Though it may be news to most, Milos Forman is by no means the only member of the Czech New Wave currently living and teaching in New York City. Though Forman is certainly the better known of the two, his compatriot Vojtech Jasny has been called "the spiritual father of the Czech New Wave" by none other than Forman himself. Jasny, who began his career in the early '50s as a documentary filmmaker in partnership with Karel Kachyna, has been remarkably productive since, making more than 40 films in the former Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, Yugoslavia and, since the late 1980s, Canada and the U.S. Recruited by Columbia University to take Forman's place during the shooting of Amadeus, Jasny has made his home in New York ever since, teaching most recently at the School of Visual Arts. Anthology, in collaboration with the Czech Center New York, presents a selection of Jasny's films, with a special focus on the Czech New Wave works that have proved so influential.

Featured Works:

Desire (1958); I Survived Certain Death (1960); The Cassandra Cat (1963, pictured); All My Good Countrymen (1968); Why Havel? (1991); Gladys (1999)

Program information:

Vojtech Jasny

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The Partisan by Nick Pinkerton posted Sep. 18, 2008