The latest edition of the Trilobit Awards reaffirmed the ceremony’s long-standing focus on artistic integrity and social relevance within Czech film and television. Presented by the Czech Film and Television Union (FITES), the awards recognized works that engaged with personal loss, historical memory and civic accountability, rather than commercial success or audience reach.
Winners of the 39th annual awards were announced Wednesday evening at Prague’s New Town Hall, where organizers handed out 14 statuettes, including several newly established categories. The jury evaluated 123 eligible films and television projects released over the past year, highlighting the breadth of contemporary Czech and regional audiovisual production.
At the center of this year’s ceremony stood Father, a drama that received the main Trilobit Award for audiovisual creation. Alongside it, the jury also drew attention to documentary filmmaking, lifetime achievement and journalism, while once again using the Citrón Anti-Award to publicly criticize controversial actions within Czech public media governance.
Father takes top prize
The jury unanimously awarded the main Trilobit Award to Father, directed by Prague-based Slovak filmmaker Tereza Nvotová. The award was shared with lead actor Milan Ondrík and Polish cinematographer Adam Suzin, reflecting the film’s collaborative and international dimension.
In its citation, the jury praised the film for moving beyond a straightforward depiction of tragedy. Otec centers on a devoted father whose life collapses after a single fatal mistake leads to the death of his child. Rather than focusing solely on the event itself, the film explores grief, guilt and the fragile terrain of the human subconscious, anchored by Ondrík’s restrained performance.
Documentary filmmaking also featured prominently. The traditional award The Power of the Powerless went to Pavel Talankin and David Borenstein for Mr Nobody Against Putin, a film that has also been nominated for Best Documentary at the 2026 Academy Awards. The jury recognized the documentary’s examination of individual resistance and moral courage within an authoritarian context.
Several craft and specialty awards were also presented. Ferdinand Mazurek received the Josef Šlechta Award for cinematography for The Gardener’s Year, while the Bohumír Brunclík Award for sound design went to Juraj Baláž, Martin Jílek and Peter Hilčanský for the biographical film Duchoň. A newly introduced prize, Dialog of Memory, was awarded to the creators of Ashes (Popel), a multinational documentary tracing the disappearance of a young Basque man on the eve of World War II.
Lifetime honors and criticism of public media governance
Beyond individual films, the Trilobit Awards also emphasized long-term contributions to Czech and Slovak audiovisual culture. The Vladislav Vančura Award for lifetime achievement was presented to Czech screenwriter and director Hynek Bočan and Slovak filmmaker Dušan Hanák. The jury cited their sustained exploration of individual and societal trauma, as well as their influence across multiple generations of filmmakers.
Another newly established category, the Adam Černý Award for outstanding journalistic audiovisual work, was awarded to director Lea Surovcová, particularly for her documentary Dětská paliativní péče (Children’s Palliative Care), which focuses on pediatric palliative care. The award reflects FITES’ effort to recognize socially engaged journalism alongside traditional film and television production.
As in previous years, the ceremony also included the Citrón Anti-Award, intended to draw attention to actions viewed as harmful to public media standards. This year, the critical award was given to former and current members of the Czech Television Council who voted in 2020 to dismiss the council’s supervisory commission. According to the jury, a later ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court found the decision unlawful, resulting in financial compensation paid by Czech Television.
Founded in the 1960s and revived after the fall of communism, the Trilobit Awards remain one of the Czech Republic’s oldest honors for audiovisual work, alongside the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Their continued emphasis on ethical, social and artistic questions positions the awards less as a celebration of popularity and more as a forum for reflection on the role of film and television in public life.
