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Jan Svěrák

Jan Svěrák

Director, writer and producer · Born February 6, 1965 (61) · Žatec, Protektorát Čechy a Morava [now Czech Republic]

Jan Svěrák (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjan ˈsvjɛraːk]) (born 6 February 1965 in Žatec) is a Czech film director. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák. He studied documentary filmmaking at FAMU. He and his films have received many awards, including the Academy Award, Crystal Globe, Golden Globe Award, and Tokyo Grand Prix. He lives in Prague. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jan Svěrák, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 6, 1965 (61)
From
Žatec, Protektorát Čechy a Morava [now Czech Republic]
Works as
Director, writer and producer
Titles
8 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 3% in 30 days

What are Jan Svěrák's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Animation movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
62%
Self
32%
Power
4%
Morality
3%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 7 · Serious 0 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 2 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
4
Joyful
4
Melancholic
4
Bittersweet
3
Tense
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Feel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet6

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jan Svěrák's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Jan Svěrák's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

24 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • FAMU 80 – Best of (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Director

  • Five plums (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Zdeněk Svěrák 90 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Actor

  • Bethlehem Light (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Barefoot(2017)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Open Season: Scared Silly(2015)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Three Brothers(2014)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Kuky se vrací(2010)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Guard No. 47 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Actor

  • Tajnosti(2007)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Empties (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Producer

  • From Subway with Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as číšník

  • Daddy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · Scenario Writer · as Self

  • Dark Blue World(2001)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Rebels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Actor

  • An Ambiguous Report About the End of the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Actor

  • Kolya(1996)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Válka barev (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Actor

  • The Ride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Accumulator 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Elementary School(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Oil Gobblers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Writer

  • An Uncertain Season (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Actor

  • Vesmírná Odysea II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director · Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 23 titles from 1986 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Kolya (1996)

$5.8M worldwide

Highest rated

Kolya (1996)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Open Season: Scared Silly (2015)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting7 of 23: 7 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting15 of 23: 2 only directing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rdWriting9 of 23: 0 only writing, 9 with another roleProducing8 of 23: 1 only producing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score74th

23 titles, 13 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 9 of them.

By decade

1980s3 · 1 acting · 2 crew1990s6 · 2 acting · 4 crew2000s7 · 3 acting · 4 crew2010s3 · crew2020s4 · 1 acting · 3 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jan Svěrák's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 8 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · writer

Open Season: Scared Silly (2015)

52nd percentile spread · 36% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, producer

Kolya (1996)

Midcredits 96th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Jan Svěrák work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jan Svěrák's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Zdeněk Svěrák shares the most, 6.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers