He moved to Germany in 1977 where he received a directing and scriptwriting degree at the Film Department of the university in Cologne.

Fíla shot documentaries and shorts before making his feature debut with Lea.

At the Brussels International Film Festival, Lea won both the Audience Award and the Crystal Star for Best European Feature.

Lea brought Fíla to Hollywood where he was hired by Steven Spielberg to rewrite and direct The Betty Schimmel Story.

Fíla's follow-up King of thieves premiered at the Moscow Filmfestival in 2004.