Art Francesco is a production company located in the heart of Europe (Prague, Czech Republic). Since 1992, our staff has been involved in concerts and cultural events production and art-book publishing. In 2011, we produced our first documentary movie Africa obscura(in coproduction with Czech television). This movie was awarded by several international film festivals. As an outcome of the PhotographicBacktracingExpedition, it documents the activities of its director Jan Svatos who spent more than 40 days in the inhospitable regions of northern Kenya taking photographs with old analogue devices and developing films in a portable darkroom.

Since then, our documentaries have been regularly participating in various international film festivals. Our movies won the prestigious international JADE KUNLUN Special Jury Award and Special Jury Award at Włodzimierz Puchalski International Nature Film Festival (WFO Poland). At the moment, we are producing our new feature documentary The Ark of Lights &Shadows. As a project, it will be introduced at the MIP DOC and MIP TV to broader international audience.

Jan Svatos’ films are characterised and often appreciated by fusing both unique artistic visuality and deep and long lasting interest in the movie’s issues. In his movies, he usually dismantles social and cultural stereotypes. He cooperates with many NGOs on international level.

Filmography:

The Ark of Lights &Shadows (2017) – feature distribution documentary to be premiered in 2018 (est. 90’), in co-production with the Czech television

Hradcany nocturne (2014) -(12’)documentary essay

wildWORKS (2013) – documentary (52‘), in co-production with the Czech television and Film Academy of Miroslav Ondricek in Pisek

Afropolis (2012) – documentary (26‘), in co-production with the Czech television

Nobody asked (2012) – short documentary (18‘)

Africa obscura (2010) – documentary(52´), in co-production with the Czech television

Awards:

wildWORKS (2013)

2015 Special Jury Award at the Włodzimierz Puchalski International Nature Film Festival (WFO Poland)
2014 Student jury award, Life Sciences (Prague, Czech Republic)
2014 Special jury award, JADE KUNLUN at IFF World Mountain Documentary nomination (China, Qinghai)
2014 Special jury award, JADE KUNLUN at IFF World Mountain Documentary (China, Qinghai)

2014 Student jury award, IFF Life Sciences (Prague, Czech republic)
2013 IDF and Czech Film Centre Official Selection

Nobody asked (2012)

2013 East Silver DOX Market at the International Film FestivalOfficial Selection (Jihlava, Czech Republic)
2013 Pilsen Festival Selection (Pilsen, Czech Republic)

Africa obscura (2011)

2011 EKOFILM – Best screenplay
2011 Tourfilm – First runner-up in the category of TV documentaries
2011 Outdoor Film Festival – Second runner-up in the category of TV documentaries