Abstract
Thirty-five films from between 1945 and 2015were registered that reflect the Holocaust. Only three years after the war, the first film focused on this theme was made (Daleká cesta; in English Distant Journey).
For the next ten years, however, not a single Holocaust-themed film was made, which can be explained as a consequence of Stalinist anti-Semitism. The first large wave of these films appeared in the 1960s in the era of the European "New Wave." Over the course of one decade twelve motion pictures were made, which are of such high quality that today they are considered part of the Czechoslovak film canon.
After August 1968 there was a downturn in this type of film; between 1969 and 1979, once again, not a single Holocaust-themed film was made. A second wave of Holocaust films began after 1989 and continues until today.
Over the course of several decades the way the Holocaust was approached changed - from the suppression of Jewish themes in the 1950s and early 1960s to the accentuation of such themes after 1989. The manner in which these topics were presented also changed - from presenting raw narratives to playing with the viewer's emotions.