Best Czech Films of 2015 Awarded

Director Jan Prušinovský’s Kobry a užovky (The Snake Brothers) was named the best film of 2015 at Saturday’s Czech Lion Awards, the Czech version of the Academy Awards.

While The Snake Brothers was a reasonable choice for Best Picture (check out my review from last March here), for me the best Czech film among those nominated was easily the Jan Saudek biopicFotograf. 

Fotograf received nominations in seven categories but won none, likely for political reasons; the film takes a negative stance against Saudek’s ex-wife Sára Saudková, who is still a prominent player on the local cultural scene. 

Overall, the best Czech movie I saw last year was the wonderful and inventive puppet film Malý Pán, which was not nominated in any category. 

The Snake Brothers dominated the main categories, but Petr Zelenka’s Ztraceni v Mnichově (Lost in Munich) picked up two awards, for Best Screenplay and Best Editing. The Czech-German co-production Schmitke won a pair of awards for Sound Design and Music, while the fairy tale Sedmero krkavců (The Seven Ravens) won awards for Costumes, Makeup, and Set Design. 

The Czech Republic’s official submission to the Academy Awards was the turgid pseudo-spiritual comedy-drama Domácí péče, which was (justly) shut out of most categories. Still, lead actress Alena Mihulová was awarded for her over-the-top lead performance.

This year’s ceremony went off without a hitch on Saturday, as opposed to last year when a Jim Carrey impersonator stole the show. 

Best Film: Kobry a užovky
Best Director: Jan Prušinovský, Kobry a užovky
Best Actor: Matěj Hádek, Kobry a užovky
Best Actress: Alena Mihulová, Domácí péče
Best Supporting Actor: Kryštof Hádek, Kobry a užovky
Best Supporting Actress: Lucie Žáčková, Kobry a užovky
Best Screenplay: Petr Zelenka, Ztraceni v Mnichově
Best Cinematography: Petr Koblovský, Kobry a užovky
Best Editing: Vladimír Barák, Ztraceni v Mnichově
Best Sound: Cristoph Chevallerie, Schmitke
Best Music: Johannes Repka, Schmitke
Best Set Design: Ondřej Mašek, Peter Čanecký , Sedmero krkavců
Best Costumes: Kateřina Štefková, Sedmero krkavců
Best Makeup: Juraj Steiner, Sedmero krkavců
Best Documentary: Opři žebřík o nebe