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Juraj Jakubisko
Juraj Jakubisko
	Jakubisko in 2015
Born	30 April 1938; Kojšov, Czechoslovakia
Died	24 February 2023 (aged 84); Prague, Czech Republic
Alma mater	Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU)
Occupations	Director; writer; cinematographer;
Spouse	Deana Jakubisková
Children	2

Juraj Jakubisko (30 April 1938 – 24 February 2023) was a Slovak film director. He directed fifteen feature films, between 1967 and 2008. He often took on the dual role of cinematographer in his films, as well as writing or co-writing the scripts. In 2000 he was named the Best Slovak Director of the 20th century by film critics and journalists.^[1] His work is often described as magical realism.^[1]

Career

Before entering the film industry, Jakubisko taught still photography at a secondary school for applied arts in Bratislava,^[1] and worked for a television company in Košice. In 1960 he moved to Prague where he attended the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU), studying film direction under Václav Wasserman.^[1] He graduated in 1965 and began working with Alfréd Radok at the Laterna Magika theatre in Prague. He began winning international acclaim with his experimental short films before making his first feature Crucial Years (Slovak: Kristove roky) in 1967. This film won a FIPRESCI award and a Josef von Sternberg Award in Mannheim, Germany.^[1] His next film, Deserters and Pilgrims, won the Little Lion award for young artists at the Venice Film Festival.^[1]

Jakubisko's career was heavily impacted by political events in Czechoslovakia, with his work facing censorship in the period following the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact invasion in response to the Prague Spring. During the "normalization" period which followed, he made a few documentaries, but no major feature films.^[1] He filmed Three Sacks of Cement and a Live Rooster (Slovak: Tri vrecia cementu a živý kohút) in 1976, but it was not released until 1978.

Jakubisko returned to feature film-making in 1979 with Build a House, Plant a Tree (Slovak: Postav dom, zasaď strom), which was nonetheless banned for its anti-regime messages, but not before it received a positive reception at a film festival in Amsterdam.^[1] The success in Amsterdam proved invigorating for Jakubisko's work,^[1] leading to a fertile period, culminating in the 1983 epic The Millennial Bee (Slovak: Tisícročná včela). This movie was a huge success, selling out cinemas for many weeks after its release and winning awards at film festivals in Seville and Venice. The film was later named the best film of the 1980s by Czechoslovakian journalists.^[1]

In 1985, Jakubisko directed a children's film, The Feather Fairy, featuring Giulietta Masina, the wife of Federico Fellini, with whom Jakubisko also had a close friendship.^[1] His film Sitting on a Branch, Enjoying Myself, released three months before the end of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, won Jakubisko more international acclaim, including the Grand Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1990.^[1] 1990 also saw the belated release of Jakubisko's surrealist political horror, See You In Hell, My Friends, which had been banned 20 years earlier by communist censors.^[1]

Jakubisko and his wife relocated to Prague following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, and set up a production company, Jakubisko films. Jakubisko's next feature film was An ambiguous report about the end of the world (1997), a satirical comedy based on the prophecies of Nostradamus. The film won four Czech Lion awards.^[1] In 1998 Jakubisko joined the European Film Academy, and was also awarded the Maverick Award by the Taos Talking Pictures Film Festival.^[1] In 2000 he was named Best Slovak Director of the 20th century by film writers, and won the Golden Seal in Belgrade for his contribution to world cinema.^[1]

In June 2001 he was appointed a lecturer at FAMU, his alma mater, and was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Masaryk Academy of Art in Prague.^[1] In 2002 he received a Czech Lion for artistic achievement and received the Pribina Cross from the Slovak government, a special award given to those who have aided in the economic, social or cultural development of Slovakia.^[1] His next feature was Post Coitum (2004), a comedy about love starring Franco Nero.^[1]

Bathory

2008 saw the release of Bathory, starring Anna Friel as Elizabeth Báthory, a 16th-17th century Hungarian countess, often claimed to be one of history's most prolific mass murderers. She was reputed to have bathed in the blood of young Slovak women. Famke Janssen was originally cast in the title role.

In addition to being Jakubisko's first English-language film, Bathory was reported to be the most expensive motion picture production in the history of Czech or Slovak cinema,^{[citation needed]} involving investment from numerous companies around Europe.

