Czech Documentary Now: The Great Nothing

A feature-length documentary tragicomedy delving into the Czech response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The result is an absurdly humorous portrayal of society, tinged with serious undertones, yet unexpectedly lighthearted, leaving viewers questioning the surreal reality of it all.
Vít Klusák, Marika Pecháčková, Czech Republic 2023, 103´
The Czech Lion nomination for the Best Czech Documentary
“It’s not about Covid, it’s about us,” - Viewer
In the spring of 2020, Vít Klusák (known for "Caught in the Net" and "Czech Dream") and Marika Pecháčková embarked on a journey through the deserted streets of Prague, documenting the nation's two-year struggle with the global crisis and government mandates. Through poignant human narratives, poetic reflections on the times, surreal imagery, and pivotal societal moments, the filmmakers ventured into hospitals alongside doctors, captured the fervour of anti-vaxx protesters, witnessed athletes adapting to home training, and followed a mezzo-soprano forced to find employment in a supermarket. With striking black-and-white cinematography, the film refrains from imposing judgment, allowing the raw footage to speak for itself.
Screened as part of the Czech Centre’s Czech Documentary Now series.
About the directors and the producer
Vít Klusák is a well known Czech director who with Filip Remunda shot the prize-winning film Czech Dream about a fictional supermarket in 2003. Since than he has directed many movies including Caught in the Net (2020), White World according to Daliborek (2017) and One Second Forever (2021)
Marika Pecháčková studied photography and journalism before she finally realised that documentary film was the place from which she wanted to watch and understand the world. Her fundamental structures of thinking come from psychology and her personal experience with psychotherapy. Filmography: Rest Now
Pavla Klimešová is a producer based in the Czech Republic who studied film production at FAMU. She produced Caught in the Net, an award-winning documentary by the directing duo Vít Klusák & Barbora Chalupová about child abuse online and Barbora's next film The Law of Love about same sex marriages in Czechia. She is now developing Marika Pecháčková's debut Runaway.