Member of IDA – International Documentary Association
Member of IFJ – International Federation of Journalists
SSI Scuba Instructor
Yacht Captain / Yacht Master
Underwater Cinematographer, Photographer & Drone Operator
Founder of Escape to Nature, filmmaker, producer, underwater cinematographer and ocean storyteller
Libor Spacek, also known as Lio, is a Czech filmmaker, producer, director of photography, underwater cinematographer, photographer, drone pilot, scuba diving instructor and yacht captain.
For more than two decades, his work has been shaped by a deep connection with the ocean, remote islands, wildlife, indigenous cultures and fragile natural environments. Through film and photography, he explores the relationship between people and nature — not as something distant, but as something intimate, emotional and urgent.
Libor is the founder of Escape to Nature, an award-winning documentary brand dedicated to cinematic stories from some of the world’s most beautiful and vulnerable places.
From underwater worlds to global audiences
Libor began working as a cinematographer and photographer in the late 1990s. His long experience as a scuba diving instructor naturally led him into underwater filming, where technical precision, patience and respect for the environment are essential.
His visual language combines underwater cinematography, aerial filming, intimate human observation and a strong sense of place. Whether filming coral reefs, remote island communities, wildlife or expedition life, his work is driven by one central belief: people protect what they can understand, experience and emotionally connect with.
He is also known for his black-and-white Underwater Fine Art Nudes photography collection, where the human body, light and water become part of a poetic visual dialogue.
Escape to Nature
In 2008, Libor co-founded the Escape to Nature project with Petra Dolezalova. What began as a creative documentary journey grew into an internationally recognized film brand focused on nature, oceans, sustainable travel and cultural encounters.
The Escape to Nature team has produced nine one-hour documentary films from remote and exotic destinations, including Costa Rica, Maldives, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Saint Lucia, Tahiti and Her Islands, and Mauritius.
The Escape to Nature documentaries have received more than 100 awards and recognitions at international film festivals and have reached international audiences through broadcasters and platforms including Disney+ in Europe, Czech Television, RAI Italy, CCTV China, Tele Aruba, TUBI TV, Amazon Prime, Roku Channel, Fawesome, Cineverse and Comcast EST, among others.
A cinematic voice for the ocean
Libor’s work is rooted in direct experience. He does not approach the ocean only as a filmmaker observing from the outside, but as a diver, sailor, expedition leader and storyteller who has spent much of his life close to the sea.
His documentaries often move between natural beauty and environmental urgency. Coral reefs, marine biodiversity, ocean pollution, climate change, disappearing habitats and the lives of communities connected to the sea are not abstract topics in his work — they are living stories.
This perspective has led him to collaborate with marine biologists, scientists, local experts, conservationists and communities in order to create films that are visually powerful, emotionally accessible and educationally meaningful.
Escape to Pacific
Libor is currently developing Escape to Pacific, a long-term documentary expedition and marine conservation project by Escape to Nature.
The project is planned as an international documentary series following a team of filmmakers, marine biologists, divers and sailors aboard an ocean-going catamaran. The expedition will travel from Europe across the Atlantic, through the Caribbean and Central America, into the Pacific Ocean and further toward some of the world’s most biodiverse and under-documented marine regions.
Escape to Pacific is designed as a premium factual series for broadcasters, streamers, educational outreach, conservation partners and global audiences. It combines cinematic documentary storytelling with marine science, underwater filming, photography, immersive media and a strong public-benefit mission.
For Libor, the project represents a natural evolution of his life’s work: a larger, more ambitious and more urgent journey to document, understand and help protect the ocean.
Selected Filmography:
- Escape to Costa Rica / trilogy (3x 52′)
- Escape to Maldives (1x 52′)
- Escape to Papua New Guinea (1x 52′)
- Escape to Vanuatu (1x 52′)
- Escape to Saint Lucia (1x 52′)
- Escape to Tahiti and Her Islands (1x 52′)
- Escape to Mauritius (1x 50′)
Festival jury experience
Libor has also served as a jury member at several international film festivals, including:
- Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, Cannes, France (2021)
- US International Film & Video Festival, Los Angeles, USA (2019 and 2020)
- Zagreb Tourfilm Festival, Croatia (2019 and 2023)
Photography
In addition to his documentary film work, Libor has also developed a distinctive body of artistic and professional photography. His photographs are rooted in the same visual sensitivity that defines his films — a deep connection with nature, the ocean, light, movement and the atmosphere of real places.
His work includes underwater photography, wildlife and nature, landscapes, aerial imagery, portraits, fine art photography and selected author collections created for prints, publications, exhibitions and private collections.
A selection of Libor’s photographic work is available in his dedicated portfolio: Libor Spacek Photography
Beyond filmmaking
When he is not filming, Libor spends time at sea as a yacht captain, diver and expedition leader. His personal and professional life are closely connected by the same passion: exploring the natural world, telling meaningful stories and bringing audiences closer to places they may never experience in person.