Kameraman Čeněk Zahradníček – Čvančara Jaroslav (2022)

The central figure of the monograph is the First Republic cameraman-documentarian Čeněk Zahradníček (1900-1989) - one of the main creative spirits of the Czechoslovak film weekly Aktualita. He captured official footage of many personalities and filmed the most significant events of the First Republic and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. He recorded the darkest times of the Heydrich era, the events in the Theresienstadt ghetto, and the drama of the Slovak National Uprising. He also filmed dramatic footage of the Prague Uprising at the risk of his life. His lifelong friend was painter and illustrator Zdeněk Burian. Besides their extraordinary talent, they had much in common. Both lived modest, unassuming lives, and both were at the cradle of Czech tramping. For both Zahradníček and Burian, it holds true that history is made by individuals, especially those who honor the significance of creative life and dedicate themselves entirely to it. Zahradníček did not receive due recognition during his lifetime. Nevertheless, thanks to the film camera, he lived many lives...