Cejnková Zora

The Frontier
The film takes us into the world of the ancient Romans, on the Limes Romanum, border of the Roman Empire, following the Danube in the Central European region. For the first time we have the chance to see the recently-disclosed archaeological localities and Roman relics in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary. The film shows that the Danube Basin was one of the most dramatic sectors of the Limes - the two most powerful civilisations of the Continent were clashing here: Romans and barbarian German tribes. The film's guides - a cartoon Soldier, a Teutonic Warrior, and two Merchants - as well as the buildings that do not exist any more - are computer animated.

A Hunt for St Maurus
The story of discovering one of the most valuable objects of Czech cultural heritage. St Maur reliquary, dating back to the 12th century, was found under dramatic circumstances under the floor of Bečov nad Teplou castle´s chapel, where it had been hidden since the Second World War. Since 2002, the massively restored reliquary has been available to the public at the castle.

Cuba Incognito
A secretly filmed travel log on the current situation on the "island of freedom".

I Was at Lenin's Funeral
Film shows the unique story of a one hundred year old man from Brno who as a young man witnessed the bolshevik revolution in Russia 1917.

Egypt and Egyptologists
This film, partly filmed by its main heroes, shows an increadible work of the team of Czech egyptologists who have been excavating in Abúsír near Giza in Egypt for more than 80 years in very difficult conditions.

Cymru am Byth – Wales Forever
"Wales Forever" presents the Welsh people and Wales as an unique example of a traditional culture surviving and developing despite many English attempts in the past to swallow them and turn the Welsh into the English.

The Egyptians
"The Egyptians" investigates the way how today´s Egyptians, mostly of the Arabic origin, live and how they deal with the cultural, political and historical heritage of the ancient Egyptian civilisation, all of it during the holy month of Ramadan. We interviewed the descendant of the King Fouad's Chamberlain in Cairo, who still preserves a royal menu of the Ramadan dinner of 1921. We spent one day with a widow from a little city near Cairo. Her sister, living in Aswan came to see her to help with the birth of a new child in the family. In Kurna village near the Valley of the Kings we interviewed sons of Abd-el-Rasúl, the man who helped to explore King Tutanchamun's Tomb. To show Ramadan events as an entire part of family life we accepted invitation to share an "iftar" dinner with Nubian family in Aswan village. The film shows that the large and inhomogenous country is united by two powerful forces, Islam and the concept that they are all somehow directly descended from the Pharoes!

The Moravian Luxembourgs
Documentary is unveiling the unknown history of Czech king´s dynasty of Luxembourgs that ruled Bohemian kingdom in 14th century.The film presents the life stories of King Charles's brother, the Moravian count John Henry and his three sons Jobst /Jodoc/, Jan Sobeslav and Prokop. This branch of the Luxemburgs, even though its members did not have royal powers, also acquired a powerful position in Central Europe. Besides Moravia, Count Jobst acquired control of Brandenburg and as the first ruler, promoted Berlin to a royal seat. At the end of his life he was also elected as the King in the Holy Roman Empire. On the other hand his brother Prokop became famous as a military leader who several times imprisoned Czech King Wenceslas IV. Count Jan Sobeslav achieved an important position in the Church - he became Patriarch of Aquila, which is situated in the territory of today's Italy. He was, however, such a cruel ruler, that his enemies had him murdered. The documentary contains unique sequences of the archaeological excavations from St. Thomas' church in Brno, where the specialists from the Brno Museum in 2000 revealed the crypt of the most important Moravian Luxemburg - Jobst. Thanks to this discovery the Brno archaeologists obtained further unique information of the life of Count Jobst. The research has brought many unexpected findings and there even exists a hope that from the skeleton of Count Jobst it could be possible to extract DNA and compare this to other relics which are possibly members of the Luxemburg family.

Czech Crime Changes
A unique description of how the Czech crime scene changed after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. Police specialists and witnesses talk about the most serious cases, police video reveals the investigation of the most significant criminals of the 90´s. From the wide scale of new types of crime we chose five special topics which we investigated in depth. The documentary shows how the development was in each field, what the mistakes and successes of Czech criminal police were and what were the reasons - either political or legal - of their failure. All chapters are illustrated by police video, none of which have been seen by the public before.

Capital Offences I. Without Mercy: Phantom of Chomutov
First part of crime documentaries from Czech TV series "Death Penalty". It reconstructs a story of the most crucial criminal case in Czech modern history that took the great attention of the public and also communist politicians. Czech crime history never recorded such a hunt for unknown series killer than the one which lasted from 1951 till 1958 in the neibourhood of northern Bohemian city Chomutov. For eight years criminalists didn't suceed in identification of a sexual killer who, as was proved later, committed more than 140 crimes. Vaclav Mrazek killed eight women and one couple, raped dozens of teenage girls and tried to sexually attack many other women. In the political atmosphere of the 1950s the communists didn't allow any public warnings or an public police investigation. The reason was that in progressive socialist countries there were no killers, especially not sexual ones. When local women feared to go to work because of the growing numbers of attacks, criminalists decided to check on each man living in or near Chomutov, i.e. 40 000 persons. In spite of this enormous effort the killer escaped the trap moving to another Bohemian city, Kladno. He was eventually arrested thanks to a great luck when a local policeman identified him when he committed a minor crime. To demonstrate instant justice and meet the demands of the public outrage, the killer was put quickly to trial and sentenced, the whole proces took only couple months. Despite criminalists' protests as they hadn't got their investigation finished yet, he was executed on the last day of 1958.

