Tatiana Pauhofová in the film Burning Bush, directed by Agnieszka Holland, photo: Dušan Martinček/HBO
Agnieszka Holland received a statuette for Best Director and her film was awarded Best Film. Antoni Komasa-Łazarkiewicz won an award for Best Composer. Štěpán Hulík, considered discovery of the year in Czech cinema, obtained an award for Best Screenplay. The award for Best Supporting Actress was given to Jaroslava Pokorná, for her role as the protagonist’s mother and Martin Štrba received a special mention for photography.
42 Czech journalists evaluated 26 feature films and 16 documentary films. Agnieszka Holland’s film competed against Jako nikdy (Like Never Before), directed by Zdeněk Tyc (6 nominations, 2 awards) and Klauni (Clownwise) by Viktor Taus (4 nominations, 1 award).
Torch number 1
Burning Bush is the story of Jan Palach, a student who, on January 16th, 1969, set himself on fire during a protest against the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops. While communist authorities wanted to discredit his actions, debunking the myth of the heroic “torch number 1," Dagmar Burešová, a young lawyer, risked her career so that the world could see the truth about Palach’s deed.
In Burning Bush, Holland returns to the times of her youth spent in the Prague film school FAMU. Her TV show highlights personal emotions and memories. Holland talks about the times when Swing rhythms, jeans and vinyl records contributed to a generational and political declaration. The era’s portrait is built out of details: characteristic costumes of various brown shades, university interiors and hospital rooms giving off an ageing scent, old cars and fragments of Prague architecture untouched by restorers.
The three-part mini-series was created for HBO in 2013. The shortened film version was expected to be the Czech candidate for this year’s Oscars. However, due to the the award regulations of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the film was not allowed to compete.
Waiting for Czech Lions
Burning Bush is also the front runner for this year’s edition of the Czech Film and Television Academy awards. Holland’s production was the most nominated film (14 times) amongst all the other films registered to this prestigious award ceremony. The story of Jan Palach will fight for the Lion statuette in the following categories: Best Film, Best Scenario, Best Photography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Actor and Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Sound, Best Costumes and Best Makeup.
The Awards Ceremony will take place on February 22nd, 2014 in the Rudolfinum Concert Hall in Prague. Last year, Adam Sikora was awarded the Czech Lion for Best Director of Photography in Ve stínu koně (In the Shadow) directed by David Ondříček.
Source: Ceska Televize, ed. BS. 27.01.2014 translated by Konstancja Dunin-Wąsowicz