The historical drama Shadow Country – directed by Bohdan Sláma and produced by Martin Růžička and Jindřich Motýl – has won the Czech Film Critics Awards Best Picture of 2020 at a ceremony held today at Prague’s Archa Theatre. Best Director went to Agnieszka Holland for her biopic Charlatan. A total of eight films received awards.
Inspired by actual events, and shot in black and white, Shadow Country depicts the impact of Nazism and Communism on the inhabitants of a village at the Czech-Austrian border. Magdaléna Borová won Best Actress for her portrayal of Maria Veber, a Czech woman living through difficult times. Best Actor went to Ivan Trojan for his portrayal of the controversial healer Jan Mikolášek in Charlatan. Best Screenplay was awarded to Petr Zelenka for Droneman, a tale of post-traumatic struggle and vengeful fantasies against the US political establishment.
Best Documentary went to Barbora Chalupová and Vít Klusák for Caught in the Net, an expose of online sexual predators that was the most-watched film in Czech theatres in 2020. Director Jindřich Andrš won Newcomer of the Year for A New Shift, a documentary about a former miner seeking work in a world where his skills are no longer needed.
The experimental documentary FREM, shot in the Antarctic, won the Audiovisual Achievement Award, with critics honoring Viera Čákanyová and Tomáš Klein for their cinematography. The Offscreen Award was given to the crime mini-series Zrádci. A Best Short Film statuette was awarded for the first time, going to Adam Martinec for Anatomy of Czech Afternoon, an allegory of Czech society set at a swimming pool. The awards ceremony was hosted by Světlana Witowská and Ondřej Cihlář.
The Czech Film Critics Awards are organized by the Association of Czech Film Critics, with the generous support of its principal partners innogy, Czech Television, the Czech Film Fund, and the Czech Ministry of Culture. Additional support was provided by the Archa Theatre, Champagneria, and Mowshe. Complete results are available at www.filmovakritika.cz.
Czech Film Critics’ Awards 2020 Results
BEST FILM: Shadow Country (Krajina ve stínu) – Jindřich Motýl and Martin Růžička (producers)
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Caught in the Net (V síti) – Barbora Chalupová and Vít Klusák (co-directors)
BEST DIRECTOR: Agnieszka Holland – Charlatan (Šarlatán)
BEST SCREENPLAY: Petr Zelenka – Droneman (Modelář)
AUDIOVISUAL ACHIEVEMENT: FREM, Viera Čákanyová Tomáš Klein (directors of photography)
BEST ACTOR: Ivan Trojan – Charlatan (Šarlatán)
BEST ACTRESS: Magdaléna Borová – Shadow Country (Krajina ve stínu)
INNOGY PRIZE FOR NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Jindřich Andrš – A New Shift (Nová šichta)
OFFSSCREEN AWARD: Zrádci – Viktor Tauš, Matěj Chlupáček, Miro Šifra
BEST SHORT FILM: Anatomy of Czech Afternoon (Anatomie českého odpoledne) – Adam Martinec (director)