Klaus and Nečas mark significance of Otakar Vávra

President Klaus and Prime Minister Nečas have offered praise for filmmaker Otakar Vávra, who died on Thursday at the age of 100. Mr Klaus called Vávra a phenomenon of 20th century Czech and Czechoslovak film and said he would be greatly missed. Prime Minister Nečas noted the remarkable fortune that allowed Vávra such a long life and called him a distinct figure in the Czech artistic world. Otakar Vávra’s filmmaking career spanned 80 years and dozens of films. He also founded the department of direction at FAMU and taught many of the most well-known Czech directors.