Ester Krumbachová

Ester Krumbachová (1923-1996) was a Czech screenwriter, costume designer, stage designer, author, and director. Krumbachová made invaluable contributions to the cinema of the Czech New Wave while remaining largely uncelebrated outside of the movement itself. During the 1960s, she acted variously as a writer, art director, and costume designer for directors including Věra Chytilová (Daisies), Karel Kachyňa (The Ear), Jaromil Jireš (Valerie and Her Week of Wonders), and her husband Jan Němec (Diamonds of the Night). Her sole directorial effort, Murdering the Devil (1970), a subversive feminist fairy tale, remained obscure after she was blacklisted from working in film during the 1980s for her part in Němec’s 1966 satire A Report on the Party and Guests. Krumbachová worked incognito for the rest of the communist period, making a living selling jewellery and writing a number of books.