Charlatan named Best Film, Agnieszka Holland Best Director at Czech Lion awards

Agnieszka Holland’s Charlatan has been named Best Film at the 2021 Czech Lion Awards, celebrating achievements in Czech filmmaking in 2020. The Czech equivalent of the Academy Awards, the Czech Lions have been awarded annually since the establishment of the Czech Republic in 1993.

The excellent, and quite shocking, Caught in the Net was awarded Best Documentary. Directed by Barbora Chalupová and Vít Klusák, Caught in the Net cast four adult actresses to pose as teenagers and uncover hundreds of instances of online sexual exploitation and harassment of children in the Czech Republic.

Traditionally a gala event, this year’s Czech Lion award ceremony saw a sparse crowd at Prague’s Rudolfinum, largely nominees and presenters. Guests were tested for COVID-19 before entering, and a handful were turned away

In addition to Charlatan’s win for Best Film, Agnieszka Holland has also been named Best Director. She remains the only female director to have won a Czech Lion, having also been awarded for 2013’s Burning Bush.

Ivan Trojan took home Best Actor for his role as controversial Czech folk healer Jan Mikolášek in Charlatan. The film also scored awards for Best Cinematography (Martin Štrba) and Best Sound (Radim Hladík jr.) for a total of five wins from 14 nominations.

Bohdan Sláma’s Shadow Country, which led all films with 15 nominations, took home six Czech Lion awards, including Best Actress (Magdaléna Borová), Supporting Actress (Petra Špalková), Screenplay (Ivan Arsenjev), Editing (Jan Daňhel), Music (Jakub Kudláč), and Costumes (Zuzana Bambušek Krejzková).

Jiří Mádl won Supporting Actor for his turn in Droneman (Modelář). Havel, a biopic of former Czech president Václav Havel, scored 14 Czech Lion nominations but was nearly shut out, taking home just one for Makeup and Hairstyling (Adriana Bartošová and René Stejskal).

In addition to being named the best Czech film of 2020 at the Czech Lion awards, Charlatan is also the Czech Republic’s official submission for the 2021 Academy Awards. It has been shortlisted among 14 international films eligible for the award, and will compete for one of five nominations to be announced later this month.

Full list of winners and nominees at the 2021 Czech Lion Awards:

BEST FILM

• Havel (Havel) – producer Slávek Horák

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – producers Martin Růžička, Jindřich Motýl

• Modelář (Droneman) – producers Petr Zelenka, Martin Sehnal

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – producers Šárka Cimbalová, Kevan Van Thompson

• Žáby bez jazyka (Cook, F++k, Kill) – producers Viktor Schwarcz, Mira Fornay

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• Alchymická pec (Alchemic Furnace) – director Jan Daňhel, Adam Oľha – producers Pavla Kallistová, Zuzana Mistríková, Ľubica Orechovská, Jan Švankmajer, Jaromír Kallista

• Kdo jinému jámu – Rudolf Slánský (Hoisted with his Own Petard – Rudolf Slánský) – director Martin Vadas – producer Alena Müllerová

• Můj otec Antonín Kratochvíl (My Father Antonin Kratochvil)– director Andrea Sedláčková – producer Martin Hůlovec

• Postiženi muzikou (Two Roads) – director Radovan Síbrt – producers Alžběta Karásková, Karel Poupě

• V síti (Caught in the Net) – director Barbora Chalupová, Vít Klusák – producers Vít Klusák, Filip Remunda

BEST DIRECTOR

• Havel (Havel) – Slávek Horák

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Bohdan Sláma

• Modelář (Droneman) – Petr Zelenka

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Agnieszka Holland

• Žáby bez jazyka (Cook, F++k, Kill) – Mira Fornay

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

• Bábovky (Sweethearts) – Jana Plodková

• Havel (Havel) – Anna Geislerová

• Herec (Actor) – Jenovéfa Boková

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Magdaléna Borová

• V síti (Caught in the Net) – Tereza Těžká

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

• Havel (Havel) – Viktor Dvořák

• Herec (Actor) – Jan Cina

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Csongor Kassai

• Modelář (Droneman) – Kryštof Hádek

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Ivan Trojan

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Havel (Havel) – Barbora Seidlová

• Herec (Actor) – Elizaveta Maximová

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Barbora Poláková

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Petra Špalková

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Jaroslava Pokorná

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Havel (Havel) – Martin Hofmann

