Education
In 1966 he came to Prague to study photography at the Secondary School of Graphic Arts, and cinematography at FAMU, the Film Academy of Fine Arts, where he graduated as Master of Fine Arts in 1975.
In 1966 he came to Prague to study photography at the Secondary School of Graphic Arts, and cinematography at FAMU, the Film Academy of Fine Arts, where he graduated as Master of Fine Arts in 1975.
He worked as a cinematographer mainly for the documentary section of Krátký film, before defecting to the United States in 1980. There he worked as a cameraman for Columbia Broadcasting System until 1989, photographed over twenty films and documentaries in the United States. and Europe. He also works as director of photography on independent films and commercials.
Since 1989 he teaches cinematography at the Columbia College in Chicago, where he became head of the Cinematography Concentration, the faculty"s cinematography program, an advanced production course he developed.
Velvet Hangover
His, and David Smith"s, feature-length documentary film Velvet Hangover about the Czechoslovakian New Wave and the Czechoslovakian film industry before and after the Velvet Revolution was screened in film festivals around the world. Some of the critics" appraisals:
Featuring in Velvet Hangover (in alphabetic order):
According to some critics, it showcases the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security)"s orchestration and management of the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Buchar"s own view (supporting his critics):.
The Collapse of Communism – The Untold Story
Currently (November 2009) Buchar"s another documentary The Collapse of Communism – The Untold Story is in postproduction. According to some critics, it promotes a conspiracy theory that the fall of communism in Eastern Europe was a hoax. Featuring in The Collapse of Communism (in alphabetic order):.