05/10/2026 - In a panel organised at the TV festival, the association's chair Petr Tichý has shared some of the organisation’s objectives, emphases and aspirations

At a talk titled “Behind Every Story: Why a Strong Film Industry Matters”, held during the Serial Killer International Festival of TV and Web Series, Barrandov Studios CEO Petr Tichý shared some initial thoughts about the newly formed Czech Association of Film Industry (UFP). The UFP, which was publicly launched earlier this year at Karlovy Vary, aims to unite the many companies and organisations in the Czech film industry, and represent their interests. Tichý also serves as the UFP chair.

He began by suggesting foreign producers think about the Czech Republic as a place to shoot more broadly, beyond simply its locations. “We have experienced crews, we have world-class carpentry, we have production services, studios and infrastructure – [and yes], we still have unique locations,” he elaborated.

Foreign projects are connected closely to the topic of incentives, one of the areas of concentration for the UFP, Tichý explained. He highlighted the association as a brand-new key link between the Czech industry and the government in order to be able to improve the predictability and suitability of the incentive scheme for clients. In order to continue attracting international projects, he explained, there must also be a continued emphasis on skill-building and investing in different parts of the industry – not simply the ones that are the most visible from the outside.

“We have to think about the future and what we can do for the industry – not just financing the production, but also pondering how to develop the skills of the people working on these projects,” he declared. Putting more Czech industry professionals in key positions for foreign projects shooting in the country is a major goal of the UFP. Tichý went on to say that it’s very important now for the association to think about “how to train the next generation”.

Tichý also expressed his hope that people will begin to understand that the film industry includes so many facets and plays a key economic role, given the extensive transportation, infrastructure, lodging and services required by employees in the sector. The UFP also provides an opportunity to talk about hot industry topics like artificial intelligence and green filming, he said.

He concluded by inviting Czech filmmakers, producers and others in the industry to share their thoughts so that the UFP would be able to take their interests into consideration as well.