Capital Offences I. Without Mercy: The Case for a Psychiatrist
Documentary films reconstructing and analyzing the lives of the victims of capital offences and their offenders in the former Czechoslovakia.

Capital Offences II. When Women Murder: Victimized
Documentary from Czech TV series "Death Penalty" shows a very specific case from 1973. That year a young woman Olga Hepnarova, 22, decided to kill as many people was possible using a lorry. She drove in a queue of pedestrians who were waiting for tram on the tram stop in Prague 7. She killed eight people and wounded thirty. Immediately after the event she claimed that she had committed it on purpose. She wanted to publicly present that her crime was a revenge. Revenge for what? This was the most important question for the investigators. The answer would have implications for Hepnarova's fate. If she was right and her statement about revenge was correct, she would have been sentenced to death without any doubts. But if she was a menthally ill person she wouldn't be sentenced at all. The film includes contemporary police items and acted reconstruction of the day when Hepnarova committed her crime.

Born in 1971 Brno, Czech Republic. In 1994, graduated at the Charles University, Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences; in 2000 started regular cooperation with Czech Television.

The documentary "Egypt and Egyptologists" broadcast on October 2001, was the most successfull film of the Czech TV Sunday Special Series of the year. "Changing Czech Crime" broadcast in November 2002, achieved the first position of the programme in 2002. Documentaries "The Moravian Luxembourgs" and „The Frontier“ were choosen as a representative films of Moravia /a historical part of Czech Republic, covering almost one half of the country/ by the representatives of South Moravian Region to promote the region abroad. Documentary films made for Czech Television The Landscape Game /25 min, 2001/ describes the political battle between the new highway construction supporters and opponents. The D3 is planned to connect Prague and southern Bohemia but it might destroy an untouched part of the landscape. Egypt and Egyptologists /112 min, 2001/ shows incredible work of the team of Czech Egyptologists who have been excavating in Abúsír near Giza in Egypt for more than 80 years. Czech Crime Changes /57 min, 2002/, A unique description of how the Czech crime scene changed after the Velvet Revoloution in 1989. Police specialistsand witnesses talk about the most serious cases, police video reveals the investigation of the most significant criminals of the 90´s. Moravian Luxembourgs /28 min, 2002/, a documentary unveiling the unknown history of Czech king´s dynasty of Luxembourgs that ruled Bohemian kingdom in 14th century. Dear Leonid Iljic /26 min, 2008/ investigates the riverting story of Soviet ocupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and the secretly written invitation letter by the Czechoslovak hard-line communist prominents which was used by Breznev as an invitation to annect the country Documentaries filmed for Czech TV series describing the most important criminal cases of last 50 years, valued by viewers and critics: /2002/ The Phantom of Chomutov /30 min/ Victimised /25 min/ The Case for Psychiatrists /25 min/ Documentary films made in co-production with Czech Television: The Egyptians /57 min, 2003/ investigates the way how today´s Egyptians live and how they deal with the heritage of the ancient Egyptian civilisation. The Frontier /57 min, 2003/, the documentary presents the a generally unknown history of Roman Empire on the Danube river in central Europe. It was filmed in the Czech republic, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary. Second Life /57 min, 2004/ describes personal experience of several Czechs who decided to spend rest of their lives in Thailand Solo for Technology /28 min, 2005/ presents a story of the most sophisticated technical university in the Czech republic and its ´way how to finance the scientific research in difficult conditions of ex-communist country. Stories of Inventions /57 min, 2005/ shows the most sophisticated inventions of the Brno Technical University. Cuba Incognito /57 min, 2005/ is an unusual travel film produced despite the strict bann by Cuban authorities. It presents the beauties of the country but also the difficulties of a daily life on „the island of freedom“. This film was awarded the first prize in Tourfilm International Festival in Karlovy Vary (2005) I was at Lenin´s Funeral /57 min,2006/ shows the unique story of a one hundred years old man from Brno who as a young man witnessed the bolshevik revolution in Russia 1917 The Hunt for st. Maurus /57 min,2006/ is a thrilling espionage-like story from Czechoslovakia of the 80´s Cymru am Byth Wales Forever /58 min, 2008/ presents the Welsh people and Wales as an unique example of a traditional culture surviving and developing despite many English attempts in the past to swallow them and turn the Welsh into the English Independent Production Skimania or Report on Liberec 2009 /58 min, 2009/ features a turbulent year of Katerina Neumannova, the Czech cross-country Olympic gold medal winner, who was given the unique chance to run the organization of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship Liberec 2009, the greatest sport event ever in the Czech Republic. It was and still is one of the most media covered stories. International film festivals Academia Film Olomouc 2004 /The Frontier/ Tourfilm 2004 /Second Life/ Ekofilm 2004 /The Frontier/ Techfilm 2004 /The Frontier/ Tourfilm 2005 /Cuba Incognito/ - 1st prize in the documentary film category Techfilm 2005 /Stories of Inventions/ Academia Film Olomouc 2006 /I Was at Lenin´s Funeral and Cuba Incognito/ Academia Film Olomouc 2007 /The Hunt for st. Maurus/ Tourfilm 2008 /Cymru am Byth Wales Forever/ Prix Jury 16th annual Czech and Slovak documentary and animation film review 2008 – Dear Leonid Iljic /presented at the opening ceremony/