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Stanislav Majer

• Modelář (Droneman) – Jiří Mádl

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Juraj Loj

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Josef Trojan

BEST SCREENPLAY

• Havel (Havel) – Slávek Horák, Rudolf Suchánek

• Herec (Actor) – Petr Bok, Pavel Gotthard

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Ivan Arsenjev

• Modelář (Droneman) – Petr Zelenka

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Marek Epstein

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Havel (Havel) – Jan Šťastný

• Herec (Actor) – Martin Žiaran

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Diviš Marek

• Modelář (Droneman) – Alexander Šurkala

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Martin Štrba

BEST FILM EDITING

• Havel (Havel) – Vladimír Barák

• Herec (Actor) – Marek Kráľovský

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Jan Daňhel

• Modelář (Droneman) – Vladimír Barák

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Pavel Hrdlička

BEST SOUND

• Bourák (The Banger) – Jiří Klenka

• FREM (FREM) – Dominik Dolejší

• Havel (Havel) – Viktor Prášil, Pavel Rejholec

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Marek Poledna

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Radim Hladík jr.

BEST MUSIC

• Bourák (The Banger) – Roman Holý

• Havel (Havel) – Petr Malásek

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Jakub Kudláč

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Antoni Komasa-Łazarkiewicz

• Zrádci (Rats) – Petr Ostrouchov

BEST STAGE DESIGN

• Cesta do nemožna (The Impossible Voyage) – Noro Držiak, Milan Ondruch, Martin Máj, Jan Kolegar

• Havel (Havel) – Vladimír Hruška

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Jan Pjena Novotný

• Marie Terezie II (Maria Theresa) – Martin Kurel

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Milan Býček

BEST COSTUMES

• Bourák (The Banger) – Tereza Kučerová

• Havel (Havel) – Natálie Steklová

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Zuzana Bambušek Krejzková

• Marie Terezie II (Maria Theresa) – Ján Kocman

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Katarína Štrbová Bieliková

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

• Bourák (The Banger) – Jana Bílková

• Havel (Havel) – Adriana Bartošová, René Stejskal

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Lukáš Král

• Marie Terezie II (Maria Theresa) – Barbara Kichi

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – René Stejskal, Gabriela Poláková

BEST TELEVISION FILM OR MINISERIES

• Herec (Actor) – main producers Rastislav Šesták, Peter Bebjak, Kateřina Ondřejková – main maker Peter Bebjak, Petr Bok

• Stockholmský syndrom (Stockholm Syndrome) – main producer Kateřina Ondřejková – main maker Dan Svátek

• Veterán (Veteran) – main producer Jiřina Budíková – main maker Jan Hřebejk

BEST TELEVISION SERIES

• Crime Scene: Ostrava – main producers Jan Lekeš, Martin Froyda – main makers Dan Wlodarczyk, Jiří Chlumský, Jan Hřebejk

• Specialisté (Specialists) – main producers Rastislav Šesták, Bernd Alexa – main makers Heike Richter-Karst, Michael Bütow

• Zrádci (Rats) – main producers Viktor Tauš, Jan Lekeš – main makers Viktor Tauš, Matěj Chlupáček, Miro Šifra

BEST ANIMATED FILM

• Barevný sen (A Colourful Dream) – director, producer, designer Jan Balej

• Jsme si o smrt blíž – director Bára Anna Stejskalová – producers Jakub Košťál, Vratislav Šlajer – designer Bára Anna Stejskalová

• Mlsné medvědí příběhy (Hungry Bear tales) – directors Kateřina Karhánková, Alexandra Májová – producer Barbora Příkaská – designer Filip Pošivač

BEST SHORT FILM

• Anatomie českého odpoledne (Anatomy of a Czech Afternoon) – director Adam Martinec – producer Matěj Paclík

• Hranice (Frontier) – director Damián Vondrášek – producer Martina Netíková

• Pripyat Piano (Pripyat Piano) – director Eliška Cílková – producer Jindřich Andrš

MAGNESIA AWARD FOR THE BEST STUDENT FILM – non-statutory award

• Anatomie českého odpoledne (Anatomy of a Czech Afternoon) – director Adam Martinec

• Hranice (Frontier) – director Damián Vondrášek

• Jsme si o smrt blíž (Love is Just a Death Away) – director Bára Anna Stejskalová

• Musí to být bolestivý (Must Be Painful) – director David Semler

• Pripyat Piano (Pripyat Piano) – director Eliška Cílková

BEST FILM POSTER – non-statutory award

• Krajina ve stínu (Shadow Country) – Jan Poukar

• FREM (FREM) – Adéla Valha Vorbová

• Havel (Havel) – Jan Poukar

• Můj otec Antonín Kratochvíl (My Father Antonin Kratochvil) – Radka Beránková

• Šarlatán (Charlatan) – Rudolf Havlík, Marcela Šedivá

AWARD OF FILM FANS – non-statutory award

• V síti (Caught in the Net) – Barbora Chalupová, Vít Klusák