His nickname was “Czech locomotive”. Eighteen world records holder Emil Zátopek is most famous for the Olympic Games in Helsinki, where he won three gold medals. Nobody has repeated his success and athletics experts doubt that anyone ever will. Emil Zátopek´s grandiose success comes alive in the memories of his loved ones, friends, and rivals. 1968: Ron Clarke, an Australian runner, visits Zátopek. During their dialogue, we are transferred to the past, to the beginnings of Emil´s passion for running, his first success at the WCA in Berlin, his meeting with javelin thrower Dana, his future wife, but we also learn about the increasing pressure of the communist regime.
The world premiere of Zátopek was at the 55th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival where it won the KVIFF Audience Award.
The film enjoyed the most successful opening weekend of any film since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The number of tickets sold puts Zátopek into the top ten opening weekends in the Czech Republic.
Václav Neužil
Martha Issová
James Frecheville
Robert Mikluš