BATAstories

A global story of Baťa’s rise—from Zlín to worldwide towns—told through voices, archives and personal stories in Kerekes’ BATAstories.

BATAstories is a sweeping documentary driven by the voices of ‘Batamen‘ worldwide, stories from Baťa-built towns, and reflections from Baťa’s descendants. It traces the extraordinary rise of Czech entrepreneur Tomáš Baťa - the visionary cobbler’s son who transformed a small-town workshop into a global industrial shoe empire.

Directed by the master documentarist Peter Kerekes, the film weaves together three strands: Baťa’s memoir (narrated by Bolek Polívka), a reflection on the birth of modern global capitalism, and a mosaic of personal stories.

Spanning Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia, BATAstories moves between past and present, blending archival and contemporary footage. From the industrial city of Zlín to purpose-built communities across the world, it reveals a bold social experiment where factories became towns and employees became stakeholders.

At once intimate and expansive, BATAstories is a vivid exploration of ambition, ideology, and the human stories behind a global empire.

Dir. Peter Kerekes, France, Czech Republic, Slovakia, 2018, 78 min, English subtitles / With Bolek Polívka and Zuzana Stivínová

The screening is an accompanying event to the exhibition Desire to Create: Baťa's Architecture of Belonging, presented at the Vitrínka Gallery, running from 9 April till 12 June 2026.

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Designed to Belong: Modernism, Industry and Community
Thursday 11 June 2026, 7pm / Czech Centre at the Czech Embassy Cinema, London W8

How does architecture shape belonging? This panel explores the Bata village at East Tilbury, where modernist ideals, industry and planning created a unique community, connecting its legacy to today’s debates on development, identity and place-making. More info