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Ahead of the Oscar nominations being announced Jan. 23, where “Waves” is hoping for recognition after being shortlisted for Best International Film, it led the pack this past week at the Czech Lion Awards — Czech Republic’s equivalent of the Academy Awards — with 14 nominations.

“Waves” was mentioned in numerous categories, including best director and screenplay for Jiří Mádl. Actors Vojtěch Vodochodský, Tatiana Pauhofová, Martin Hofmann and Stanislav Majer were nominated in their respective categories.

The film was also nominated in below-the-line crafts, including for 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 comes after much success back home. After 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,...

Entries for the 2025 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 97th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 3, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between November 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 2.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is scheduled to...

Entries for the 2025 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 97th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 3, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between November 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 2.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is scheduled to...

The Jirí Mádl-directed movie Waves, a new take on the time before and after the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Soviet Union-led Warsaw Pact troops, is the Czech Republic’s submission for the best international feature race at the 2025 Oscars.

The film, which had its world premiere at the 58th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) where it won the audience award, was unveiled as the official Czech contender on Tuesday.

“The film revolves around the international news office at Czechoslovak Radio, a place full of talented individuals possessing broad insight, linguistic skills and above all a commitment to honest journalistic work with a focus on the truth,” whose broadcasts played a key role during the Soviet invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia in August 1968, according to a synopsis. “An epic, dynamically shot, rewarding film, which embraces uncommon heroism in the face of an oppressive regime, the strength...

From Vertical Entertainment, The Affair, starring Carice van Houten, Hanna Alström, and Claes Bang, is now available in select theaters and on VOD services. This period piece hearkens back to classical World War II dramas, with powerful performances from its cast, and is definitely worth your time. It's admittedly outside of the Daily Dead wheelhouse, but with Claes Bang's version of Dracula being one of my favorite performances of the infamous vampire ever, I reached out to see if he'd be up for talking about both Dracula and The Affair. Thankfully, he was very excited to discuss both roles in our video interview you can check out below!

The Affair Synopsis: "In 1930s Czechoslovakia, newlyweds Viktor and Liesel Landauer are filled with optimism and happiness in their new home. But all too soon, extramarital temptations bring out their darkest secrets and desires. As Liesel turns to her sensual friend Hana...

Princ Films has taken international rights to Slávek Horák’s “Havel,” a biopic about the Czech playwright, dissident and his country’s president Vaclav Havel, and will launch sales at the European Film Market.

The film recently received 14 nominations for the Czech Lion Awards, the leading Czech film awards, across all major categories including film, director, screenplay, and all acting categories. It also received two nominations for the Czech Film Critics’ Awards, best actor and actress.

“Havel” premiered at the Visegrad Cinema Days, run by the Kyiv Film Festival in the Ukraine, and went onto play a slew of festivals including Heartland (Indiana), where it was a finalist for best narrative feature, Montreal Independent, where Horák won best director, Rome Independent, where it won best feature, Warsaw, Tallinn Black Nights, São Paulo, Cottbus and Zagreb.

“Havel” stars Viktor Dvorák (“Three Brothers”) as Havel and follows the accomplished playwright and Czechoslovakia’s last President,...

The Affair Trailer — Julius Sevcik‘s The Affair (2019) movie trailer has been released by Vertical Entertainment. The Affair trailer stars Hanna Alström, Carice van Houten, Claes Bang, Alexandra Borbély, Martin Hofmann, Petra Buckova, Olga Plojhar Bursikova, Brian Caspe, Kevin Michael Clarke, Karel Dobrý, Zuzana Fialová, and Jim High. Crew Andrew Shaw and Simon Mawer wrote [...]

Continue reading: The Affair Trailer: Carice van Houten & Hanna Alström Have a Forbidden Love During WWII in Julius Sevcik’s Movie...

Ideally timed to draw domestic audiences back into Czech cinemas, loosely historical local-hero biopic “Havel” doesn’t let pesky facts get in the way of a good story. Multihyphenate Slávek Horák takes creative license with certain facts to stress the irony and absurdity of Václav Havel’s metamorphosis from celebrated playwright to banned and jailed human rights activist to eventual President of Czechoslovakia.

Concentrating more on Havel’s personal evolution (here prodded by the women in his life) and various emotional truths, who ultimately steps out of his comfort zone to become politically engaged. While some viewers may take issue with the simplifications, elisions and composites of Horák’s approach, others will be inspired once again by Havel’s courageous battle against oppression and the sacrifices he made.

A brief opening prologue set in the late 1980s lays out one of the central paradoxes of the protagonist’s life: that...

Czech shoots, which have been robust in recent years as a steady stream of series decamps to Barrandov’s soundstages, were suspended over virus concerns this spring, but are expected to rebound, says the Czech Film Commission’s Pavlina Zipkova.

With the government beginning to ease lockdown restrictions, theaters opened May 1 — and the Czech Cinematography Fund adding flexibility for projects claiming incentive rebates while the Culture Ministry works on increasing the fund — she says: “Most of the affected productions we are hoping will come back. Everything is in negotiations.”

The two most affected major productions, the second season of Amazon’s “Carnival Row” and the first season of Amazon/Sony Pictures Television series “Wheel of Time,” starring Rosamund Pike, have both committed to resuming, Zipkova adds.

Netflix’s “Transatlantic 473,” the Peter Thorwarth-directed story of a hijacking with a supernatural twist co-written by Stefan Holz, is also expected to resume its Czech shoot,...