CEEA Talks: Deputy Minister Michal Šašek on the new Czech Audiovisual Act “The Czech partner will be a wealthy bride”

It is often said that people who are genuinely funny are necessarily also very smart. I have met Michal Šašek often enough over the years to know that both traits apply to him in a big way. ‘The deputy minister can be funny in any language,’ claims his assistant Hynek Stehlik, who is also present at the interview. But his intellingece is especially evident from the numerous compliments I already picked up on the new Czech Audiovisual Act, which went into effect on 1 January 2025. The legislation brings a new breath for the Czech film industry, with bigger budgets, more independence and… a separate status for animation film. ‘It was not just my achievement,’ says Michal Šašek. ‘It was also the work of Minister of Culture Martin Baxa and my advisor Hynek Stehlík.’ But all the voices I hear name Deputy Minister Michal Šašek as the chief architect.

From my childhood, I remember the rhymes of a popular Dutch author, which told about a king riding his bicycle, while the queen stirred in the cooking pots. When I hear that Michal Šašek – the first high-ranking politician I have ever interviewed – is ill, I hope to interview him in the same tradition, in his bed wearing pajamas, and preferably with a big sleeping cap on his head. Unfortunately, the Deputy Minister has manned up in time and appears neatly dressed for the appointment, for which he has kindly made time in his busy agenda.

When speaking with Czech filmmakers, I often feel nostalgia for the times when Czech cinema – and especially animation – ruled the world. Does this have an impact on how the Czech film industry sees itself today? Is there a certain inferiority complex or are you proud about what was once achieved?

Michal Šašek: What’s the point of being proud of the past if you don’t benefit from it today? That inferiority complex mainly stemmed from the underfunding of our film industry and the limited resources of the Czech Audiovisual Fund. Our tradition was glorious, but due to conditions across the European Union, the Czech Republic had missed the boat somewhere along the way. It felt like we were lagging behind other countries, both in terms of film incentives and selective support budgets. We cannot save the entire industry at once, but we can easily have an impact on a segment that is already firmly established. The special attention given to animation film in the new law has grown out of that rich past, that still resonates in the current international festival successes, both in professional productions and student films. We see the huge potential that is there.

In their communication, the Czech Audiovisual Fund even called the animation industry ‘the crown jewels of Czech cinema’!

Šašek: Such clichés always make me chuckle. Now that the law is in place, people see the result, but not the road that led to it. Everyone is applauding unanimously, but initially there was a great resistance. I remember significant doubts from all important players about my belief that animation needed a separate pillar in the selective support, and an increase in production incentives up to 35%. Even the animation sector raised its voice, wondering whether there were enough capable people to sit on an expert council deciding about projects without a conflict of interest. Recently, a well-known animation producer published an interview titled  ‘Without Michal Šašek’s optimism, the Film Act would never have come about’. I’m afraid that is true. It took a strong vision to bring this project to fruition.

On the first of January 2025, the new film law went into effect. And at the same time  the Czech Film Fund was rebranded as the Czech Audiovisual Fund.

Šašek: The original name had lost its meaning. The original Film Fund primarily focused on supporting theatrical films. The new fund champions all forms of visual storytelling, from films over television and VOD to games. Everything is intertwined, which is a huge structural change.

Before we talk about the Act itself, let me take a pulse on its creation. You drew inspiration from dialogues with stakeholders from all national sectors.

Šašek: Let me take you on a short historical excursion. When I started as a Deputy Minister in December 2022, my priority was reforming the audiovisual industry. Already for years, people within the Fund were trying to initiate such a transformation, but they were in it too deep, infinitely flipping every coin a thousand times, until the bigger perspective got lost. As soon as this topic came under my administration, I decided to take up the challenge, together with Hynek Stehlik. Preparing that transformation took about three years, and the first fundamental step we took was to gather all national and international stakeholders around the table.

Because the situation was completely stagnated?

Šašek: At the first meeting, some Czech stakeholders asked where to sign the attendance sheet from the ministry so they could immediately leave – they took it for granted that it would once again be all talk and no action. They were used to it that way. It took until the third session before the general understanding grew that we were willing to discuss, that we were up for a battle with constructive arguments, to finally get to a situation in which everyone would shake hands and ideally be satisfied with the result.

That moment came pretty quickly!

Šašek: We started negotiating in January 2023 and by early July at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, a preliminary deal was on the table, approved by the Ministry of Finance, within the conditions of the European Union. That was astonishing! The budget for production incentives is now directly linked to the total turnover of the Czech audiovisual industry, and that amount will be multiplied by six.

