Documentary films
Studio Budíkov manages all the rights to the documentary films of Martin Kratochvíl and films made in co-production. On these pages you will find a list of all the films, including short description and technical parameters. Information on the extent of all rights is available from us on request.
TIBET: AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE ABSOLUTE
Year of production: 1998
Directed by: Jan Malíř
Written by: Jan Malíř
Music by: Martin Kratochvíl
Running time: 54 minutes
Format: Betacam, DIGI Betacam
Produced by: Studio Budíkov
Language version: Czech, English
This sequence of free pictorial impressions charts the experience of four friends travelling across western Tibet. Their encounter with Tibet encompassed roughly the following route: Kathmandu (Nepal) - Zhangmu (Chinese border) - Nyalam - Tingri - Rongbuk (Everest base camp) - Mainpu-Saga - Dongpa - Paryang - Nyogze - Lhaze - Shigtse - Lhasa. Rather than documenting the progress of the expedition in anything like a detailed manner, the film concentrates largely on description of the travelers’ feelings and state of mind during their journey through the wild and magical country, taking note of its traditions and religious spirituality.
KANCHENJUNGA: BACKPACKERS IN THE HIMALAYAS
Year of production: 2000
Written and directed by: Martin Kratochvíl
Music by: Martin Kratochvíl
Running time: 60 minutes
Format: DVCAM, Betacam SP
Produced by: Studio Budíkov
Language version: Czech, English subtitles
A documentary of an expedition round Kangchenjunga. The route leads from Taplejung airport. upstream the Tamur and Ghunsa Khola rivers to the north base camp at Pangpema. From there back to Ghunsa and eastward, across five mountain saddles to the south base camp. From Tseram along the Simbua Khola and Kabeli Khola, to Suketar. Apart from showing the ravishing scenery of the worlds third highest mountain, the film also captures the hardships of the expedition and the mindsets of its members.
DOLPO: NEPAL´S PARADISE LOST
Year of production: 2000
Directed by: Ivana Davidová
Written by: Martin Kratochvíl
Music by: Martin Kratochvíl
Running time: 57 minutes
Format: DVCAM, Betacam SP
Produced by: Studio Budíkov
Language version: Czech, English subtitles
Documentary on an expedition to Dolpo, a remote and for the larger part of the year inaccessible Tibetan enclave in the Western Nepal. The expedition set out from Jumla, advancing through hazardous terrain at Kagmara La and on, to the area around the legendary Lake Poksumdo. From there, passing across two mountain passes Baga La and Num La, at an elevation of 15,000 feet, to the Tibetan desert region of Do Tarap. Along the Tarap Khola river to Tarakot and Dunai, the administrative centre of Dolpo. The film, accompanied by extensive commentary, brings information about a godforsaken land and its mythic civilization which continues to inspire today‘s religious thinkers, explorers and artists.
MAKALU, ARUN RIVER
Year of production: 2001
Written and directed by: Martin Kratochvíl
Music by: Martin Kratochvíl
Running time: 50 minute
Part two, Arun River: 14 minutes
Format: DVCAM, Betacam SP
Produced by: Studio Budíkov
Language version: Czech, English subtitles
A documentary on an expedition to the foothills of Makalu, to Barun Glacier, and to Peak 3 vantage point. The film depicts a journey across the recently opened Barun- Makalu National Park in Eastern Nepal, between Mt. Everest and Kangchenjunga.
Setting off from the base camp at the foot of Makalu, the track follows the stream of the Barun Khola and proceeds along the valley of the Arun River which is dealt with in part two of the documentary.
EASTER ISLAND: THE PACIFIC´S PERENNIAL ENIGMA
Year of production: 2000
Written and directed by: Martin Kratochvíl
Music by: Martin Kratochvíl
Running time: 36 minutes
Format: DVCAM, Betacam SP
Produced by: Studio Budíkov
Language version: Czech
Question marks surrounding Easter Island have impelled many an explorer to embark on a long voyage to the Pacific. To be sure, however, this film does not purport to decipher the mysterious Rongo-Rongo script, nor does it intend to search into the methods of making or the original purpose of the giant Moai statues. Instead, it strives to present to the viewer a present-day view of the island as seen by Czech travelers during their tour of the southern hemisphere.
