František Vláčil (19 February 1924 – 27 January 1999)[1] was a Czech film director, painter, and graphic artist.

He was interested in filmmaking during his studies and worked as a screenwriter in Brno Cartoon and puppet film studio.

[8][9] Vláčil's short films made in the military studio were mostly instructory and propagandist.

His first film was a 1953 short Vzpomínka that commemorated deceased communist president Klement Gottwald.

Another of his film shorts is a documentary Posádka na štítě that is about meteorologists working on Lomnický štít.

[10] In 1955, Vláčil participated as an adviser in the making of the war film, Tank Brigade, coordinating battle scenes.

[7] He also made a short film Clouds of Glass which is considered his finest creation while in the army.

[10] Clouds of Glass won an award at the Documentary and Short Film Festival in Venice.

The film not a regular story about the border-guard but features a strong focus on the beauties of nature.

He collaborated with significant designers of costumes and decorations, Theodor Pištěk, Jan Koblasa and others.

[8] During the Normalization era, Vláčil was not allowed to make feature films and had to leave Barrandov Studio.

[13] He was allowed to make another full-length film in 1976, it was a drama Smoke on the Potato Fields.

Owing to the omission of his favourite scene from the film, because it was destroyed, Vláčil starts drinking again.