Jan Špáta

Jan Špáta (1932, Náchod - 2006, Prague), cameraman and documentarist, graduated as a director of photography from Prague's Film Academy (FAMU) in 1957. His first writer-director film, The Greatest Wish (Největší přání, 1964), marks the beginning of his independent directorial output, although he continued to work as a cameraman. During his 41-year film career he stood behind the lens on hundreds of documentaries by many directors. During his 34 years as a director he shot 107 films, winning over 60 awards at domestic and foreign festivals. He taught in Ulm, Germany and at FAMU, and in 2002 FAMU named him professor. In the same year he received a state decoration from President Václav Havel. He concluded his career in 1998 with the confessional film The Love I Leave (Láska, kterou opouštím). He is considered a legend of Czech documentary filmmaking.

MFF Karlovy Vary