In 2007 it was reported that two former production staff members, Jan Milic and Karel Lupomesky, had stolen a copy of the film from studios in Prague and were threatening to release it on the Internet if they were not given £12,000. They were soon apprehended and the film was recovered, apparently without being released online. The pair were found guilty and received eight and ten month suspended sentences for attempted blackmail of producer Deana Jakubisková-Horváthová.

The world premiere of Bathory was held at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Czech Republic on 10 July 2008. The film was named the most successful film of all time in Slovakia.

Later activities

In May 2012 he received a heart transplant in Prague.^[2]

In 2013 Jakubisko published the first part of his autobiography, Živé stříbro.

Jakubisko was working on a fairy tale, a sequel of The Feather Fairy. The film was scheduled for a theatrical release in winter 2022.^[3]

Jakubisko died in Prague on 24 February 2023, at the age of 84.^[4]

Filmography

Last attack ("Poslední nálet", 1960)
Every day has a name ("Každý den má své jméno", 1960)
Silver Wind ("Strieborný vietor", 1961)
First Class ("První třída", 1962)
Silence ("Mlčení", 1963)
Rain ("Déšť", 1965)
Waiting for Godot ("Čekají na Godota", 1965)
Crucial Years ("Kristove roky", 1967); aka Christ's Years
The Deserters and the Nomads ("Zbehovia a pútnici", 1968); aka Deserters and Pilgrims
Birds, Orphans and Fools ("Vtáčkovia, siroty a blázni", 1969)
The Construction of the Century ("Stavba storočia", 1972); documentary
Slovakia – a country under the Tatras ("Slovensko - krajina pod Tatrami", 1975); TV documentary
The Red Cross drummer ("Bubeník Červeného kríža", 1977); documentary
Three bags of cement and a live rooster ("Tri vrecia cementu a živý kohút", 1978); documentary
Painted on Wood ("Mal’ované na dreve", 1979); TV fantasy for children
Build a House, Plant a Tree ("Postav dom, zasaď strom", 1980)
Infidelity, Slovak Style ("Nevera po slovensky", 1981); two-part TV miniseries
The Millennial Bee ("Tisícročná včela", 1983)^[5]
The Feather Fairy ("Perinbaba", 1985)
Freckled Max and the Spooks ("Pehatý Max a strašidlá", 1987)
Frankenstein's Aunt ("Frankensteinova teta", 1987); TV miniseries
Sitting on a Branch, Enjoying Myself ("Sedím na konári a je mi dobre", 1989)^[6]
See You in Hell, Friends ("Dovidenia v pekle, priatelia", 1970, released 1990)
Almost a Pink story ("Takmer ružový príbeh", 1990); for TV 2000 Wiesbaden, Germany
It's Better to Be Wealthy and Healthy Than Poor and Ill (1992)
An Ambiguous Report About the End of the World ("Nejasná zpráva o konci světa", 1997)
Post Coitum (2004)
Bathory (2008)
Perinbaba: Two Realms (2023)

Awards

Jakubisko has been awarded at more than eighty international film festivals.

