Emil Zátopek: Last News

LA-based distribution company Myriad Pictures has picked up international rights to Zátopek, the Czech Republic’s 2021 Oscar Entry. The film has also sold in the US to Gravitas Ventures.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Myriad Pictures has acquired the international rights to “Zátopek,” Czech Republic’s 94th Academy Award Best International Feature Film submission. Gravitas Ventures has North American rights to the feature. The deal was negotiated between John McGrath of UTA, on behalf of the producers, and Scott Bedno, senior vice president of sales and acquisitions at Myriad Pictures. “Zátopek” is about the greatest Czech athlete of all time, four-time Olympic champion Emil Zátopek. It is the seventh film by prolific Czech director David Ondříček. His film “In the Shadow” was the Czech Oscar submission in 2012.

Wilson Chapman editor“Zátopek,” director David Ondříček’s biopic about Olympic champion Emil Zátopek, dominated the 29th annual Czech Lion Awards, winning in eight categories across 13 nominations.The Czech Lion Awards were held on Saturday evening at Dvořák Hall in Prague’s Rudolfinum. The awards, which are voted on by a 350-person jury of members from the Czech Film and Television Academy, are considered the highest film honors in the Czech Republic.During the ceremony, “Zátopek” won awards for best film, director, actor in a leading role, cinematography, editing, sound, production design and makeup and hairstyling.

Few stock scenes in the cinema stir a surge of emotion as reliably as the sight of an underdog winning a race. There is the victor’s ribcage breaking through the ribbon at the finishing line, the runner’s exhausted smile, the arms raised in victory, the quiver rising to a swell of violins and finally, in the viewer, the lump in the throat. That was where Chariots Of Fire struck gold: it actually did eat your heart out.

Zátopek, David Ondricek’s biopic about multi-Olympic champion runner Emil Zátopek, become a box office champ in the Czech Republic when it released late last August and is also repping the country in the race for the International Feature Oscar.

EXCLUSIVE: Zátopek, a biopic about four-time Olympic champion Emil Zátopek, has become a box office champ in Czech Republic as it continues to dominate turnstiles after two weeks in release.

Will Tizard ContributorDavid Ondricek’s epic account of Olympic gold medalist and multiple record holder Emil Zatopek, who attained legendary status in the darkest days of the Czechoslovak communist regime, makes for a powerful opening film at this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival.The director of “Whisper” and “In the Shadow,” who co-wrote the biopic with Alice Nellis and Jan P. Muchow, says the ambitious shoot, with detailed period depictions of five Olympic competitions for the star runner and the role of his gold medalist wife Dana, took 14 years to materialize and presented the challenge of capturing the gut-wrenching conflicts of a champion’s life under a system that forced upon him the role of socialist success symbol.

Will Tizard ContributorOpening night premiere honors at Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival this year go to Special Screenings film “Zátopek,” David Ondříček’s stirring drama chronicling the remarkable life of four-time Olympic gold-winning runner Emil Zátopek.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorThe Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, Central and Eastern Europe’s leading movie event, unveiled the lineups for its Official Selection, Retrospective, and industry programs Tuesday.

The official selection of the 55th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) has been revealed, featuring 32 premieres. Scroll down for the full list of titles.