter Bebjak, another production by the Czech Television, also gained some attention.
CONTACTS:
CZECH FILM FUND
Veletržní palác, Dukelských hrdinů 47, 170 00 Prague 7
Phone: +420 224 301 278
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.fondkinematografie.cz
CZECH FILM FUND - CZECH FILM CENTER
Národní 28, 110 00 Prague 1
Phone: +420 221 105 303
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.filmcenter.cz
CZECH FILM FUND - CZECH FILM COMMISSION
Národní 28, 110 00 Prague 1
Phone: 420 778 543 290
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.filmcommission.cz
NATIONAL FILM ARCHIVE
Malešická 12, 130 00 Prague 3
Phone: +420 778 522 729
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.nfa.cz
APA- AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCERS’ ASSOCIATION
Národní 28, 110 00 Prague 1
Phone: +420 603 844 811
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.asociaceproducentu.cz
CREATIVE EUROPE – MEDIA CZECH REPUBLIC
Národní 28, 110 00 Prague 1
Phone: +420 221 105 209
Fax: +420 221 105 303
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.mediadeskcz.eu
CZECH FILM AND TELEVISION ACADEMY
Karlovo nám 285/19, 120 00 Prague 2
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.cfta.cz
INSTITUTE OF DOCUMENTARY FILM
Štěpánská 611/14, 110 00 Praha 1
Phone: +420 224 214 858
Fax: +420 224 214 858
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.dokweb.net
FITES – CZECH FILM AND TELEVISION UNION
Pod Nuselskými schody 3, 120 00 Prague 2
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.fites.cz
UNION OF FILM DISTRIBUTORS
nám. Winstona Churchilla 2, 130 00 Prague 3
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , www.ufd.cz
PRAGUE FILM FUND
Mariánské náměstí 2/2, 110 00 Praha 1
www.praguefilmfund.eu
ASSOCIATION OF CZECH ANIMATION FILM
Heřmanova 3, Prague
http://en.asaf.cz/
Report by Martin Svoboda (2021)
Sources: Czech Film Fund, Unie Filmových Distributorů, Czech Film Center
