The results of the Czech Lion Awards were surprising. "I regret that we don't have optional military service," says one of the winners.
The Czech Lion Awards ceremony was held for the first time this year at the Prague Congress Center. The evening was hosted by Bianca Cristovao, a stand-up comedian and sister of popular singer Ben Cristovao. Young talents and well-known acting veterans walked the red carpet. We managed to record an interview with one of the awardees – actor Jan Nedbal, who was accompanied to the ceremony by his girlfriend.
We met him before the ceremony started. At that time, it was still unclear whether he would be the one to convert the nomination.
"I'm sorry that we don't have optional military service. Like, everyone could go, if they want, to get some training for 2-3 months. I think it would only be beneficial,"
he revealed to us before the announcement.
And what would he do if the Czech Republic found itself in a state of war? Would he defend his country? The unconventional actor is clear about it.
"He went immediately. If it were against Russia, right away,"
he replied without hesitation.
And who else took home a statuette? The gala night brought several surprises.
The most awarded film was Franz
The biographical drama inspired by the life and work of one of the most significant Czech writers Franz Kafka was the clear favorite of the evening with its 15 nominations.
The director is the Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland. Apart from others, the film features Emma Smetana, Ivan, and Josef Trojan, who initially hoped for the leading role. However, it was ultimately portrayed by the German actor Idan Weiss, who had to learn rowing and at least a bit of Czech for the role. He received one of the statuettes for his performance.
The statuette was also taken by Tomáš Sysel for best cinematography, Adam Dvořák for editing, and Polish composer Antoni Łazarkiewicz for music. The film was further awarded for sound, set design, costumes, and makeup. It also won a special award for best poster.
A Sixteen-Year-Old Actress Won the Czech Lion
The controversial film Sbormistr, inspired by the true case of Czech conductor and choir director Bohumil Kulínský, also received several awards.
He served as the conductor of the children's choir Bambini di Praga from 1977 to 2004. In 2004, he was arrested for the abuse of underage choir girls. His case involved up to 49 instances of abuse. Eventually, he was convicted of sexually abusing 23 girls and oppressing another 19. In 2009, the court sentenced him to 5.5 years in prison. Reportedly, he planned to establish his own choir while behind bars, but this did not materialize.
However, in June 2011, he was conditionally released. He also published a memoir titled Volný pád (Free Fall), in which he discusses his criminal prosecution, which attracted significant media and public attention.
The film sparked a wave of controversy when one of the real victims of the case recognized herself in the main character, who even shares the same first name. The victim's brother, producer Radovan Síbrt, wrote an open letter to the film academy criticizing the film. He stated that his sister felt betrayed and re-injured after watching the film because her trauma was indirectly put on the big screen. The creators argued that the story is inspired by multiple testimonies and changed the name of the main protagonist in further versions of the film.
Just sixteen-year-old actress Kateřina Flabrová, who portrayed a main character three years younger, won the Czech Lion for Best Leading Performance. The director of the film, Ondřej Provazník, also won an award for the screenplay.
For the first time in history, a Vietnamese-origin actor won the Czech Lion
The list of surprising moments from last night's gala doesn't end there. Another moment that will forever be etched in the history of Czech cinema was the victory of actor Dũng Nguyễna in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role in the film Summer School, 2001. This is indeed the first time a Vietnamese has won the Czech Lion.
The Summer School is the first Czech full-length Viet-film. Vietnamese director Dužan Duong's work humorously presents an authentic view of the Vietnamese community and has received positive feedback from the audience. However, it did not win any other awards.
In the category of Best Feature Film, the road movie Karavan won, featuring nominated actresses Aňa Geislerová, Jana Plodková, and Juliána Brutovská.
The category for television production was completely dominated by the miniseries Studna, directed by Tereza Kopáčová. The series, which won in the Best Series category, is inspired by one of the most famous criminal cases in Czech history, where a father murders his wife, attempts to murder his son, and then commits suicide by jumping into a well. Actor David Švehlík, who took on the role of the murderous husband, received the award for Best Actor in a Series. The third accolade the film received went to actress Anna Geislerová for Best Actress in a Series.
In other categories, the film Going Mad in the Wild won for Best Documentary Film, Hooray for Prehistory! for Best Animated Film, Electra for Best Short Film, and The Eighth Day for Best Student Film. The Film Fans' Award went to the film by rapper and director Martin Pohl, aka Řezník, Na plech, and the award for Extraordinary Contribution to Czech Cinematography was received by Helena Bezděk Franková, who had led the State Cinematography Fund for over ten years.
Source: original article, own survey, iDnes.cz, ČSFD, Wikipedia, Novinky.cz, ČSFD