Are you surprised that I do not completely understand this calculation?

Šašek: Let me explain… There is a system of parafiscal levies fueling the Audiovisual Fund. Through the new act, the government’s contribution to the Fund will be the total amount generated from levies, multiplied by six, to be invested in production incentives. Negotiations were tough, especially with the Ministry of Finance; for them, the Act comes with binding obligations. The law went into effect in January 2025, but we can’t change everything overnight. Some changes are being implemented step by step; the transition process continues until 2027.

Is this just a numerical change or also a change of mindset?

Šašek: The profound change is that our funding model is no longer dependent on political pressure. The budget is based on financial contributions from local and international stakeholders, and no longer needs to be negotiated every year from the state budget by the director of the Audiovisual Fund.

How was the animation industry represented around that table?

Šašek: By two major associations. Vratislav Šlajer and Radomír Dočekal represented the Audiovisual Producers’ Association, while the delegation of ASAF, the Association of Animation Film was led by Martin Kotík and Marek Toušek. But the importance of animation was also advocated by TV broadcasters. Both the public and private broadcasters understood the need for extra investments in this sector. The strength of that big group gathered around the table, was not in opposing sides clashing; as regarding the animation industry, there was a clear consensus.

Animation is by nature a sector for co-production. With the new Film Act, will the landscape for co-production become more beneficial for production partners?

Šašek: An increased 35% rebate rate for production incentives – 15% more than before – will make Czech producers more competitive. If co-production is like a marriage, the Czech partner will be ‘a wealthy bride’. This will reflect on the status of Czech films and hopefully attract more co-producers.

By the way, how should animated documentaries apply these days? As animation or as a documentary?

Šašek: Because of the favourable conditions, everyone has an interest in being listed as ‘animation’. But therefore a documentary needs to be 100% animated. When it’s only partly animated, it doesn’t meet the requirements.

The gaming industry is now also included under the animation scheme. That seemed like a logical option?

Šašek: The question of whether to include the gaming industry was the one causing the most dispute. Basically, we had two options. Either animation did not become a separate category, and had to compete within the mainstream regulation with feature films, series and documentaries. Either they could be a separate section, but then the gaming industry needed to be included. Some voices stated that gaming is a completely different industry. Others said that both industries are very much entwined and many professionals – like designers – are working for both. I guess the truth will be somewhere in the middle. For us, the film industry is part of the audiovisual storytelling landscape, to which gaming also belongs. The idea of having separate gaming incentives right now doesn’t seem politically acceptable yet. The future will tell us whether the current solution is a good one, or if maybe gaming incentives should be perceived completely differently.

With so many titles recently being successful at festivals and even in cinemas, and with TALES FROM THE MAGIC GARDEN premiering at the Berlinale, you have a lot to be proud of. How do you assess CEEA’s role in this evolution?

Šašek: I would like to give credit to CEEA for this revival. I helped make sure they found shelter in Pilsen a few years ago, and after some turbulent years, I am happy they can now continue their mission, with a budget secured through Creative Europe MEDIA. Because their actions are needed for the industry. They create an environment that enables people to connect easily.

Are you now ready for a long holiday?

Šašek: The Audiovisual Act is only one pillar of the transformation process. The second pillar that we are currently negotiating in the Parliament is better financing of Czech TV, which is still underfunded. Both children’s films and animation would be the first categories to benefit from a public broadcaster’s bigger production budget. The third pillar is a strong, reliable industry, connecting people and creating opportunities. This is where CEEA comes into the picture as a vital link in networking, inspiring young producers, filmmakers and animators.

Few people seem to remember your personal background in the Juniorfest children’s film festival, taking place in the Pilsen region. Is there something that you miss from those festival days?

Šašek: I dedicated 17 years of my life to Juniorfest as a passion; I never earned a penny for that work. All the elements that I’m dealing with today as Deputy Minister, like negotiating with TV broadcasters and other audiovisual stakeholders, I have learned at Juniorfest. After those 17 years I felt an urgency to move onwards to a position where I can make a change – the work we do has a big impact. Now again, it’s time for something new. If we manage to finalise the remaining details of the Audiovisual Act, then Hynek and I will have fulfilled 100% of our mission. This summer, the Minister of Culture and his political deputies will be leaving our posts.

What if you are re-elected?

Šašek: I won’t continue either way. That’s a firm decision. If we succeed in increasing the budget of public broadcasters, we will have achieved all the goals we set for ourselves within the Ministry of Culture. I will not necessarily turn my back on the audiovisual world, but I want to take another position again and go where I can make myself useful.