Lawrence of Moravia

The Catholic clergyman Alois Musil is one of the most important discoverers of the archaeological treasures of the Muslim world. He was caught in the Middle East by WW1. The Austrian government at that time wanted to turn him into a spy, which is why he is known today as the „Moravian Lawrence of Arabia“. The printed sheets of Musil‘s travelogues inspired the director and artist Jan Cechl to create traditional, semi-plastic puppets that experience dangerous adventures in the fairy-tale Orient, full of fiery genie and Bedouin wisdom. As a Sheikh Músa ar Ruelli, the Moravian priest becomes a wild nomad of the desert, and during a dangerous expedition he discovers the lost Amra Castle, which makes him famous throughout the world. At the same time it is also a playful reference to one of the most valuable jewels of world cinema - the film Lawrence of Arabia by David Lean.

  • Jan Cechl
    Director
  • Radim Procházka
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Lawrence z Morávie
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Genres:
    History, Adventure, War, Religious
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    Czechia
  • Country of Filming:
    Czechia
  • Language:
    No Dialogue
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jan Cechl

Born into a family of painters devoting themselves to restoration. From an early age he took up drawing and was also keen on live-action films as well as animated films. At the Film and TV School of Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) he completed his studies in animation in Břetislav Pojar’s and Pavel Koutský´s workshops. Thanks to the controversial puppet film BLOODY MERRY CHRISTMAS (2007) he established himself as an artist who experiments with decadent genres. He is the art director and animator behind Petr Vodička´s full-length puppet detective story BABU IN THE NIGHT CITY which is being filmed right now. His professional debut came about in a Czech-Portuguese co production LAWRENCE OF MORAVIA which is a tribute to the legendary explorer Alois Musil as well as David Lean´s cult film LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. With the scriptwriter Magdalena Bittnerová he is working on a relief puppet film as an early evening short for children called TRIBÍK AND WEE AMONITA. Last but not least he is also developing a puppet film called ORF with the scriptwriter Eva Prachalová.

Add Director Biography