A new Czech documentary premiering at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival turns its attention to one of Hollywood’s most influential cinematographers. Robert Richardson: The White Devil, the feature directorial debut of Czech filmmaker Jana Hojdová, will receive its world premiere on July 5, coinciding with Robert Richardson‘s receipt of the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.
The documentary traces the career of the three-time Academy Award winner through exclusive interviews, personal archives, and behind-the-scenes footage gathered over several years. International sales company B-Rated International has acquired worldwide distribution rights ahead of the film’s debut, signaling growing international interest in the Czech production.
A Czech filmmaker’s journey into Hollywood
For Hojdová, the project began with what she describes as an unlikely email sent while she was living in Prague.
“Several years ago, while living in Prague, I sent an email to Robert Richardson with almost no expectation of ever getting a reply,” she said in a statement released alongside the film’s trailer. “To me, he was one of the greatest cinematographers of all time, the creative force behind some of cinema’s most unforgettable images.”
Richardson responded, setting in motion a project that would span several years and multiple countries. Hojdová followed the cinematographer during the production of several major films, traveling from Los Angeles and London to New Zealand and Sofia while documenting both his work and personal life.
The resulting documentary explores Richardson’s contribution to contemporary cinema, examining the visual style that has shaped films by directors including Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, and Oliver Stone. Through interviews with collaborators, archival footage, and Richardson’s own reflections, the film seeks to document both his creative process and his personal history.
“What makes this film so special to me is not only the extraordinary access Robert granted to me, but also that he trusted me enough to give me access to hundreds of hours of personal archives, which include some of the most intimate chapters of his life,” Hojdová said. “This film is my attempt to capture the passion, curiosity, sacrifice and creative courage that lie behind a life spent at the very summit of Hollywood filmmaking.”
The documentary arrives as Richardson continues to rank among Hollywood’s most celebrated cinematographers. He has received Academy Award nominations for Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Snow Falling on Cedars, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, winning Oscars for JFK, The Aviator, and Hugo.
Czech production with international ambitions
While centered on an American cinematographer, Robert Richardson: The White Devil is firmly rooted in the Czech film industry. It represents Hojdová’s feature directing debut after building her career as a cinematographer, most recently shooting Chica Checa, which is also premiering in the Crystal Globe Competition at this year’s Karlovy Vary festival.
Born in Prague in 1989, Hojdová grew up in a filmmaking family with a cinematographer father and director mother. Her earlier work includes the short film The Dream, which earned a nomination for Best Cinematography at Camerimage and received the Jaroslav Kučera Award from the Czech Society of Cinematographers.
The documentary was produced by Matěj Chlupáček, Hojdová, and Nela Schlaichertová for CameRRaman, with Barletta, HN Film, and Bridge Film serving as producers. Maja Hamplová and Francesca Kolowrat are associate producers, while the project received support from the PPF Foundation.
According to distributor B-Rated International, the film offers more than a conventional career retrospective. Arnaud Chevallier, the company’s founder, described it as “a deeply personal and compelling perspective on one of the greatest cinematographers of all time,” adding that Hojdová’s relationship with Richardson also illuminates “an important chapter of American cinema history.”
The trailer hints at the film’s broader scope, weaving together Richardson’s family history, creative philosophy, and collaborations with some of modern cinema’s best-known directors. Appearances by Tarantino, Scorsese, and Stone frame Richardson not only as a technical craftsman but as an artist whose distinctive visual style has helped define generations of American filmmaking.
Its Karlovy Vary premiere, paired with Richardson’s Crystal Globe honor, gives the documentary a prominent platform at one of Central Europe’s leading film festivals. For Czech cinema, the project also highlights the increasingly international reach of local filmmakers, with Hojdová’s debut combining Czech production talent with unprecedented access to one of Hollywood’s most accomplished cinematographers.
