Film studios
Film studios, also called “small (Moravian) Hollywood”, were created in the 1930s in Kudlov district in Zlín. They were originally used for shooting commercials and promotional films of the Bata Company but thanks to their great facilities soon became a popular place for the creation of Czech films. You can walk around the film studios and take a peek into film history even today.
The Zlín architects were looking for a quiet and secluded location for the film studios. They found it in the new Kudlov district of Zlín which was an independent municipality until 1938. Vladimír Karfík used the factory's 6.15 x 6.15 m modular system here and made great use of his experience from his study trips to the USA, including a visit to Hollywood.
Our tip
Take a tour of the film studios with the Zlín Architecture Manual.
The first building of the Zlín Film studios was built on a hill above Zlín in 1936. There was a generously equipped studio, offices, dressing rooms for actors, washrooms and a screening room for the films that were created here.
Among the most famous works created here are Karel Zeman's Journey to the Beginning of Time, Ferda the Ant or The Knot in the Handkerchief by Hermína Týrlová. Elmar Klos, Alexander Hackenschmied and Josef Pinkava also filmed here. Later, a Big Cinema was established in Zlín and with it the Zlín Film Festival. This international film festival for children and youth is the oldest of its kind in the world.
And today? Films are still being made in buildings from the 1930s, especially animated ones like Lojzík the Little Pig. You'll find the Film Knot here, which is a great attraction especially for children. The trip to Kudlov can be made by trolleybus from the Labour Square (náměstí Práce), and we recommend walking back to the city through the Kudlovské paseky.
Interesting facts
Thanks to the modular system of Zlín architecture, the construction of the film studios took only 9 months. The first film made here was a Bata commercial for wellingtons.
