Shot in 1968, whilst Czechoslovakia enjoyed a brief moment of political liberalization, Larks on a String is a searing political satire from director Jiří Menzel and writer Bohumil Hrabal. Like their earlier Oscar-winning triumph Closely Watched Trains, it audaciously combines black humor with grim reality. Set in a scrap metal yard where dissidents are interned to be ‘re-educated’, the film is both a powerful critique of totalitarianism and a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit. Promptly banned by the Communist regime, the film remained unseen until 1990, when it was released to great acclaim, winning the grand prize at the Berlin Film Festival. Now regarded as a lost masterpiece, Menzel's wry comic drama is a hymn to humanity and nonconformity.

Directed by Jiří Menzel

Written by Bohumil Hrabal & Jiří Menzel

Adapted from stories from the collection "An Advertisement for the House I Don't Want to Live in Anymore" by Bohumil Hrabal

Produced by Karel Kochman

Cinematography by Jaromír Šofr

Camera Operator: Jiří Kučera

Music Composed by Jiří Šust

Film Editing by Jiřina Lukešová

Production Design by Oldřich Bosák

Set Design by Vladimír Mácha

Costume Design by Dagmar Krausová

Sound Design by Jiří Pavlík

Starring Rudolf Hrušínský, Václav Neckář, Jitka Zelenohorská, Vlastimil Brodský, Vladimír Ptáček, Ferdinand Krůta, František Řehák, Leoš Suchařípa, Eugen Jegorov, Naďa Urbánková, Věra Křesadlová, and Jaroslav Satoranský