Czech film Waves makes Oscar shortlist for Best International Feature

Jiří Mádl drama Waves (Vlny in Czech) has been named to the shortlist of 15 nominees for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, according to a list published today by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

This marks the first time a Czech film has made the shortlist since Agnieszka Holland’s Charlatan in 2021.

If Waves earns a final nomination next month, it will be the first Czech film to achieve the honor in two decades. The last nominees were Jan Hřebejk’s We Need Help (2000) and Ondřej Trojan’s Želary (2003). Jan Svěrák’s Kolya won the Oscar in 1997.

Set in the late 1960s, Waves tells the true story of journalists from the international desk of Czechoslovak Radio who fought to deliver independent news during a period of political upheaval. Madl, the film’s writer and director, based the story on firsthand accounts from the original newsroom members, who are portrayed in the film under their real names.

Key figures include Jiří Dienstbier (played by Vojtěch Kotek), Věra St’ovičková (Tatiana Pauhofová), Luboš Dobrovský (Martin Hofmann), Jan Petránek (Petr Lněnička), and Milan Weiner (Stanislav Majer).

The shortlist also features entries from other European countries and the Palestinian documentary From Ground Zero. The frontrunner in this category is the French musical Emilio Perez, directed by Jacques Audiard. Set in the world of the Mexican drug cartel, the film recently won European Film of the Year and secured ten Golden Globe nominations.

The winners of the 97th Academy Awards will be announced during a ceremony in Los Angeles on March 3.