PETER SERGE BUTKO

Born in 1970, in Slovakia. In 1996, he graduated from the theatre faculty of Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno (JAMU), the Czech Republic, led by prof. Petr Scherhaufer. Since 2003, he has had dual Czech and Slovak citizenship. After his studies, he was engaged as an actor in the Prague Municipal Theatres – Rococo Theatre (1996-1998).

SOCIETY AND CREATIVITY

  • Between 1998 and 2009, he closely cooperated as a director and co-producer with the civic association MIRET that concentrated on working with talented Roma youth, sought out talent, organized workshops, concerts, and festivals aimed at the Roma culture. One of these projects is recorded in the documentary movie Black Star, based on a story by Peter Serge Butko.
  • From 2005-2010, he has regularly cooperated with the town hall of Torres Vedras town in Portugal, where he holds workshops and realizes music – theater performances inspired by the culture of the Roma minority.
  • In 2010 – 2011 he has made, as a director, festival spots and TV commercials for the Mental Power Fest festival (international film festival realized by mentally handicapped filmmakers).
  • In 2012 and 2013, he was director and supervisor at the audio-visual department in the permanent exhibition “Witch Trials” and “Time Spiral” for the Ethnographic Museum in Jesenik, Czech Republic. Both exhibitions received the award Gloria Musaelis in 2013 and 2014.
  • From 2002 to 2013, as a producer, he regularly organized charity events with the participation of important personalities of Czech cultural and social life, in cooperation with the Tereza Maxová Foundation and other non-profit organizations.

THEATER

  • Between 1992 and 2015 he realized as a director and producer 35 theatre performances in the Czech and Slovak Republic, and a total of 15 performances abroad.
  • Since 1994, he has staged his author play ROMANCES GITANES, which he opens in workshops for other actors and dancers in the Czech Republic and abroad (Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Finland, Hungary, Slovakia, Portugal, Cape Verde …).
  • Since 2002 Peter has collaborated as director and supervisor of art projects with Slovakian minority Theatre VHV in the autonomous region Vojvodina in Serbia.
  • As a producer and director, in 2010 he actualized a multimedia theatrical adaptation of J. L. Godard’s movie “CRAZY PETE”. Music was made by Roman Holý, lead actors were Tatiana Vilhelmová and Vojtěch Dyk in theatre La Fabrika in Prague. Film sequences were created under the guidance of Peter Serge Butko in Morocco.
  • The next audiovisual project in the same theatre was in 2014 was MARIO AND MAGICIAN by Thomas Mann with the actress Zuzana Bydžovská and animations by Michaela Pavlátová.
  • In 2016, he produced the theatrical multimedia project BIRDS IN THE HOUSE, which in 2017 received a grant from the Ministry of Culture of Argentina for a 2-month tour of leading Argentine theaters. The performance had a similar tour in 2018 in Brazil. In the same year, he made a theatrical adaptation of J. London’s novel THE STAR ROVER in Brazil.
  • He made a theatrical adaptation of Kafka’s novel THE TRIAL in Serbia in 2019.
  • In 2020, he directed the dance-theater project THE SOUND OF THE INDIGENOUS’ HEART in the Brazilian city of Vitória.
  • He has collaborated with many theaters in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Many of his theater projects have been a great success and have remained on stage for several years, reaching more than 200 reruns.
  • Peter Serge Butko also gives MASTERCLASS focused on acting techniques (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Cape Verde, Portugal, Finland, Russia, Serbia, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil).

