FAMU History 2: Free New Wave

A class that had the greatest influence on the whole Czechoslovak New Wave. The first-year students of the FAMU Department of film directing enrolled in 1957/58 saw the greatest freedom in both the country’s political environment and the new concept of the curriculum formulated by Otakar Vávra. Vávra taught his students to cooperate and introduced a new teaching strategy that didn’t undermine a student’s individuality. He also selected this class himself at the entrance exams and tutored them throughout the whole studies. Students’ original worldview soon became apparent not only in their assignments, but mainly in their bachelor and master graduation films that entered the Czechoslovak cinemas very shortly afterwards.