The Czech Film and Television Academy (ČFTA) has revealed the nominations for the 33rd annual Czech Lion Awards, recognizing films and television works released in 2025. A total of 32 feature films, documentaries, TV series, and miniseries advanced to the final round of voting across 24 statutory categories, selected from 94 eligible titles.
This year’s nominations reflect a notably varied slate, spanning historical drama, socially engaged storytelling, debut features, and ambitious television productions. Leading the field is Franz, directed by Agnieszka Holland, followed closely by Broken Voices and Caravan, with several debut films and series also earning strong recognition from the academy.
The awards ceremony will take place March 14 at the Prague Congress Centre, marking the first time the venue has hosted the Czech Lions. The event will be broadcast live on Czech Television’s ČT1, with stand-up comedian Bianca Cristovao hosting and producer Matěj Chlupáček overseeing the evening’s creative direction.
Franz dominates this year’s nominations
With 15 nominations, Franz emerged as the most recognized title of the year. Inspired by the life, work, and imagination of writer Franz Kafka, the film competes in major categories including best feature film, directing, and screenplay. Holland’s film also features prominently in technical categories and acting races, with Idan Weiss nominated for best actor in a leading role and multiple supporting acting nods.
Close behind is Broken Voices, which received 13 nominations. Directed by Ondřej Provazník, the film addresses abuse within a world-renowned girls’ choir, positioning it as one of the year’s most socially resonant works. The film is nominated for best feature, directing, screenplay, and several acting and craft categories, including a leading actress nomination for Kateřina Falbrová.
Zuzana Kirchnerová’s Caravan earned 11 nominations, confirming its strong reception among academy voters. The poetic road movie explores freedom, intimacy, and personal reinvention, and competes in top categories alongside Franz, Broken Voices, Summer School, 2001, and Promise, I’ll Be Fine for best feature film.
Several debut works stood out this year. Dužan Duong’s Summer School, 2001 received eight nominations, including best film, directing, and screenplay, offering an intimate look at the Vietnamese-Czech community. Katarína Gramatová’s minimalist coming-of-age drama Promise, I’ll Be Fine collected seven nominations, while the TV miniseries The Well secured five.
The documentary category also reflects a strong year, with nominees including Karlovy Vary winner Better Go Mad in the Wild, What About Petey?, and The Other One, highlighting both personal and socially engaged nonfiction filmmaking.
Acting races and television recognition
The acting categories underline the breadth of performances across film and television. In the race for best actress in a leading role, nominees include Anna Geislerová for Caravan, Quỳnh Lan Lê for Summer School, 2001, Elizaveta Maximová for Mom, Lucie Fingerhutová for The Other Side of Summer, and Kateřina Falbrová for Broken Voices.
The best actor category features Idan Weiss (Franz), David Vodstrčil (Caravan), Michal Záchenský (Promise, I’ll Be Fine), Hynek Čermák (Invincibles), and Juraj Loj (Broken Voices). Ivan Trojan appears twice among the supporting actor nominees, for roles in Franz and Invincibles, alongside his son Josef Trojan, also nominated for Franz.
Television productions remain a significant part of the Czech Lion landscape. The miniseries Král Šumavy 2 – Agent Chodec leads the TV field with four nominations, joined by Moloch, OKTOPUS II, Ratolesti, and Studna in the best series or miniseries category. Acting nominations in television highlight performances by Judit Pecháček (The Kiddo), Anna Geislerová (Ratolesti), and Johana Matoušková (Studna).
Beyond the statutory awards, the academy also announced several non-statutory honors at its nomination press conference. The fan award, presented in cooperation with ČSFD.cz, went to Do the Mæth (Na plech), while the award for best film poster was claimed by Michal Čermín for Franz.
Voting among ČFTA’s 435 members took place between Dec. 1, 2025, and Jan. 11, 2026. In the lead-up to the ceremony, a selection of nominated films will be available for streaming via DAFilms from March 2 to 22, with additional theatrical screenings planned at CineStar multiplexes.
Established in 1993, the Czech Lion Awards remain the country’s most prominent film honors, offering an annual snapshot of trends, emerging voices, and established talent within Czech cinema and television. This year’s nominations suggest a continued openness to diverse perspectives, debut filmmakers, and projects that engage directly with contemporary social themes.
2026 Czech Lion nominations
Best Feature Film
- Franz
- Caravan (Karavan)
- Summer School, 2001 (Letní škola, 2001)
- Promise, I’ll Be Fine (Nahoře nebe, v dolině já)
- Broken Voices (Sbormistr)
Best Documentary Film
- What About Petey? (Co s Péťou?)
