Václav Marhoul (Czech: [ˈvaːtslaf ˈmarɦoul]; born 30 January 1960; Prague) is a Czech film director, screenwriter and actor. He studied at Prague's FAMU, graduating in 1984. He directed his first film Mazaný Filip, based on Raymond Chandler's books, in 2003. In 2008, his second film Tobruk was premiered. His next film The Painted Bird, based on Jerzy Kosiński's novel of the same title, premiered at the 76th Venice International Film