The Criterion Collection is a respected publisher of DVD and Blu-ray editions. Their prestigious releases will include all of the titles provided by NFA within this contract, and more films are in negotiation. Criterion has become a long standing guarantee of high quality and their disc releases are cherished around the world.

The deal was announced by NFA helmer Michal Bregant at a special event during the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, where the NFA presented a range of newly restored Czech classic films available on DVD and a new English language book on the history of Czech cinema. All are for sale online on the NFA website.

Bregant said: “The demand for classic Czech films in the US is on an increase, also thanks to the retrospective we have presented this April at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Step by step we broaden the interest of foreign audiences beyond the realms of the new wave.”