Milena Jelinek facts for kids

Milena Jelinek (in Czech: Milena Jelínková, born Tobolová; August 19, 1935 – April 15, 2020) was a Czech American writer and teacher. She wrote screenplays for movies and plays for the theater. She is famous for writing the movie Forgotten Light. This film won three Czech Lion awards in 1997. Milena Jelinek was part of a special group of Czech filmmakers. They were known as the Czech New Wave. She was married to a well-known researcher, Frederick Jelinek.

Milena Jelinek's Life Story

Milena Jelinek was born on August 19, 1935. Her hometown was Přeštice, near Plzeň in the Czech Republic. In 1955, she began studying at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. This is a famous school for film and television. The film director Ivan Passer was one of her classmates. The famous writer Milan Kundera was her literature teacher.

Even while she was a student, Milena wrote screenplays. One of her early works was called Snadný život (An Easy Life). It was made into a film by Miloš Makovec and Jiří Brdečka. Milena also took part in protests against the communist government. She was even called a "subversive person" by the president at the time. This meant they thought she was trying to cause trouble.

Moving to the United States

Milena met Frederick Jelinek in Prague. He was a Czech who had moved to the United States in 1949. He visited Prague in 1957 and met Milena at a café with film director Miloš Forman. They became close and wanted to get married. However, the communist government would not let them. They denied their marriage application many times.

In 1960, Frederick Jelinek was not allowed to visit Czechoslovakia anymore. But in the same year, Milena was given permission to leave the country. Her son, William Jelinek, later said that she was one of nine people released by the Czechs. This was like a special gift to the new US President, John F. Kennedy. In January 1961, Milena moved to the US. She married Frederick Jelinek soon after.

Her Career in Film and Teaching

In the US, Milena Jelinek found her place in the film world. She got help from another Czech filmmaker, František Daniel. She knew him from her school days in Prague. They met again at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.

In 1980, Milena started teaching screenwriting with František Daniel. She taught at Columbia University in New York. She spent most of her working life teaching there.

Notable Works

Milena Jelinek wrote many important works.

• Plays: She wrote the script for a play called Adina. It was performed in 2007 at the Vinohrady Theatre in Prague. The play told the life story of a famous Czech actor named Adina Mandlová.
• Opera: She also wrote the story (called a libretto) for an opera. It was named Kafka's Women. The Czech composer Jiří Kadeřábek wrote the music. It was first performed in New York City in 2013.
• Film: Her most famous work is the screenplay for the film Zapomenuté světlo (Forgotten Light). She got the idea for this film from a short story. It was written by a Czech priest and writer named Jakub Deml. Forgotten Light was nominated for seven Czech Lion awards. These are very important film awards in the Czech Republic. The film won three Czech Lions for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Sound.

Later Life

Milena Jelinek passed away in New York on April 15, 2020. She was 84 years old. She died from problems caused by COVID-19.

See also

In Spanish: Milena Jelinek para niños