Swings

Miroslava Slámová Procházková is a Czech screenwriter, lyricist, and proofreader. Her most significant and recent contribution to Czech cinema is her collaboration with leading Czech director Bohdan Sláma.

In 2005, she contributed as a collaborator to the award-winning film Happiness, directed by Bohdan Sláma.

Diviš Marek (1964) is one of our most respected cinematographers. Until 1989, Diviš studied at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University in Prague, but in 1990 he transferred to FAMU. He graduated in cinematography in 1997 with the film White Acacias, directed by Bohdan Sláma. It was probably here that a bond began to form between the two creators, which later led to Diviš becoming Sláma's "court" cinematographer.
With his distinctive visual style, Diviš is able to conjure up shots that are beautifully poetic on the one hand, but also very raw on the other. A beautiful example of this art is the film Something Like Happiness (2005), for which Diviš won a Czech Lion for Best Cinematography. He also won the Best Cinematography award for this film at the Stockholm Film Festival. In addition to his work in film, Diviš Marek is also involved in teaching, leading seminars on cinematography and dramatic filmmaking at FAMU.
His most recent films are The End of the World (2024), Dry Season (2024), Shadow Country (2020), and the series Innocent Lies (2014).

Awards

Czech Lion

2020 - nomination – Shadow Country (Best Cinematography)
2018 – victory – The Hastrman (Best Cinematography)
2017 - nomination – Ice Mother (Best Cinematography)
2012 - nomination – Four Suns (Best Cinematography)
2007 - nomination – It´s Gonna Get Worse (Best Cinematography)
2005 - victory – Something Like Happiness (Best Cinematography)

Czech Film Critics' Awards

2020 – nomination – Shadow Country (Best Audiovisual Achievement – Cinematography)
2012 – nomination – Four Suns (Best Cinematography)

Czech Cinematographers Association (AČK) Awards

2020 – victory – Shadow Country (AČK Presidium Award for Cinematographic Contribution to Film)

Jan Novotný (1973) studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (Kurt Gebauer's studio), graduating in 1997. He also studied at DAMU (television and film architecture). He is involved in visual arts, film architecture, and projects in the field of modern sculpture, environmental art, and landscaping.
As a set designer, he has worked on the series Good Morning, Brno! (2023) and the films The Snake Brothers (2015), Shadow Country (2020), The Last Race (2022), and The Gardener´s Year (2024).

Awards

Czech Lion

2020 - nomination – Shadow Country (Best Film Set Design)
2015 - nomination – The Snake Brothers (Best Film Set Design)
2013 - nomination – Delight (Best Film Set Design)

After graduating from the Secondary Technical School of Textiles and the Higher Vocational School of Artistic Crafts (specialising in textile restoration and hand-weaving techniques), she worked as a costume designer on dozens of productions at the Na zábradlí Theatre, the Drama Studio in Ústí nad Labem, the Komedie Theatre, the Vinohrady Theatre, the Dejvice Theatre, the Divadlo v Dlouhé and the Moravian-Silesian National Theatre in Ostrava. Since 2002, she has also collaborated regularly with the National Theatre in Prague on both drama and opera projects. She currently works for Studio Hrdinů as well, for whose production Heretical Essays (premiered in 2020) she received a professional award for set design and costume design. Since 1994, she has collaborated continuously with director Bohdan Sláma on all his feature films. She designed the costumes for Jan Vejdělek’s films Roming (2007) and Václav (2007). In Slovakia, she collaborated with Jonáš Karásek on the films Amnestie (2019), for which she received a nomination for the Slnko v sieti award, and Invalid (2023). She also designed the costumes for the films The End of the World (2024) and Swings (2026). She was nominated for a Czech Lion award for the films 4 Suns (2012), Hany (2014) and Ice Mother (2017). She subsequently won this prestigious award for her costume design for the historical drama Shadow Country (2020).

