Matěj František Preisler

About

I come from a family whose significance lies in arts, especially music. I am a son of a late exceptionally talented conductor František Preisler ml., who worked closely with Karel Gott. My mother is a successful violinist Radka Preislerová who is a member of the orchestra of the Czech National theatre.

Beginnings

At the age of nine, I joined Kühn’s child choir, thanks to which I had the opportunity to perform in multiple operas that took place in Prague’s National Theatre and the Estates Theatre. There I portrayed several extra roles, oftentimes also non-singing episodic roles that were a part of premiere theatre plays such as “Jakobín”, “Carmen”, “Únos ze Serailu”, “Tosca”, “Gloriana”, “Parsifal”...).

Moreover, the time spent at Kühn’s choir rewarded me with varied acting experience. I took part in a mini-opera “Rybova mše”, a musical “Čert a Káča aneb Peklo v pekle” (author J. Teml, dir. E.H. Toperzzerová) and “Merry Wives of Windsor” hosted by annually held summer Shakespeares celebrations.

Studies

In 2015, I left singing and fully pursued a filmmaking career. I enrolled at the film and television school ELF Dream – In Front of the Camera, Behind the Camera, where I learned how to operate a camera, the basics of editing, and gained acting, directing, production, and screenwriting knowledge. Later, I filmed and appeared in the music video for the song By your side by Tonye Graves and diligently focused on the production of the feature co-production film *Eliška and the World of Fantasy*.

Personal projects and experience

Over the years, I have created personal and non-public video projects in which I developed my acting, singing, directing, and editing skills – for example, the satirical news show Na cimpr campr featuring character impressions on YouTube. I also filmed the entertainment show Pod zakrytým úsměvem with Jiří Krampol and occasionally worked as an extra.

Between 2022 and 2024, I worked as an usher at Komedie Theatre, co-founded the creative duo MP's with actor Michal Pazderka, with whom we created several joint audiovisual projects, and represented FAMO in Písek at various showcases and festivals. I also worked as a film instructor at camps organized by the Ambrozia Art Agency and at suburban camps of the Juniorfest International Film Festival. At this festival, I regularly assisted at the accreditation center and occasionally worked as a guide for international juries. As a chaperone of the Czech children’s jury, I participated in the Taoba Festival in Tbilisi, served as a jury member for student films at the 57th Ota Hofman Festival in Ostrov nad Ohří, and was a jury member at the 1st edition of the Česká Leonarda competition. At the same time, I developed a professional interest in dubbing and completed practical training in a dubbing studio.

In 2025, after ten years of filmmaking, I graduated from a five-year program in Film Directing at FAMO in Písek, during which I created several original audiovisual projects, many of which received awards both domestically and internationally.

Present time

During my master's program, I and three other classmates received a scholarship from FTV Prima, where I worked as an assistant director. In December 2024, I was accepted as a member of ARAS (Association of Directors, Screenwriters, and Dramaturgs).

After graduating from FAMU, I became involved with the school as a festival coordinator and organizer of the monthly FAMO|ZNÍ film screenings. In 2025, I was accepted into the CME Content Academy lifelong learning program, which was organized in its first year by TV Nova Group in collaboration with FAMU in Prague.

During my internship on the set of the TV series Ulice, I began working as an assistant to casting director Alois Ponížil, and I also handle directing and editing for BIG Media.