updated 03/03/2025

Presentation and Philosophy:

Prague Film School (PFS) provides intensive training in the core disciplines of filmmaking. The prevailing ethos of the school is a combination of European Art-House and American Independent Cinema. With a focus on practical, hands-on education, the school’s programs are designed to prepare students for successful careers in the film industry.

Setting itself apart from many national film academies or major private film schools in Europe and internationally, Prague Film School is characterized by its small student body, lending to a particular intimacy in the educational and filmmaking experience. Its close-knit community fosters synergetic work relations with teachers and students and affords easy access to filmmaking facilities and a red-tape-free working environment.

Prague Film School alumni have achieved substantial success on the international film festival circuit. Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Venice, Toronto, and Locarno are just a few of the many festivals screening PFS alumni work.  Prague Film School graduates can also be found in the production branches of Netflix, MAX, Prime, and BBC, to name a few.

Faculty at Prague Film School are recruited from both sides of the Atlantic and consist of top international and Czech professionals who mentor the creative, artistic, and professional development of the students. 

Located in Prague, a city rich in film culture, the school attracts students from over 40 countries.  Indeed, the city plays a leading role in the student’s experiences, acting as a classroom, film set, and home.

Number of students in film/animation studies: 80 students per year (60 in narrative filmmaking, 10 in documentary and 10 in acting for film), most of them are international

Number of teachers: 24

Programme objective and content: 

FILMMAKING

Prague Film School filmmaking programs provide foundational training and specialization studies in the areas of screenwriting, directing, cinematography, and post-production. Combining lectures and practical work in the classroom with an intensive production load outside of class, the school inculcates the practical skills and theoretical knowledge to make PFS graduates competitive for key crew positions in the international film industry.

First Year Program: September – May

The one-year filmmaking program offers foundational training in screenwriting, directing, cinematography, and editing during the first semester and specialization options during the second term. The program is designed to bring the participant to a level of professional competence upon course completion.

Second Year Programs - Directing and Cinematography: September – May

The second-year program, with specializations in auteur directing and cinematography, is aimed at deepening craft skills and mentoring, pacing, and facilitating the production of a longer format film.  These two advanced courses are made up of master class sessions with visiting filmmakers and the production and post-production of films up to 30 minutes in length.

Semester Programs: September – December / January – May

The Semester program constitutes the first semester of the year program. Students follow an intensive curriculum in screenwriting, directing, cinematography, and editing.  Each student directs and produces four films each while working on an additional 10 to 15 sets in various crew capacities.

Summer Workshops: June / July / August

Covering screenwriting, directing, camera, editing, and sound, the four-week workshops take each student from screenplay concept to a finished short film. Each student has the opportunity to write, shoot, direct, and edit their film. The filmmaking workshops are recommended both for beginner and advanced filmmakers who want to improve their skills and shoot a film.

ACTING FOR FILM

Year Program: September – May

Semester Programs: January – May / September – December

Summer Workshops: July / August

The Acting for Film program at Prague Film School prepares actors to become technically skilled, versatile, and marketable in the film industry. Coursework emphasizes training for the naturalistic portrayal of characters, the most frequent style used in film. The program makes use of complementary techniques such as Meisner’s behavior-based exercises, Robert Cohen’s techniques for integrating the actor’s many technical tasks, and physicalization exercises adapted from the Lecoq school. Courses in voice and movement also are an essential component of the curriculum. The program provides intensive on-camera training and is tightly integrated with the filmmaking curriculum. This ensures substantial practical film work and a diverse and professional reel upon program completion.

DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING

Year Program: September – May

Semester Programs: January – May / September – December

The Documentary Film program at Prague Film School aims at creating the independent documentary filmmaker. The course is designed to develop professional-level production and post-production skills and orient the student to the landscape of the documentary profession. Through intensive practical and theoretical work, each student at PFS develops his/her voice as a documentary filmmaker and learns the techniques to grab the audience and take them on an emotional journey. Topics covered include:

• Documentary camera, lighting and coverage techniques
• Interviewing techniques and sound
• Research
• Preproduction
• Documentary themes and genres
• Documentary story structure and analysis
• Standard production practices and organization
• Documentary Ethics

Exercises are shot both in and out of class on almost a weekly basis. Each student also produces and directs a 7-minute documentary short film on a subject of his/her own choosing.

TUITION (updated Feb. 2025)

• Year Program

Tuition Fee: €21,900

Equipment Fee: €980

• Semester Studies

Tuition Fee: €17,800

Continuation semester for students enrolled in the first semester course wishing to prolong their studies to the second semester of the year program: €12,800

Equipment Fee: €490

• Four-Week Workshops

Tuition Fee: €2,960

Equipment Fee: €120

• Second Year Programs

Tuition Fee for PFS Year Program Graduates: €15,900

Tuition Fee, General: €21,900

Equipment Fee: €980

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

PFS is open to applicants of all ages, nationalities, and backgrounds. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of merit and creative potential. Production experience is not a requisite for getting admitted, but of course welcome.

Applicants should fill in the application form which can be downloaded from the school’s website before mid-May, except for the summer workshops that have a rolling application deadline.

Students are notified about acceptance within 10–21 days from the designated application deadline.

All application materials can be submitted online. Applicants are advised, however, to call to check that the application was received. Students applying to semester or year programs are requested to respond to two essay questions on the application form and to provide a sample creative portfolio. Semester and year students are also encouraged to provide two letters of recommendation.

Students applying to PFS may be eligible for government funding or loans through their national ministries of education.

School Information:

Admissions Office, Prague Film School

Pstrossova 19

110 00, Prague

Czech Republic

Tel: +420 257534013

Email: info@praguefilmschool.cz

Website: https://www.praguefilmschool.cz/