Awards for specific films

Year	Film	Festival/Awarding Body	Location	Award(s)
1984	The Millennial Bee	22nd Festival of Czechoslovak Film	Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia	• Grand Prize
		4th Sevilla Film Festival	Sevilla, Spain	• Grand Prize
		FEST Belgrade	Belgrade, Yugoslavia	• UNICEF Prize
		40th Venice Film Festival	Venice, Italy	• Golden Phoenix for Best Art Direction and Cinematography
				• Czechoslovak Journalists’ Prize
1985	The Feather Fairy	41st Venice Film Festival	Venice, Italy	• Catholic Prize
1986	The Feather Fairy	Gijón International Film Festival	Gijón, Spain	• Jury Prize for Best Special Effects
		42nd Venice Film Festival	Venice, Italy	• Certificate of Merit RAI II
		Belgrade Film Festival	Belgrade, Yugoslavia	• Audience Prize for Best Film
		4th Film Festival for yought Lyon	Lyon, France	• Young Audience Member's Prize for Best Film
		24th Festival of Czechoslovak Film	Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia	• Prize for Art production
		Zlín Film Festival	Zlín, Czechoslovakia	• Special Jury Prize
			Bratislava, Slovakia	• Slovak Film Medal
1987	The Feather Fairy	International Film Festival Rimouski	Rimouski, Quebec	• Grand Prize Camerio
1987	The Feather Fairy	1st International Film Festival for Children	Buenos Aires, Argentina	• Grand Prize
1989	Sitting on a Branch, Enjoying Myself	Venice Film Festival	Venice, Italy	• Certificate of Merit RAI II
1990	Sitting on a Branch, Enjoying Myself	Strasbourg Film Festival	Strasbourg, France	• Le Prix du Jury • Alsace Media de Strasbourg Prize
		Festival of Czechoslovak Film	Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia	• Special Jury Prize
		Moscow International Film Festival	Moscow, Soviet Union	• Grand Prize
1993	It's Better to Be Wealthy and Healthy Than Poor and Ill	9th Festroia International Film Festival	Setúbal, Portugal	• Grand prize (Golden Dolphin)
1997	An ambiguous report about the end of the world	Flaiano Prizes	Pescara, Italy	• Best Director • Golden Dolphin
1998	An ambiguous report about the end of the world	Slovak Literary Fund		• Special prize for Direction
		San Diego Film Festival	San Diego, United States	• Prize for Best Direction
		Montreal World Film Festival	Montreal, Canada	• Prize for the Greatest Artistic Contribution and Cinematography of the Year
		Taos Talking Pictures Film Festival	Taos, United States	• Prize for visual contribution in cinematography
1999	Sitting on a Branch, Enjoying Myself	Cran Gavier '99	France	• Best film
2001	Wild Flowers	Czech Lion Awards 2000	Czech Republic	• Best film poster
2009	Bathory	Art Film Fest	Trenčianske Teplice, Slovakia	• Igric Award (Award for the Artistic Design of the Film)
2009	Bathory	Czech Lion Awards 2008	Czech Republic	• Best artistic asset of the year • Best artist and artistic concept
2010	Bathory	Sun in a Net Awards	Slovakia	• Best artistic design
2010	Bathory	Monaco Charity Film Fest	Monaco	• Best Artistic achievement

Other recognition

Year	Awarding Body	Location	Award
1991	AFI Fest	Los Angeles, United States	• Tribute award
1998	Taos Talking Pictures Film Festival	Taos, United States	• Maverick Award For Vision in Film
	21st Denver Film Festival	Denver, United States	• Outstanding achievement In the Art of Film
	Czech Literary Fund	Czech Republic	• Best director of the year
2000	Yugoslavian Cinematheque	Belgrade, Serbia	• Golden Seal for Major Contribution To The Advancement Of Art In Film
2001	Masaryk Academy Of The Arts	Prague, Czech Republic	• Lifetime Achievement Award
2002	10th Art Film Fest	Trenčianske Teplice, Slovakia	• Golden Camera award for outstanding achievements in cinematography and lifetime artistic contributions to Slovak Cinema
2003	Government of Slovakia		• Pribina Cross, Second Class
2003	Czech Lion Awards 2002	Czech Republic	• Personal award for outstanding achievements in cinematography and lifetime artistic contributions to Czech Cinema
2008	43rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival	Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic	• Special Crystal Globe for outstanding achievements in cinematography and lifetime artistic contributions to World Cinema
2009	Associazione Culturale Premio Elsa Morante	Portugal	• Premia Elsa Morante, Cinematography award
2012	Gijón International Film Festival	Gijón, Spain	• Personal award for outstanding achievements in cinematography and lifetime artistic contributions to world Cinema

Theatre

Casanova (1995) ballet, Laterna Magica, Prague, Czech Republic
Krútňava (1999) opera, Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava, Slovakia
Svätopluk (2008) opera, Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava, Slovakia

Exhibitions

Paris (2000), France
Berlin (2004),Germany, Italy (2004)
Prague (2004, 2005), Czech Republic
Miro Gallery, Bratislava (2009), Slovakia
- Presidential palace, Bratislava (2009), Slovakia
6 exhibitions (2010), Czech Republic