Zlín Film Pioneers: The Travel Documentary of Jiří Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund – Inspiration Without Borders

Vladimír
Kroc

Vladimír Kroc is a Czech radio journalist, presenter, columnist, and traveler. Since 1989, he has worked for Czech Radio (formerly Czechoslovak Radio). He currently hosts the current affairs program Twenty Minutes of Radiožurnál. For Czech Television Ostrava, he has produced six series of Postřehy odjinud (“Observations from Elsewhere”)—from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Colombia, Tanzania, and the Canary Islands. During his travels with the travel agency Periscope, he films features highlighting interesting places around the world. Together with Petr Horký and Miroslav Náplava, he collaborated on the commemorative project The Century of Miroslav Zikmund, dedicated to Miroslav Zikmund.

The travel films of Miroslav Zikmund and Jiří Hanzelka opened a window to the world for Czechoslovak audiences at a time when it was out of reach for most people. Their documentary work, created in collaboration with the Zlín film studios, combined adventure with a deep understanding of cultures, landscapes, and everyday life across continents. Thanks to their distinctive storytelling and authentic perspective, their films became not only a valuable testimony of their time but also a lasting inspiration for future generations of travelers and documentary filmmakers. The discussion will recall their exceptional legacy and its resonance today through a conversation with moderator and traveler Vladimír Kroc, a close friend of Miroslav Zikmund.

A unique program that brings the renowned Zlín film history to life and confronts it with the present. It highlights the areas in which Zlín filmmakers were true pioneers and shows how their approach resonates in today’s work. The sessions offer a lively connection between past and present in a light and accessible format—through dialogue with contemporary creators. The series of talks is held on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Zlín film studios.