Ian Willoughby

Czech-Vietnamese director Dužan Duong: I’m torn between two worlds – but I use this as an advantage Writer-director Dužan Duong made a big splash at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival with his debut Summer School, 2001, dubbed the “first Czech-Viet” movie.

Filmmaker Dužan Duong's super debut Summer School, 2001 made a big impact at @KVIFF.

Our conversation covers everything from why Vietnamese families often send their kids to the home country for a while to a new project scheduled for release in 2030.

english.radio.cz/czech-vietna...

Marcus Mucha: It’s not nice when you see your family name in Goebbels’ handwriting UK-born Marcus Mucha is the great-grandson of Alphonse Mucha and helps preserve the legacy of the world-renowned Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist.

I interviewed Marcus Mucha, great-grandson of artist Alphonse, about his former career in Hollywood with Morgan Freeman, how the Mucha Foundation cultivates Alphonse's brand today and way more. He also shared some pretty amazing stories from the family's history.
english.radio.cz/marcus-mucha...

Writer-director Ondřej Provazník is on the cover of Respekt with the lead actors from his incredible new film Sbormistr/Broken Voices, for which I did the subtitles. The movie is in the main competition at Karlovy Vary IFF and gets its world premiere a fortnight from today.

Halfway through my interview today with director Ondřej Provazník Pixie started barking at some guy doing weird exercises in the park. But I will cut that bit out and my interview with Ondřej on his brilliant new film Sbormistr/Broken Voices will go out, bark-free, in a couple of weeks!

Czech far right gains ground, reigniting talk of ‘Czexit' - Euractiv The upcoming parliamentary election in October has brought renewed discussion of a possible Czech exit from the EU.

The really bad C-word is back

www.euractiv.com/section/poli...

Isabel Stainsby: My parents said, “We forbid you from studying Czech” – Don’t say that to a teenager Brit Isabel Stainsby is the translator of a gripping memoir by Roma journalist Patrik Banga, which has just been launched in English under the title The True Way Out.

This happened. I'm still pinching myself!

english.radio.cz/isabel-stain...

Many thanks to @ianwilloughby.bsky.social for suggesting it, and for bringing along his gorgeous dog!

#xl8 #literarytranslation 🌐 💙📚 🇨🇿

Tomorrow evening I will be moderating the launch of the English version of Romany writer Patrik Banga's memoir The True Way Out at the Globe in Prague. Come!

Details: facebook.com/events/s/boo...

Last days: The heroes of Operation Anthropoid at Prague’s Cyril and Methodius Church Seventy-five years ago, on May 27, 1942, Czechoslovak parachutists dropped into Bohemia carried out one of the most daring actions of World War II, the assassination of…

Here's a piece I did some years ago on their group's final days at a church in central Prague.
english.radio.cz/last-days-he...

Eighty-three years ago on this day, these young heroes, Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík, carried out an operation to assassinate Nazi governor Reinhard Heydrich in Prague, one of the most daring moves of WWII. Glory to their memories. 🇨🇿🕯️

english.radio.cz/marcel-ophul...

RIP Marcel Ophüls. I had the privilege of interviewing the great French documentarian at @jihlava_idff in 2017 and he was a lovely old gent with a real spark in his eyes.

It's 20 years today since the greatest football game I have ever seen, the Miracle of Istanbul!

Not new but still good to see -- on Panská in Prague

Yesterday I got to moderate a Q&A at Světozor with the lovely Markéta Irglová and Glen Hansard about her documentary on the making of the new Swell Season LP Forward – and then to see them play a brilliant show a couple of hours later at Forum Karlín. What a day!

Out of my head In the spring of 1972, the Czech military subjected a group of volunteers to experimental doses of LSD. Among them was Jan Švankmajer – then a struggling artist. Thirty years on, the award-winning ani...

Yesterday I spoke to a Czech psychiatrist researching the use of hallucinogenics in treatment and remembered this kind of amazing article by the great filmmaker Jan Švankmajer about his (bad) experiences of LSD testing when he was in the army: www.theguardian.com/film/2001/oc...

At the weekend author Dan Brown posted a pic of himself in Prague. His forthcoming book The Secret of Secrets is set in the city and I have heard he may be here again around its launch in September.

Actually I have something else that evening. Also the last time I went to see a reformed '90s band (Ride at LMB) I was kind of depressed by how old the audience looked - and many I'm sure were younger than me!

This is pretty funny if you know Czech swear words 😂

Overhead, The Albatross - Q&A | Other Voices Music & events news from Other Voices - Overhead, The Albatross - Q&A

Fascinating. They discuss recording there in this interview, but sadly there's no explanation of why Písek... : www.othervoices.ie/news/overhea...

Some photos from the In Conversation With... with Czech Philharmonic chief conductor Semyon Bychkov at Prague's Václav Havel Library last night. The maestro was charming, thoughtful and super interesting, as can be seen in this video of our talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRlk...
📸Ondřej Němec

“Movie stars were greeted by a real movie star”: Steven Gaydos remembers Jiří Bartoška Among the tributes to Jiří Bartoška, who died last week at 78, has been one published by Variety from Steven Gaydos. He shares his memories of Bartoška and the festival.

"Nobody outshone Jiří," says veteran film journalist Steven Gaydos in an interview following the death of Karlovy Vary IFF main man Jiří Bartoška. But Gaydos has no concerns for the festival's future: "There’s a fantastic continuity... There is no transition."
english.radio.cz/movie-stars-...

This very special edition of In Conversation With... at Prague's Václav Havel Library is this evening!

Martina Skála on working with Forman and Polanski – and dancing with horses Writer and artist Martina Skála has had an unusually broad range of jobs, from coaching the female leads on The Unbearable Lightness of Being to dancing with horses.

My newest interview is with Martina Skála, a Malá Strana-born, California-based woman who worked with Forman and Polanski, had a brother in Psí vojáci and literally danced with horses in France. She also has the funniest story of discovering how her dad was cheating.
english.radio.cz/martina-skal...

William H. Luers, Diplomat Who Backed Czech Dissident Leader, Dies at 95

RIP William H. Luers, a legendary US diplomat in Prague, who has died at the age of 95.

"His longtime career in the Foreign Service included protecting Vaclav Havel, the writer and dissident who became the first president of the Czech Republic."

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/u...

Happy 75th birthday to Gabriel Byrne, a cool handsome Irish movie star before that was common!

Yes!

ICYMI laser beams were projected from the Žižkov TV tower in Prague on Thursday in connection with the 80th anniversary of VE Day
📸 Prague 3

Man this new pope gets better and better — he stands up to Trump AND he knows Brno!

Maybe the new guy is going to be ok

Jiří Bartoška was also one of the founders of Civic Forum during the Velvet Revolution. It was he who announced that Václav Havel was standing for president of Czechoslovakia, on 10.12.1989.