Jan Sverák is a Czech film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning film Kolya (1996), which he wrote, directed, and co-produced.
Sverák was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia on December 11, 1964. He studied film directing at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he graduated in 1991. His first feature film, Elementary School (1991), was a success both in the Czech Republic and abroad. It won several awards at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, including Best Director and Best Film.
Sverák then went on to co-produce and direct the popular Czech comedy series Ucho (The Ear) (1994). In 1996, he wrote, directed, and co-produced Kolya, a film about a middle-aged Czech man who is forced to take care of an orphaned boy. The film earned him an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, as well as numerous other awards, including the Best European Film Award from the European Film Academy.
In 1997, Sverák wrote and directed the crime drama Dark Blue World. The film was nominated for six Czech Lion Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. He followed this with the romantic comedy Empties (2007), which also earned him a Czech Lion Award for Best Director.
In 2008, Sverák wrote and directed the comedy-drama Honeymoon (2008). He then wrote and directed the comedy-drama Jára Cimrman Lying, Sleeping (2011) and the romantic comedy Accumulator 1 (2014).
Sverák has also produced several films, including the critically acclaimed drama The Garden (1998), the animated feature Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973), and the documentary The Czech Year (2016).
Throughout his career, Sverák has earned numerous awards, including the Czech Lion Award for Best Director, the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the European Film Award for Best European Film, and the Crystal Globe Award for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. He has also been honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Czech Film and Television Academy and the Czech Lion Awards.
Jan Sverák is widely considered one of the most influential and successful Czech filmmakers of all time. His films have been praised