SANTIAGO DE CHILE
Year of production: 2000
Written and directed by: Martin Kratochvíl
Music by: Martin Kratochvíl
Running time: 7min.
Format: DVCAM, Betacam SP
Produced by: Studio Budíkov
Language version: Czech
A short documentary of the Chilean capitol without narration.
PATAGONIA: TORRES DEL PAINE, MT. FITZ ROY, CERRO TORRE
Year of production: 2000
Written and directed by: Martin Kratochvíl
Music by: Martin Kratochvíl
Running time: 47 minutes
Format: DVCAM, Betacam SP
Produced by: Studio Budíkov
Language version: Czech, English subtitles
Documentary charting several trails across two national parks in southern Patagonia. The first part shows an expedition into the heart of Chile‘s Torres del Paine, continuing with a tour of several days round the entire Paine region and slang Ventisquero Grey glacier. The second stage covers a trip to Argentina‘s Los Glaciares National Park, including notably the famed granite towers of Mt. Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre.
ROLWALING : A LOST VALLEY IN NEPAL
Year of production: 2001
Written and directed by: Martin Kratochvíl
Music by: Martin Kratochvíl
Running time: 52min.
Format: DVCAM, Betacam SP
Produced by: Studio Budíkov
Language version: Czech, English subtitles
Nepal just opened up its gates to the world in the fifties of the last century. A few enclaves, however, remained closed for both climbers and trekkers. Dolpo, Mustang and namely Rolwaling – a beautiful and isolated valley west of Khumbu. The first conquerors of eight-thousand-meter peaks, Edmund Hillary, Eric Shipton, Charles Evans and Alf Gregory, were the last climbers to obtain permission to explore the west approaches to Everest. After their exploring attempts, Rolwaling remained closed and unaccessible until the 1980. This makes the whole region especially attractive. The valley holds an unspoiled beauty, with both Tibetan and Nepali cultural influence.
The document describes the culture, customs and religion of people living in this unbelievably isolated region where time seems to have stopped.
NEPAL
Year of production: 2002
Written and directed by: Martin Kratochvíl
Music by: Martin Kratochvíl
Running time: 7’56“, 6’05“, 6’04“, 8’40“, 7’00“, 6’29“, 8‘19“
Format: DVCAM, Betacam SP
Produced by: Studio Budíkov
Language version: without narration
The Studio Budíkov film team has visited the Himalayas many times and produced many films from specific destinations. This documentary is a sampler with a different approach. Without any relation to time or topography, it brings a purely esthetic view of the attractive Nepali reality. With only music and editing, without spoken words, it describes the beauty of Nepal in various chapters: Mountains, Bridges, City, Paths, Dwellings, Spirituality and Faces. From a large footage of film material the best scenes were sampled, showing the emotional beauty of the distant Asian mountains.
TIBET : TO THE SACRED Mt. KAILAS
(Xinjiang - Guge, Lhasa - Kailas, Kora)Year of production: 2002
Written and directed by: Martin Kratochvíl
Music by: Martin Kratochvíl
Running time: 3 x 27 min.
Format: DVCAM, Betacam SP
Produced by: Studio Budíkov
Language version: Czech, English subtitles
Three films about three possible approaches to the Sacred Mountain. Sin-tiang – Guge describes the northern approach from Pakistan via Kashgar on the Silk Road and Sin-tiang Highway to the legendary Kingdom of Guge. Lhasa-Darchen exposes the journey to the Mountain from Nepal and Lhasa over Sagu and further to the west.
The theme of the third part, simply called Kora, is the circumnavigation of Mt. Kailas and Lake Manasarovar.
On the way a pilgrim visits all the famous monasteries and burial sites. The last part of the documentary ends with the journey to Simikot in Nepal. This is also the third possible approach to the Holy Mountain.
English 
Czech