Jakub Špalek

Big Beat

A period musical comedy set in a quiet Prague quarter at the end of the fifties. Using the western plot device of the "man from nowhere" a generation gap story unfolds of changing social climate. The action is driven by the character of a young man named Baby who causes a local rebellion by bringing rock'n'roll to a Communist neighborhood raised on swing.

The Call

A documentary film following several years in the life of Jan Potměšil who has become a very popular actor at an early age, representing the type of a young sporty intellectual. After a serious car crash in 1989, he ended up on a wheelchair. He was 23 years old at the time. After a year of rehabilitation, he returned to the stage. Excelling in “Flowers for Algernon”, he continuously acts in the production in front of sell-out crowds across the country. He also lives his personal life, experiencing new loves and breakups, is engaged in civic affairs and returns to the hospital now and then. The film aims to give a non-pathetic image of a life lived to the full despite adversity.

Ten Years in the Life of a Young Man

An observational documentary about Jakub Špalek and all his activities, victories and losses in the years 1989 to 1999.

Zimní víla

Kateřina works at an inn run by her evil stepmother. One day, she meets a young man she doesn't know in the forest. He is Prince Jan, and he is surprised when he sees his fairy from the forest at the inn. He sees how the innkeeper treats the girl and promises her that he will come back for her. The stepmother is frightened and has the girl thrown into a ravine. Kateřina is saved by Jan's soldiers, but the stepmother...

The Ride

Two guys buy a car and travel through the country until they meet a lonely girl on the road. They begin travelling together, having fun, enjoying life. But then there is another guy who has a better car and who is looking for this girl because he is her lover, her first one. What is going on inside the mind of this girl? Nobody knows, until the very end.

Life with Jester

For 23 years, Helena Třeštíková followed the story of actor and stage director Jakub Špalek. The first piece of footage was shot in Autumn 1989 when Jakub, then a theatre academy student, was actively involved in the Velvet Revolution. Back then, Jakub dreamed of running his own theatre company which soon came true - he is still in charge of Kašpar Theatre in Prague. The film documents the difficult life of an independent theatre manager, as well as his many personal struggles and joys.

Do zubů a do srdíčka

The heroes of the small-town story are former friends Standa Stuchlík and Robert Sura, who become arch enemies, and not only because of their classmate Zuzana, whom they both like. While Robert, the dude, has rich parents who spoil him and buy him everything he asks for, Standa has to earn a hard living playing in a rock band, working part-time in the boiler room and constantly defending his hobby against his parents' disdain. His only support is his uncle Edda, also a musician.

Anatomy of a Czech Afternoon

The disappearance of two boys at a lake, during a scorching summer afternoon, forces us to question who we really are in the face of our own humanity.