Il Boemo is this year’s Czech entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Photo Credit: Freepik
Prague, Sept 12 (CTK) – The Czech Film and Television Academy (CFTA) has nominated Petr Vaclav’s film ‘Il Boemo’, about 18th-century Czech composer Josef Myslivecek, to compete for the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film, spokeswoman Silvie Markova told CTK today.
The film will have its world premiere in the main competition of the San Sebastian Festival, which starts on Friday. It will appear in Czech cinemas from 20 October.
CFTA members selected the film from 15 Czech feature and documentary films, based on applications from their producer.
‘Il Boemo’ won the vote, ahead of Michal Blasko’s film ‘Obet’ (Victim) and Tereza Nvotova’s film ‘Svetlonoc’ (Nightsiren).
The 15 shortlisted Oscar nominations for the best foreign-language film will be released on 21 December, and the definitive nominations on 24 January 2023. The Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for 12 March.
Petr Vaclav has been working on ‘Il Boemo’ for more than ten years, and is also the film’s scriptwriter. It highlights the life and work of Josef Myslivecek (1737-1781), who spent part of his life in Italy and succeeded in the tough competition with Italian composers.
The film stars Vojtech Dyk in the main role, along with Barbara Ronchi, Elena Radonicich and Lana Vlady.
Myslivecek’s operatic arias are performed in the film by world-renowned soloists such as Philippe Jaroussky, Simona Saturova, Raffaella Milanesi and Emoke Barath, accompanied by the Czech Collegium 1704 Baroque music orchestra.
The film was shot in the Czech Republic and Italy, in a Czech-Italian-Slovak co-production.
Petr Vaclav is a graduate from Prague’s Film and Television School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU). His feature film debut ‘Marian’ won a number of prestigious prizes abroad in 1996.
FB: The Czech Film and Television Academy has selected Petr Vaclav’s film ‘Il Boemo’, a biographical film about 18th-century Czech composer Josef Myslivecek, to represent the Czech Republic in the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film.