Awards, Best Costume Design

Czech Lion

2020 – victory – Shadow Country
2017 – nomination – Ice Mother
2014 – nomination – Hany

Sun in the net

2024 – victory – Invalid
2020 – nomination – Amnesty

Dagmar Havlová (1953) was born in Brno. She comes from an artistic background and graduated from JAMU in Brno. Initially, she was cast primarily in comedic roles in Czechoslovak Television productions and also appeared in fairy tales. In the 1980s, she became one of the most sought-after television and film actresses. In 1997, she married Václav Havel, put her acting career on hold, and fulfilled her duties as First Lady of the Czech Republic. After a hiatus of nearly a decade, she returned to the stage at the Vinohrady Theater in the production The Moment of Truth. She also co-wrote the screenplay for the feature film Swings (2026), in which she played one of the leading roles. Among her best-known roles are characters in the films Girls from the Crockery Shop (1974), A Girl Fit to Be Killed  (1975), The Ingeritance or Kurvahošigutntág (1992), and in the TV series Humberto Circus (1988) and There Were Five of Us (1994). In more recent works, she has appeared in the fairy tale Lucky Loser (2012), the comedies The Owners (2019) and Happy New Year 2: Dobro došli* (2021), and the fantasy series Seer (2023).

Awards

Czech Lion

2019 - nomination – The Owners (Best Actress)
2011 - nomination – Leaving (Best Actress)

Zlín Film Festival

2016 – Golden Slipper for contribution to cinema for children and young people

Zuzana Kronerová (1952) was born in Martin and comes from a famous family of actors. Her father was the renowned Slovak actor Jozef Kroner and her mother was the actress Terézie Hurbanová-Kronerová. At secondary school, she considered studying philology, but, influenced by her family background, she applied to the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. There, she initially chose to study dramaturgy, but eventually decided to study acting. Her first professional role came in 1974 at the Theatre for Children and Young People in Trnava. She made her mark on television very early on, appearing in a number of productions whilst still a student. She is not one of those actresses who captivate audiences with superficial charm; she wins them over primarily through the strength of her personality. From her early career, she particularly values the fairy tale The Swapped Princess, in which she starred alongside her father. She repeated this family collaboration, for example, in the television comedy Mišo (1979). She also appeared in Jakubisko’s film Infidelity, Slovak Style (1980), in the comedy Women’s Law (1987) and in the series Vivat Beňovský!

In 1979, she moved to the New Scene theatre in Bratislava and also made guest appearances at the Slovak National Theatre. She has been a permanent member of the Astorka Korzo ’90 Theatre since its foundation; there she played prominent roles in productions of Romeo and Juliet, The Silent House and Before Retiring. Although the production of original Slovak television programmes declined significantly following the break-up of Czechoslovakia, Zuzana Kronerová began appearing regularly in Czech films from the mid-1990s onwards. She played notable supporting roles in the films Lea (1996), Pupendo (2003), Something Like Happiness (2005) and Václav (2007). In the film The Country Teacher (2008), she played the mother of the main character, and for her performance in The Wild Bees (2001) she received her first Czech Lion for Best Supporting Actress. She achieved extraordinary success with both audiences and critics for her title role as the widowed Hana in Bohdan Sláma’s drama Ice Mother (2017), for which she won her second Czech Lion, this time for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She has also appeared in the films Cottage for sale (2018), Shadow Country (2020) and Belowed (2021). In both Slovakia and the Czech Republic, she has long been regarded as one of the most significant character actresses of her generation.

Tereza Ramba (1989) is one of our most in-demand film and television actresses. She studied at the Prague State Conservatory, which she left early in her fifth year after successfully passing her high school graduation exams. She made her screen debut in 2006 in the teen comedy The Rafters. Since then, she has played nearly forty roles in feature films and TV series, including international projects such as The Borgias (2013), Missing (2012), and the Canadian series Clay’s P.O.V. (2014).

