Before the Oscar nominations were announced on January 23, where “wavesHoping for recognition after being shortlisted for Best International Film, it topped the list last week Czech Lion Award – Czech Republic equivalent of the Academy Awards – with 14 nominations.
“Waves” was nominated in several categories, including Best Director and Screenplay for Jiri Model. actors Vojtěch VodochodskýTatiana Pauhofova, Martin Hoffman and Stanislav Major were nominated in their respective categories.
The film was also nominated in below-the-line crafts, including cinematography, editing, sound design, music, stage design, costume design, and makeup and hairstyling.
The success of “Waves” at the Czech Lion Awards and its shortlist mention for Best International Film at the upcoming Academy Awards follows considerable success in the home country. Following its debut at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it won the top audience award, the film was released in Czech theaters in August, becoming the most commercially successful Czech film of the year with a gross of $5.9 million.
In Diversity‘S Review Film critic Manuel Betancourt wrote that “Led by its superb ensemble cast, ‘Waves’ creates a fleet-footed period drama whose straightforward narrative is heightened by its stylistic and narrative confidence.”
It is currently the third highest-grossing Czech film of all time, behind “Women on the Run” and “Andel Pane 2”. Notably, the last time a Czech film was nominated in the international category at the Oscars was “Zeléry” in 2003, and the country received two shortlist mentions for “The Painted Bird” and “Charlatans” in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
The success of “Waves” in the homeland and the historical story of journalists who risked their lives to broadcast news of the Prague Spring of 1968 has made the film a source of pride for the Czech people, as evidenced by its Czech Lion nomination. Let’s go.
It is not without significance that the big boom in Czech cinema coincided with the Czechoslovak New Wave during the 1960s, the same time frame in which “The Waves” takes place. During that period, “The Shop on Main Street” and “Closely Watched Train” both won. Academy Award for Czechoslovakia, while Miloš Forman’s “Loves of a Blonde” and “The Firemen’s Ball” also received nominations.
Czech Academy members voted for the top films in 24 categories out of 93 film and series productions. The 32nd annual Czech Lion Awards will be presented on March 8 in Prague.
A full list of nominations can be found Here,