Film Studios Celebrate 90 Years: Editor Matouš and Producer Kopecká Receive Lifetime Achievement Awards
03. June 2026
The 90th anniversary of the founding of the Zlín Film Studios in Kudlov was marked by excursions, panel discussions, and, most importantly, a gala ceremony. During the event, Festival President Čestmír Vančura presented commemorative plaques to two personalities through whose hands dozens of legendary films passed – film editor Ivan Matouš and producer Věra Kopecká.
How did the celebratory evening unfold? The historical overview was personally led by Michal Stehlík and Ondřej Ševeček, and Tomáš Sokol, the owner of the Film Laboratories, also took the floor. The most significant moment of the entire evening was the presentation of the plaques for lifetime creative work to the people who left an indelible mark on Kudlov.
Věra Kopecká was a resolute woman who could handle any production. She started at Kudlov back in 1963 as a production assistant to Karel Hutěček. Her professional career in feature-length live-action and documentary films for the Gottwaldov production fully took off in 1964 with the film An Unusual Class (Neobyčejná třída).
As a deputy production manager or independent producer, she organized the production of many pivotal titles in Zlín’s history. Among them are audience hits such as Why Not Believe in Miracles (Proč nevěřit na zázraky, 1977) or the famous TV series She Came Out of the Blue Sky (Spadla z oblakov, 1978) directed by Radim Cvrček. In times when production organization was extremely demanding due to capacity and staffing constraints, this energetic sportswoman managed to overcome every obstacle.
The second laureate was the master of editing Ivan Matouš, who was also mentored by the maestro Zdeněk Liška. He joined the laboratories of the film studios in Kudlov in 1957, directly on the recommendation of director Jaroslav Novotný. He gained experience as an assistant editor under Antonín Štrojsa and very quickly worked his way into the majority of films being produced at the time.
In the Kudlov studios, he was also initiated into the secrets of the filmmaking craft by the phenomenal film score composer Zdeněk Liška, who mentored him intensively before moving to Prague. Ivan Matouš later edited independently under the supervision of Antonín Štrojsa, and his hands shaped, for example, the famous documentaries by Hanzelka and Zikmund, directed by Jaroslav Novotný. In 1965, he was officially appointed as an independent film editor.
Following the official program, the evening continued with an informal gathering. Guests enjoyed a rich catering service, and the atmosphere on the courtyard near the Barn (u Stodoly) was first enlivened by the Karel Studený Cimbalom Band. The final touch to the round anniversary celebrations was delivered by the Zlín-based band 80' Factory.
