Diamonds Of The Night

Jan Němec’s debut feature is considered one of the most thrilling and startlingly original works in cinema history. Told almost without dialogue, the film chronicles the desperate journey of two teenage boys, who struggle to survive after escaping from a train bound for a Nazi concentration camp.

With its virtuoso cinematography, inspired editing and brilliantly utilised soundtrack, the film is a landmark of the Czech New Wave. Its theme of man’s perpetual struggle to preserve human dignity in the face of unimaginable horrors remains fearsomely relevant today.

Mehelli Modi

Jan Němec (1936–2016) – Czech director, screenwriter, and writer, one of the leading figures of the Czechoslovak New Wave. His films combined a sharp political edge with a surreal and lyrical style. As censorship intensified, he emigrated in 1974, working in several countries and becoming an early pioneer of video, documenting events such as the weddings of members of the Swedish royal family. In the 1990s he returned to the Czech Republic and resumed his filmmaking career. He received the Czech Lion for lifetime achievement in 2005.