Prague Stories are short documentaries made by University of Texas at Austin students during a short, summer-semester class in Prague taught by filmmaker/U.T. faculty member Andrew Garrison.

The Prague Stories class is unique in that the city is not just a backdrop for the videos. We purposefully meet and talk with residents and other people in Prague, to find the stories.

The class is open to non-production students—for some students this is their first production class. The first assignment gets students acquainted with the city and the equipment. They make a documentary near a tram or metro stop. They go on to make more in-depth work. We then show them back in a public screening in Prague.

The experience is intense. Almost all the students describe their semester as life-changing. You can read student reflections on their experiences in the blog pages, see some stills, and hear “audio snapshots” of the city.

In 2007, Photojournalism Professor Dennis Darling also had a class of students making still photographs. You can see the a gallery photographs by the photojournalism students, as well.

Thanks to U.T.’s C-Geo Program, Dr. Hana Pichova, Chair of Czech Studies, and Dr. Michal Bregant and FAMU, the Film and Television School of the Academy of the Performing Arts in Prague.

More questions? Contact agarrison@mail.utexas.edu.