Juraj Jakubisko | |
|---|---|
 Jakubisko in 2015 | |
| Born | (1938-04-30)30 April 1938 |
| Died | 24 February 2023(2023-02-24) (aged 84) Prague, Czech Republic |
| Alma mater | Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | |
| 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 ofcinematographer 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 asmagical realism.[1]
Before entering the film industry, Jakubisko taught still photography at a secondary school for applied arts inBratislava,[1] and worked for a television company inKošice. In 1960 he moved toPrague where he attended theFilm and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU), studying film direction underVáclav Wasserman.[1] He graduated in 1965 and began working withAlfréd Radok at theLaterna Magika theatre inPrague. He began winning international acclaim with his experimental short films before making his first featureCrucial Years (Slovak:Kristove roky) in 1967. This film won aFIPRESCI award and a Josef von Sternberg Award inMannheim, Germany.[1] His next film,Deserters and Pilgrims, won the Little Lion award for young artists at theVenice 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-ledWarsaw Pact invasion in response to thePrague Spring. During the "normalization" period which followed, he made a few documentaries, but no major feature films.[1] He filmedThree 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 withBuild 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 inAmsterdam.[1] The success in Amsterdam proved invigorating for Jakubisko's work,[1] leading to a fertile period, culminating in the 1983 epicThe 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 inSeville 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, featuringGiulietta Masina, the wife ofFederico Fellini, with whom Jakubisko also had a close friendship.[1] His filmSitting 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 theMoscow 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 toPrague following thedissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, and set up a production company, Jakubisko films. Jakubisko's next feature film wasAn ambiguous report about the end of the world (1997), a satirical comedy based on the prophecies ofNostradamus. The film won fourCzech Lion awards.[1] In 1998 Jakubisko joined theEuropean Film Academy, and was also awarded the Maverick Award by theTaos Talking Pictures Film Festival.[1] In 2000 he was named Best Slovak Director of the 20th century by film writers, and won theGolden Seal inBelgrade 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 aCzech Lion for artistic achievement and received thePribina 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 wasPost Coitum (2004), a comedy about love starringFranco Nero.[1]
2008 saw the release ofBathory, starringAnna Friel as 16th-17th century Hungarian countess and alleged mass murdererElizabeth Báthory, who was reputed to have bathed in the blood of young Slovak women.Famke Janssen was originally cast in the title role.[citation needed]
In addition to being Jakubisko's firstEnglish-language film,Bathory was reported to be the most expensive motion picture production in the history ofCzech orSlovak cinema,[citation needed] involving investment from numerous companies around Europe.
In 2007 it was reported that two former production staff members, Jan Milič and Karel Lupoměský, 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 producerDeana Horváthová.[citation needed]
The world premiere ofBathory was held at theKarlovy Vary Film Festival, Czech Republic on 10 July 2008. The film was named the most successful film of all time in Slovakia.[citation needed]
In May 2012 he received aheart 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 ofThe Feather Fairy. The film was scheduled for a theatrical release in winter 2022.[3]
Jakubisko died in Prague on 24 February 2023, aged 84.[4]
Jakubisko has been awarded at more than eighty international film festivals.
| Year | Film | Festival/Awarding Body | Location | Award(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Millennial Bee | 22nd Festival of Czechoslovak Film | Banská Bystrica,Czechoslovakia | • Grand Prize |
| 4thSevilla Film Festival | Sevilla, Spain | • Grand Prize | ||
| FEST Belgrade | Belgrade,Yugoslavia | • UNICEF Prize | ||
| 40thVenice Film Festival | Venice, Italy | • Golden Phoenix for Best Art Direction and Cinematography | ||
| • Czechoslovak Journalists’ Prize | ||||
| 1985 | The Feather Fairy | 41stVenice Film Festival | Venice, Italy | • Catholic Prize |
| 1986 | The Feather Fairy | Gijón International Film Festival | Gijón, Spain | • Jury Prize for Best Special Effects |
| 42ndVenice 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 |
| 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 | 9thFestroia 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) |
| 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 |
| Monaco Charity Film Fest | Monaco | • Best Artistic achievement |
| 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 |
| 21stDenver 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 | 10thArt 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 | |
| Czech Lion Awards 2002 | Czech Republic | • Personal award for outstanding achievements in cinematography and lifetime artistic contributions to Czech Cinema | |
| 2008 | 43rdKarlovy 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 |
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