Frank Daniel (b. 1926, Kolín, Czechoslovakia – 1996, Palm Springs, California) had a significant impact on the history of modern Czech cinema through his work on almost 40 films as storywriter, screenwriter, director, producer, and head of one of Barrandov Studios' most progressive creative groups. His most successful project was the Academy Award-winning picture The Shop on Main Street (1965).
He taught at Prague's Film Academy (FAMU), where his most gifted students included Pavel Juráček and Miloš Forman. He emigrated to the USA in 1969, becoming a respected lecturer at important film schools and colleges (AFI, UCLA, Columbia University, and Carleton College in Minnesota). He was artistic director of the Sundance Institute after its founding in 1981; he was also a member of the American Film Academy and special consultant to the Rockefeller Foundation.
MFF Karlovy Vary
