Czechs Today | All stories

The long and varied career of the Czech film director and editor Miroslav Janek began in Czechoslovakia and continued in the USA, where he emigrated in 1980, at the age of 26. Among a number of interesting projects, he has worked as an editor with Godfrey Reggio, famous for such films as Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqasti. Miroslav Janek was born in Nachod in east Bohemia, and first learned about film from his father, a passionate amateur filmmaker.

Anyone acquainted with Czech military history will likely have heard of ace pilot Frantisek Perina - who fought with distinction for Czechoslovakia in both the Battles of France and Britain during the Second World War. Mr Perina - named to the honorary rank of major general in 2000 - turned 95 just last month - and was honoured by the Czech Army and Air Force. On the occasion of the anniversary of the end of the war, we look back at key moments in Mr Perina's military career - ignored by the Communists for forty years.

The animated film director Michaela Pavlatova is in the limelight for this week's Czechs Today. Her films have received numerous awards at international festivals, including an Oscar nomination.

Just a few years ago a young model and singer named Iva Frühlingova captured headlines in the Czech Republic when she released her first studio album titled Litvinov, at the age of just 21. A CD with a single song in Czech and the rest in French. Frühlingova - originally from northern Bohemia, spent most of her teenage years in France. But after some six years or so, she returned to the Czech Republic. Soon, she began going out with Richard Krajco, and actor and frontman for the popular Czech band Krystof. Theirs was a relationship heavily monitored

Many Czech women have, at least once in their life, come across cosmetics with herbal extracts produced by the Czech company Ryor. But how many have realized that the brains behind the successful brand is a woman? None other than Eva Stepankova. Now in her early sixties, she started Ryor by herself, in the basement of her house, sixteen years ago. Over the years it has become a household name.

In this edition of Czechs Today Jan Velinger talks to Czech film director Radim Spacek, whose projects have combined documentary and fiction elements in new ways, twisting traditional narrative. In the past his subjects have included difficult themes such as suicide and war but also a famous crisis at Czech TV.

We'll open this edition of Czechs Today in a different way than usual. I am not going to introduce today's guest - at least not right away. I have a question to ask instead. What is the job of this young woman called Kristina? She is in her early twenties, very attractive, loves dancing and is a bit of an exhibitionist. Here she describes the previous night's work.

This edition of Czechs Today looks at the work of a man known to most movie and theatre-goers and certainly most TV viewers in the Czech Republic: none other than actor, publicist, and talk show host Jan Kraus. It has been almost a year since Kraus launched the Czech TV late night show called "Uvolnete se, prosim" - translated roughly as "Loosen up, please!". The show successfully introduced - for the first time in the Czech Republic - the 'night show' format so well-known and perfected in the US. And, "Uvolnete se, prosim..." has taken off: there are

In Czechs Today I am delighted to introduce Charlotta Kotik, the Curator of Contemporary Art at the world-renowned Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York City. Energetic and quick on her feet, she encouraged me to stay for a meeting she had with an artist to discuss a future project. A painter showed sketches of iconic figures, such as Vincent Van Gogh, interpreted by an autistic student he works with. Their conversation was just the beginning of creating a future exhibit.

There is no saying more well-known in the world of advertising than the old adage "sex sells" and for good reason: sex sells perhaps more than just about anything else. By now, most of us have grown accustomed to the role of sex in advertising, in selling everything from magazines to perfume, to jewellery to clothing. Many have nothing against it or are even in favour, if sensual elements are related to theme and are intelligently and tastefully done. But what about when they're not?