In this first series of German-language publications about Eastern European film, each volume is devoted to a country, highlighting both individual and representative examples of the most prominent film classics; films are cultural artefacts, their images and stories always providing insights into the culture and society of the respective country. The aim of the series is thus to bring the film production of the Eastern European countries, as well as the changes in historical fortune of these countries, closer to the German-speaking public by means of their film classics.

Czechoslovak film has inscribed itself into European film history with Nová Vlna, the New Wave of the 1960s, which is closely linked to names such as Miloš Forman, Jiří Menzel or Věra Chytilová. Beyond this canon, the volume presents the most important Czech and Slovak films since 1930: 25 films whose aesthetics and themes give an impression of how diverse a Czech, Slovak and Czechoslovak nation still is in its film productions today.