Antonín Kachlík

Born 1923-02-26 · Kladno, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]

Died 2022-04-20

Antonín Kachlík (26 February 1923 – 20 April 2022) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. He directed 21 films between 1948 and 1987. In 1973, he was a member of the jury at the 8th Moscow International Film Festival. Kachlík was born in Rozdělov [cs], Czechoslovakia (now Kladno-Rozdělov). He grew up in Malá Dobrá until 1931, when his family relocated to Prague. He attended the Prague-Karlín trade academy. During World War II, Kachlík joined an underground resistance movement where he printed and distributed leftist leaflets, and after graduating from school in 1942, he was forced into working for Germany as a member of the fire brigades in the Ruhr area. Here, he helped the Germans clean up debris after the Allied Forces' nightly air raids. After World War II, he attended the College of Political and Social Sciences, before applying for an education at the Film Academy (FAMU) in 1946. He ended up graduating from the Film Academy in 1950. After graduating, Kachlík went to Zlín to work as a dramaturge in the Workers’ Theatre, before joining the military in 1952, and serving until 1954.