Jan Novák

Jan Novák is a Czech filmmaker and director. He was born in Prague in 1968 and started his career as a director in 1993. He is best known for his international feature films, which have screened at some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Locarno.

Novák’s first feature, Koncert, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 1997. It was the first Czech film to be shown at the festival in more than 30 years. The film was a critical success and won the International Critics’ Prize at the festival. Novák’s follow-up film, the romantic comedy Skřivánci na niti (Sparrows on a Thread), was released in 2000 and was an even bigger success. It received the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was the highest grossing Czech film of the year.

Novák’s next two features, the drama Otesánek (The Cut-Out) and the thriller Želary (Jelary), were both critically acclaimed, but failed to replicate the success of his previous films. He then took a break from directing to focus on producing and screenwriting.

In 2011, Novák returned to directing with the drama Zázrak (The Miracle). The film was well-received and won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival. He followed this up with two more critically acclaimed films, the dark comedy Rok ďábla (Year of the Devil) and the drama Hany (Hana). Both films were nominated for several awards at various international film festivals.

Novák’s latest feature, the drama Všechno bude (Everything Will Be Fine), was released in 2018 and was selected as the Czech entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. He is currently working on his next film, an adaptation of the novel Slídil.

Throughout his career, Novák has been praised for his unique visual style and thought-provoking storytelling. He has earned a reputation as one of the most talented and influential filmmakers in the Czech Republic. His work has been acclaimed both domestically and internationally, and he is widely considered to be one of the most important Czech directors of his generation.