Czech Lion Awards 2015

Petr Václav’s The Way Out (Cesta ven) was the big winner at the 2015 Czech Lion Awards, honoring the best Czech films of 2015. Cesta ven won seven awards including Best Picture, Director (Václav), Actress (Klaudia Dudová), Screenplay (Václav), Cinematography (Štěpán Kučera), Editing (Florent Mangeot), and Sound (Daniel Němec, Ivan Horák). 

“A heartrending look at the life of Roma in the contemporary Czech Republic,” I wrote last May, “Cesta ven is like a punch to the gut: gritty, honest, and vividly realized, this is not a social polemic but a captivating look at a minority whose lives are hamstrung not just by local prejudice, but by ignorance within their own community.”

It’s a notable win for two reasons: Cesta ven touches on a taboo subject, the integration of Roma into Czech society, and it was made outside of the local industry that has awarded it. Director Václav lives and works in France, where funding for the film came from. 

Other awards showcased a lack of diversity among nominees. Miroslav Krobot’s droll comedy Díra u Hanušovic (Nowhere in Moravia), which I reviewed last summer, picked up a trio of acting awards: Best Actor (Ivan Trojan), Best Supporting Actor (Jaroslav Plesl), and Best Supporting Actress (Lenka Krobotová). 

Jan Svěrák’s fairy tale Tři bratři took home awards for costumes and makeup, while Jan P. Muchow’s score for Krásno won Best Music. Olga, Miroslav Janek’s look at the life of the former first lady, won Best Documentary, ahead of (in my opinion) more-deserving nominee Magický hlas rebelky (The Magic Voice of a Rebel).

Unfortunately, Cesta ven’s success at the 2015 award ceremony was overshadowed by a minor controversy. An imposter purporting to be Hollywood star Jim Carrey fooled organizers (including director Svěrák) and was allowed to take the stage at one point:

The story was picked up internationally by The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Independant, and The Mirror, and Carrey himself even tweeted about it:

The Czech Lion awards were announced on Sunday, February 22; coincidentally, the same date as this year’s Oscar telecast, where Birdman took home the Best Picture.

Best Film 

Cesta ven
Díra u Hanušovic
Fair Play 
Pojedeme k moři 
Tři bratři 

Best Director 

Petr Václav (Cesta ven)
Miroslav Krobot (Díra u Hanušovic)
Andrea Sedláčková (Fair Play)
Jiří Mádl (Pojedeme k moři)
Jan Svěrák (Tři bratři)

Best Actress

Klaudia Dudová (Cesta ven)
Klára Melíšková (Andělé všedního dne)
Tatiana Vilhelmová (Díra u Hanušovic)
Judit Bárdos (Fair Play)
Tatiana Pauhofová (Něžné vlny)

Best Actor

Ivan Trojan (Díra u Hanušovic)
Boleslav Polívka (Andělé všedního dne)
Fair Play – Roman Luknár (Fair Play)
Milan Lasica (Jak jsme hráli čáru)
Ondřej Nosálek (MY 2)

Best Supporting Actress

Lenka Krobotová (Díra u Hanušovic)
Zuzana Bydžovská (Andělé všedního dne)
Mária Ferencová-Zajacová (Cesta ven)
Anna Geislerová (Fair Play)
Eva Josefíková (Fair Play)

Best Supporting Actor

Jaroslav Plesl (Díra u Hanušovic)
Igor Bareš (Fair Play)
Ondřej Vetchý (Jak jsme hráli čáru)
Karel Roden (Krásno)
Matěj Hádek (Pohádkář)

Best Screenplay

Petr Václav (Cesta ven)
Lubomír Smékal, Miroslav Krobot (Díra u Hanušovic)
Andrea Sedláčková (Fair Play)
Jiří Mádl (Pojedeme k moři)
Zdeněk Svěrák (Tři bratři)

Best Cinematography

Štěpán Kučera (Cesta ven)
Jan Baset Střítežský (Díra u Hanušovic)
Jan Baset Střítežský (Fair Play)
Martin Štrba (Pohádkář)
Vladimír Smutný (Tři bratři)

Best Editing

Florent Mangeot (Cesta ven)
Jan Daňhel (Díra u Hanušovic)
Jakub Hejna (Fair Play)
Alois Fišárek (Jak jsme hráli čáru)
Alois Fišárek (Tři bratři)

Best Sound

Daniel Němec, Ivan Horák (Cesta ven)
Viktor Ekrt, Marek Hart (Díra u Hanušovic)
Daniel Němec (Fair Play)
Radim Hladík (Pohádkář)
Jakub Čech, Claus Lynge (Tři bratři)

Best Music

Jan P. Muchow (Krásno)
Michal Novinski (Andělé všedního dne)
David Solař, Miro Žbirka (Fair Play)
Roman Holý (Pohádkář)
Jaroslav Uhlíř, Michal Novinski (Tři bratři)

Best Costumes

Simona Rybáková (Tři bratři)
Tereza Kučerová (Cesta ven)
Katarína Hollá (Díra u Hanušovic)
Simona Rybáková (Fair Play)
Zuzana Krejzková (Hany)

Best Makeup

Zdeněk Klika (Tři bratři)
Lukáš Král (Díra u Hanušovic)
Anett Weber, Katarína Horská (Fair Play)
Lucie Lišková (Krásno)
Jiřina Pahlerová (Něžné vlny)

Best Documentary

Olga
K oblakům vzhlížíme
Magický hlas rebelky
Století Miroslava Zikmunda
Život podle Václava Havla