This week’s guide to English-friendly Czech cinema and streaming

Fresh off eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress (Jessie Buckley), Hamnet is now playing in Prague cinemas. The stark drama follows William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife as they cope with the death of their young son, and how the tragic event informed the creation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

“Zhao’s refusal to soften its grief or dramatize it in conventional terms may test some viewers’ patience, but the cumulative effect is devastating in the best sense,” writes The Prague Reporter, adding that the movie is likely to pick up some statuettes at the Academy Awards ceremony in March.

Fresh off receiving a record-tying 15 Czech Lion Award nominations (Czechia’s equivalent to the Oscars), Franz has made its streaming debut on Netflix for local viewers. Agnieszka Holland’s biopic on Franz Kafka, one of Prague’s most famous residents, was primarily filmed in the Czech capital in 2024.

The Prague Reporter wrote that Franz’s “wonderful production design, vibrant cinematography on the streets of Prague, and outstanding performances truly bring its subject to life,” and singled out the lead performance from Idan Weiss as the “definitive vision of Kafka for future generations.”

Věra Chytilová’s cult comedy The Inheritance follows a simple Moravian villager whose quiet life is turned upside down when he unexpectedly inherits a vast estate. Full of absurd humor, satirical wit, and lines that have entered Czech popular culture, the film remains a defining touchstone of Czech comedy decades after its original release.