Recently, she has appeared, for example, in the miniseries Docent (2023, 2024, 2026) and in the successful feature films The Owners (2019), The Grapes 3 (2020), The Alcoholic’s Diary (2024), and the family film Sugar Candy (2025).

Awards

Czech Lion

2024 - nomination – Her Drunken Diary (Best Actress)
2019 - victory – The Owners (Best Actress)
2017 – nomination – Barefoot (Best Actress)
2015 – nomination – Laputa (Best Actress)
2009 – nomination – An Earthy Paradise for the Eyes (Best Supporting Actress)

Czech Film Critics' Awards

2019 – victory – The Owners (Best Actress)

Jiří Lábus (1950) is one of the most distinctive Czech actors of his generation. He had wanted to be an actor since childhood. He graduated from the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (AMU, DAMU) and immediately afterwards began appearing in films and on television, often in villainous or eccentric roles. Such was his character Eda in the film Arrest Warrant for the Queen (1973) or the grinder Petr in the film The Boys (1975). Although these were generally minor roles, Lábus drew attention to himself with his remarkable comic talent, which culminated in the television series Arabela (1980), where he played the iconic role of the wizard Rumburak.

Throughout the 1980s, he made a lasting impression on viewers as part of a comic duo with Oldřich Kaiser in the popular television programme Maybe a Magician Will Come (1982). He won the hearts of young audiences by providing the voice for the soft toy character Jů in the programme Studio Friend (1980). The 1990s brought Jiří Lábus a wider range of opportunities. Notable among these were his roles in the films Conspirators of Pleasure (1996), Forgotten Light (1996) and the fairy tale Lotrando and Zubejda (1997).

Lábus has made a significant mark in the world of dubbing. His wide vocal range has offered directors unexpected possibilities. He lent his distinctive voice to the character of the army radio announcer in the TV series MASH, regularly dubs the British comedian Rowan Atkinson, and for Czech viewers his voice is inextricably linked with the character of Marge in the animated series The Simpsons.

Film-makers continue to cast him in roles which, whilst smaller in scope, require a precise portrayal of character. He has recently appeared in the films Mice Belong in Heaven (2021), The Gardener’s Year (2024), The Undefeatables (2025) and the family film Sugar Candy (2025). On television, he has appeared, for example, in the series Good Morning, Brno! (2023–2024) and in the animated project Chrujda the Badger (2022–2025).

Alena Mihulová (1965) was born in Brno. She attended a drama club as early as elementary school, and during her high school years at a business school, she performed with the Prague-based amateur theater troupe Anebdivadlo. At the age of seventeen, she successfully auditioned for the lead role in the film Nurses (1983), directed by Karel Kachyňa. In 1992, she graduated with a degree in dramatic acting from the Theater Faculty of JAMU in Brno. She starred in a total of four films with Karel Kachyňa: in addition to her debut, these included The Death of Beautiful Deer (1986), St. Nicholas Walks Through the City (1993), and The Cow (1994). Her other notable film roles include characters in Lidice (2011), Home Care (2015), The Ice Witch (2017), and Atlas of Birds (2021). She has also had a prolific career in television, appearing in series such as District Championship (2010), A Case for an Exorcist (2015), Awkward fifties (2017), Fiery Chicken (2017–2018), Stars Above My Head (2021), and ZOO New Beginnings (2025).

Jiří Rendl (1982) made his film debut in 2010 in the semi-documentary thriller PIKO. His notable film roles include assistant director in Lost in Munich (2015), a doctor in the biographical drama Charlatan (2020), Ondřej in The Model Maker (2020), and, most notably, the character of Jan Haluza in the biographical drama Zátopek (2021). He also appeared in the films She Came at Night (2023), The End of the World (2024), and The Sea in the Backyard (2025). On television, he has appeared in a number of series, including Happiness Across the Street (2025), The Kid (2025), and The Markovič Method: Straka (2026). In addition to acting, he has successfully pursued documentary filmmaking, directing, and producing commercials and music videos. He is also active on the music scene as a singer, guitarist, and drummer.