A new digital restoration of Ecce Homo Homolka, the 1969 satire from director Jaroslav Papoušek and a staple of Czech culture, will premiere at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival as part of the festival’s KVIFF Classics section.
The screening continues a long-running KVIFF tradition of presenting restored Czech and Czechoslovak films to new audiences. A sarcastic look at the everyday life of a multi-generational family, Ecce Homo Homolka has been called the last film of the Czech New Wave, and reflects the shift in the country’s cinema after the emigration of key filmmakers in the aftermath of 1968.
Director and screenwriter Papoušek had previously collaborated with Miloš Forman on Black Peter, Loves of a Blonde, and The Firemen’s Ball, and with Ivan Passer on Intimate Lighting, and was the only one of the trio to remain in Czechoslovakia. Though categorized as a folk comedy, Ecce Homo Homolka shares the poetic realism and satirical tone of Papoušek’s earlier collaborations with Forman and Passer.
The film’s story unfolds over a single Sunday outing to the countryside, as three generations of the Homolka family—played by Josef Šebánek, Helena Růžičková, František Husák, and Marie Motlová—grapple with clashing expectations, quiet resentments, and the everyday absurdities of family life. The Homolka twins are portrayed by Matěj and Petr Forman, the sons of director Miloš Forman.
Beloved for its authentic characters, deadpan humor, and incisive dialogue, Ecce Homo Homolka has become a cultural touchstone in Czech cinema. Many of its lines have entered everyday language, and the Homolka family remains one of the most iconic portrayals of Czech domestic life on screen.
Papoušek followed the film with two sequels: Hogo Fogo Homolka in 1970 and Homolka and the Purse (Homolka a tobolka) in 1972, completing the loose Homolka family trilogy.
The new restoration was undertaken by UPP and Soundsquare in collaboration with the Czech National Film Archive and the State Fund for Cinema. It was created from original camera and sound negatives housed at the National Film Archive.
As with previous digital restorations screened at the Karlovy Vary festival, the project was made possible through the support of Milada and Eduard Kučera, whose ongoing sponsorship has helped bring numerous classic Czech films back to life for modern audiences.
The screening of Ecce Homo Homolka at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival highlights KVIFF’s dual role in presenting contemporary international cinema while preserving and celebrating Czech film heritage. This year’s edition of the festival will run from June 28 to July 6, 2025.
