Hynek Bočan

Hynek Bočan studied at Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. The recorded working language is Czech. Distinctions recorded are Annual award ACFK, Czech Lion Award for Unique Contribution to Czech Film and Golden Slipper for Unique Contribution to films for children.

• Name — Hynek Bočan • Born — 29 April 1938 • Birthplace — Prague, Czechoslovakia • Occupation — Film director, screenwriter • Years Active — 1965–2014 • Education — Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

Hynek Bočan was born on 29 April 1938 in Prague. He grew up in the Libeň district of Prague. His father, a lawyer, died when he was twelve. In 1953, he got a small role in Jiří Sequens' film Olověný chléb. This experience showed him that he did not want to be an actor, but wanted to succeed in film as a director or cinematographer. In 1956, he started to study film directing at Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. At a casting for his first film in 1965, he met his wife Jana, with whom he remained his entire life. They have a son, Jan.

He started as an assistant director on movies Ninety Degrees in the Shade, Diamonds of the Night and Ikarie XB-1. His first movie was an adaptation of Milan Kundera's story Nobody Gets the Last Laugh in 1965. He became part of the so-called Czechoslovak New Wave. Because of his opinions and the themes of his films, he had problems with the authoritarian communist regime in Czechoslovakia. His movie The Borstal (1968) was banned and only released in 1990. After 1968, due to stress, he fell ill with dysphonia, which meant he could not speak and could not make films for several years. One of Bočan's most acclaimed works was his series The Land Gone Wild (1997–2012; written together with Jiří Stránský), in which he had the opportunity to truthfully portray the dark sides of Czechoslovakia's history. During his career, Bočan made several films and TV series for children. In 1984, he directed Give the Devil His Due, which became one of the most successful, most popular and most frequently rerun fairy tale (fantasy) films in the country. In 2024, he received the Golden Slipper award at the Zlín Film Festival for outstanding contribution to cinematography for children and youth. In 2019, Bočan received the annual lifetime achievement award from the Association of Czech Film Clubs. In 2021, Bočan received an award for extraordinary contribution to Czech cinema from the Czech Film and Television Academy.

• Záhada hlavolamu (1969) • Slavné historky zbojnické (1986–1988) • Přítelkyně z domu smutku (1992) • The Land Gone Wild (1997–2012) – also as screenwriter

Bočan's nephew is Pavel Žáček (an academic, politician and journalist).