- The Impossibility (Dům bez východu)
- Better Go Mad in the Wild (Raději zešílet v divočině)
- The Other One (Ta druhá)
- Change My Mind (Velký vlastenecký výlet)
Best Director
- Agnieszka Holland — Franz
- Zuzana Kirchnerová — Caravan
- Dužan Duong — Summer School, 2001
- Katarína Gramatová — Promise, I’ll Be Fine
- Ondřej Provazník — Broken Voices
Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Anna Geislerová — Caravan
- Quỳnh Lan Lê — Summer School, 2001
- Elizaveta Maximová — Mom (Máma)
- Lucie Fingerhutová — The Other Side of Summer (Na druhé straně léta)
- Kateřina Falbrová — Broken Voices
Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Idan Weiss — Franz
- David Vodstrčil — Caravan
- Michal Záchenský — Promise, I’ll Be Fine
- Hynek Čermák — Invincibles (Neporazitelní)
- Juraj Loj — Broken Voices
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- Jenovéfa Boková — Franz
- Juliána Brutovská — Caravan
- Jana Plodková — Caravan
- Sophia Šporclová — Mom
- Maya Kintera — Broken Voices
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Peter Kurth — Franz
- Ivan Trojan — Franz
- Josef Trojan — Franz
- Dũng Nguyễn — Summer School, 2001
- Ivan Trojan — Invincibles
Best Screenplay
- Franz — Marek Epstein
- Caravan — Zuzana Kirchnerová, Tomáš Bojar, Kristina Májová
- Summer School, 2001 — Dužan Duong, Jan Smutný, Lukáš Kokeš
- Promise, I’ll Be Fine — Katarína Gramatová
- Broken Voices — Ondřej Provazník
Best Cinematography
- Franz — Tomasz Naumiuk
- Caravan — Simona Weisslechner, Denisa Buranová
- Promise, I’ll Be Fine — Tomáš Kotas
- Better Go Mad in the Wild — Dušan Husár, Miro Remo
- Broken Voices — Lukáš Milota
Best Editing
- Franz — Pavel Hrdlička
- Caravan — Adam Brothánek
- Summer School, 2001 — Jakub Jelínek, Jakub Podmanický
- Better Go Mad in the Wild — Máté Csuport, Šimon Hájek
- Broken Voices — Anna Johnson Ryndová
Best Sound
- Franz — Marek Hart, Michaela Patríková, Tomáš Bělohradský
- Caravan — Martin Ženíšek, Michal Deliopulos, Klára Javoříková
- Promise, I’ll Be Fine — Anna Žihlová, Peter Hilčanský, Samuel Perunko
- Better Go Mad in the Wild — Lukáš Kasprzyk, Adam Matej
- Broken Voices — Juraj Mravec, Petr Čechák
Best Music
- Fichtelberg — Jan P. Muchow
- Franz — Mary Komasa, Antoni Komasa-Łazarkiewicz
- Caravan — Ondřej Mikula (Aid Kid), Viera Marinová
- Promise, I’ll Be Fine — Jonny Hawkins, Juan Villamor (700 Feel)
- Broken Voices — Jonatan Pastirčák (Pjoni), Ondřej Mikula (Aid Kid)
Best Production Design
- Sugar Candy (Cukrkandl) — Adam Pitra, Branislav Mihálik
- Fichtelberg — Jiří Sternwald, Šimon Koudela
- Franz — Henrich Boráros
- Summer School, 2001 — Marek František Đỏ Špitálský
- Broken Voices — Irena Hradecká
Best Costume Design
- Sugar Candy — Sylva Zimula Hanáková
- Fichtelberg — Sylva Zimula Hanáková
- Franz — Michaela Horáčková Hořejší
- Summer School, 2001 — Veronika Varcholová
- Broken Voices — Marek Cpin
Best Makeup
- Fichtelberg — Miroslava Krepsová, Jaroslav Šámal
- Franz — Gabriela Poláková
- Mom — Lenka Nosková
- Broken Voices — Eva Schwarzová
- The Well (Studna) — Jana Bílková
Best Series or Miniseries
- Král Šumavy 2 – Agent chodec
- Moloch
- OKTOPUS II
- Ratolesti
- The Well
Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Series
- The Kiddo (Děcko) — Judit Pecháček
- Ratolesti — Anna Geislerová
- The Well — Johana Matoušková
Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Series
- Král Šumavy 2 – Agent chodec — Oskar Hes
- OKTOPUS II — Miroslav Krobot
- The Well — David Švehlík
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series
- The Kiddo — Elizaveta Maximová
- Král Šumavy 2 – Agent chodec — Kristýna Ryška
- The Limits (Limity) — Tatiana Dyková Vilhelmová
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series
- Král Šumavy 2 – Agent chodec — Jan Nedbal
- Moloch — Miroslav Donutil
- The Well — Filip František Červenka
Best Animated Film
- I Died in Irpin
- Stone of Destiny (Kámen Osudu)
- tiny film about rape (malý film o znásilnění)
- Tales from the Magic Garden (Pohádky po babičce)
- Wolfie (Vlček)
Best Short Film
- Wayfarer (Cestovatel)
- Hey, Czechs! (Hej, Češi!)
- Cultural Front (Kulturní fronta)
- Dog and Wolf (Pes a vlk)
- First Patrol (První hlídka)