MUSIC

  • All of his projects (theater, films, and exhibitions) are accompanied by original music, often supervised by him. He worked with European musicians like Monkey Business, Iva Bittova, Roman Holý, Jiří Kadeřábek, Orchester Bandini, Jaroslav Zima, Vojtěch Dyk, Ida Kelarova, etc.
  • From 2000 to 2005, he was the frontman and lyricist of the Labutě Černé Salon Orchestra, who regularly held concerts in the sold-out space of the first Prague Café Theater – THE BLACK SWAN, which Peter Serge Butko co-founded. Here he also presented the first Prague talk show with artistic personalities.
  • Between 2003 and 2007, he co-produced and supervised the International Gipsy Music Festival named “GIPSY CELEBRATION”, in the old castle Svojanov, in the Czech Republic.
  • He directed and produced a special concert “Iva Bittova and Ida Kelarová – JAZZ” in the great hall of Prague Lucerna in 2008. The concert was released on DVD and broadcasted by Czech and Slovak state televisions.
  • From 2000 – 2014, he produced and directed a total of 10 large music projects with the support and participation of leading personalities of cultural and social life in Prague.
  • In 2015, he produced (in cooperation with Visegrad foundation) an international music and film festival of silent movies accompanied by live music “SOUND OF SCREEN FILM FESTIVAL”, in Serbia. The only festival of its’ kind in South/East Europe.

TV AND FILM

  • In 1999, Czech Television made a documentary about the work of Peter Serge Butko called “CHILDREN OF THE MOVEMENT“. The film won the Audience Award at the Festival of TV production in Genova, Italy (2000).
  • Since 2006, Peter has regularly cooperated with the Czech Television for which he made several documentaries in the Czech Republic and abroad (Poland, Russia, Hungary, Serbia, Turkey, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Slovakia, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Mexico, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Brazil…).
  • In 2013 Peter produced his first feature documentary ODE TO THE PLAIN in Serbian/Czech/Slovak coproduction, about the theatre culture of the Slovakian minority living in Serbia.
  • In 2014 Peter produced his second feature documentary A STAR NAMED SONJA, about the rise and fall of a great cabaret star of the 1990s in Prague.
  • In 2015, he directed another feature-length documentary, SOS SIGNAL, where the stars of the contemporary Balkan alternative music scene remember the childhood they spent during the Yugoslav Wars.
  • In 2021, he filmed his first feature film, “PETROVSKÍ CHLAPCI“, which is set to premiere in 2022.

filmography:

