‘Vlny’ (‘Waves’), a drama by Jiri Madl set among the events of 1968, when Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia, won the Czech Film and Television Academy’s (CFTA) Czech Lion prize for best Czech feature film at the award ceremony in Prague on Saturday.
The period drama, which was the most attended film in Czech cinemas last year, had the most Czech Lion nominations (14), six of which it won. In Slovakia, Vlny was the most successful Czech-produced film since the birth of independent Slovakia in January 1993.
CFTA members previously nominated Vlny for the Oscar in the foreign-language film category, but it did not make the final shortlist.
The award was accepted by the film’s producer Monika Kristlova. In her speech she praised the role of radio and television in relation to the 1968 events. “I highly appreciate that we still have media with public corporation status in the Czech Republic,” she said.
CFTA’s best director award went to Madl, as did the award for best screenplay. Vlny also won the award for the best sound, which went to Viktor Ekrt.
Pavla Beretova won the best actress Czech Lion for ‘Rok vdovy’ (‘Year Of the Widow’).
Oldrich Kaiser won best actor for ‘Zahradnikuv rok’ (‘The Gardener’s Year’).
The best actress and actor in supporting roles were Tatiana Pauhofova and Stanislav Majer, both awarded for their performance in Vlny.
Pauhofova, a Slovak native, said she was devoting the award to all journalists in Slovakia who are defending democracy. Majer said he wished for people to never face events similar to those from the start of the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.
‘Amerikanka’, a film by director Viktor Taus inspired by a real story of a girl longing for freedom while going through institutional care during the hardline communist regime, won the Czech Lion for best costumes, created by Jan Kadlec. Kadlec and Amerikanka also received another Czech Lion for the production design.
Alexandr Kashcheyev was awarded for the best film editing for ‘Jeste nejsem, kym chci byt’ (‘I am still not what I want to be’), a film by Klara Tasovska, which was also awarded as the best documentary.
In the final vote, 29 films competed for the Czech Lion prizes, awarded by CFTA in 22 categories.
CFTA also annually awards prizes for extraordinary contribution to Czech cinematography, which went this time to film director, screenwriter and actor Karel Smyczek, and conductor Mario Klemens (in memoriam).