  • 2021 – SHOKY AND MORTHY – featured movie by Andy Fehu. Actor.
  • 2021 – NOVA SRBIJA – a documentary about new Serbian artists. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2021 – AQUA VALENCIANA – a documentary about the LGBT movement in Valencia. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2021 – CHILDRENS OF THE FAVELA –  a documentary about gay youths in a Brazilian favela. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2019 – CRAZY PETE – movie record of the famous theatre performance. Directors cut.
  • 2017 – SAO PAULO – a documentary about the biggest gay pride in the world. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2016 – SOS SIGNAL – featured documentary about the heritage of the Balkan wars. CZ – SRB coproduction. Director and producer.
  • 2015 – MAUGLI FROM DANCE HALL – a documentary about kids’ performance. Director and producer.
  • 2015 – QUEER MEXICO – a documentary about queer life in Mexico City D.F. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2015 – WEBNOVELA – a documentary about Mexican queer parody of telenovela. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2015 – CHAPINEIRO – a documentary about the biggest gay disco in Latin America Theatron and gay district in Bogota. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2015 – BOGOTART – a documentary about queer artists in Bogota. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2014 – CUPÁK AND NEPELA – a documentary about two big stars (actor and figure skater). Even 20 years after death, their families will not admit that they were gays. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2014 – A STAR NAMED SONJA – feature movie about rising and fall of great cabaret star of the 1990s in Prague. Director and coproducer with Eallin TV.
  • 2014 – CULTURE OF DEATH – a documentary about the war of gay activists with catholic propaganda in Slovakia. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2014 – SERBIAN BLOOD IN MOVIE – a documentary about the contemporary black wave in Serbian cinematography. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2013 – ODE TO THE PLANE – feature movie about theatre culture of Slovakian minority living in Serbia. Serbian / Czech / Slovakian coproduction. Director, producer, movie theme.
  • 2013 – NAVAM POYA FILM – short music documentary about Budha full moon celebration in Sri Lanka. Director and producer.
  • 2013 – TRANS MONTEVIDEO – a documentary about famous travesty people living in Uruguay. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2013 – CHILDRENS OF URUGUAY – a documentary about gay couples living with their children in Montevideo. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2013 – BUENOS ARTES – a documentary about the work of two gay artists in Buenos Aires. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2013 – QUEER TANGO ARGENTINO – a documentary about the queer way of tango in Buenos Aires. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2013 – RIGA IS A WOMAN – documentary about the life of sexual minority in Latvia. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2013 – VILNIUS – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Lithuania. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2013 – QUEER BELARUS – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Minsk. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2013 – HISTORY OF TRAVESTY – 3 documentary movies about 40 years of travesty cabarets in Prague. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2012 – SOCIAL PHENOMENS – talk-show / mystification about social relationships. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2012 – ESTER – TV show with popular Czech entertainer and singer. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2012 – SOIRE ON DANUBE – talk show about stereotypes between sexual minority and majority. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2012 – BEIRUT – a documentary about the life of a sexual minority in Lebanon. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2011 – MENTAL POWER PRAGUE FILM FESTIVAL – TV commercial and festival spots for an international movie festival. Director.
  • 2011 – TBILISI – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Georgia. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2011 – YEREVAN – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Armenia. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2011 – MY BEST BAR – a documentary about Moravian gay bars. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2011 – LET’S GO OUT – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Slovakia. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2011 – ROMEO AND JULIO – a documentary about the neverending love of gays. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2010 – MENTAL POWER PRAGUE FILM FESTIVAL – TV commercial and festival spots for an international movie festival. Director.
  • 2010 – MAGICIANS – a comedy documentary about the popularity of folk astrology. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2010 – QAZACHSTAN – a documentary about gay life in Kazachstan. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2010 – UNDER SCHOOL DESK – a documentary about sexual education in basic schools. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2010 – RAINBOW BRIDGE – a documentary about the first gay pride in Slovakia. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2010 – CIRQUE – a documentary about travesty shows in circuses. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2009 – MARRIAGE – a crazy documentary about the phenomenon of gay weddings. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2009 – BEQGRAD – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Serbia. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2009 – Mr. GAY – fiction/documentary about popularity. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2009 – POP – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Moscow. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2009 – WALKING TO FAST – fetured movie by Radim Špaček. Actor.
  • 2008 – CRITIQ – documentary with critical points of view inside of gay community in Prague. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2008 – PORNQ – a documentary about the history of pornography. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2008 – MOROQO – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Morocco. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2008 – LISBQA – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Lisbon. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2008 – TALQ SHOW – Tv mystification about the phenomenon of talk shows. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2008 – MOSQA – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Moscow. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2008 – BUQUAPEST – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Budapest. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2008 – IVA BITTOVA + IDA KELAROVA = JAZZ – special big jazz concert with DVD record and TV version. Czech TV, Slovak TV, INDIES label. Director and producer.
  • 2007 – QUABARET – special new year show for the queer minority in the Czech republic. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2007 – BLACK STAR / KALI CERCHEN – a feature documentary about talented gypsy youths. Movie theme, actor.
  • 2007 – QUORIENT EXPRES – a documentary about the life of a sexual minority in Istanbul. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2007 – QUEER QUEER – a documentary about diversity in diversity. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2007 – HETEROSEXUALITY – a documentary about the life of the sexual majority by eyes of sexual minorities. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2007 – STAGE – a documentary about art in theatres of sexual minorities in Lisbon, Colombo, Moscow. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2007 – JESUS OUR KING – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Warshaw. Czech TV. Director.
  • 2007 – INVASION – a documentary about the life of sexual minorities in Slovakia. Czech TV. Director.
  • 1999 – CHILDRENS OF THE MOVEMENT – a documentary about the theatre work of Peter Serge Butko. Czech TV. Directed by Jan Novak. Actor.
  • 1999 – HANELE – feature movie by Karel Kachyňa. Actor.