Press Release
Four Czech filmmakers are in the running for the most prestigious film award – the Oscar®: Linda Eisenhamerová in the Makeup & Hair category, Viktor Prášil in the Sound category, Kamil Jafar for Special Effects, and Viktor Müller for Visual Effects.
From the top left corner to the right: Viktor Müller, Viktor Prášil, Linda Eisenhamerová, Kamil Jafar
The nominees came together in early 2021 as part of a Czech-German crew assembled by a Czech producer Pavel Müller of Sirena Film under the direction of Edward Berger, who shot the first German adaptation of Remarque’s anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front in the Czech Republic from March to May 2021.
“The nominations of Czech filmmakers are truly well deserved. It’s a confirmation of the ‘golden Czech filmmaking hands’, which we appreciate, and we do everything we can to keep foreign filmmakers coming back to us,” said Pavlína Žipková, a Czech national film commissioner, who will also attend the Oscars ceremony. “The German production company spent a total of CZK 430 million (USD 19.5 million / EUR 18.3 million) in our country not only on film professions but also on many non-film services,” said Žipková on the positive economic impact of foreign crews working in the Czech Republic.
The Czech Film Commission and the Consulate General of the Czech Republic, together with the Consulates General of Germany and Austria, and Barrandov Studio, will host a gala reception in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 11, in honor of the nominees and will also be attended by the Deputy Minister of Culture Michal Šašek.
“Czechs earned a good reputation in Hollywood starting back during the silent film era,” says Jaroslav Olša, Jr., a historian and Czech consul general in Los Angeles.
“In the 1930s, more than a dozen Czech artists worked in the special effects departments of 20th Century Fox. Fred Sersen and Emil Kosa Jr. were nominated numerous times for Oscars and even won three awards from the 1940s to the 1960s. And ‘golden Czech hands’ created such iconic film moments as the final scene of Planet of the Apes when Charlton Heston discovers the ruins of the Statue of Liberty or all the interiors and exteriors of ancient Egypt in Cleopatra. We’re confident that the current generation of Czech filmmakers will also enjoy public recognition,” Olša added.
“The nominations of Linda Eisenhamerová, Viktor Prášil, Kamil Jafar, and Viktor Müller are recognition of exceptional talents and top professionals who demonstrate the world-class level of the Czech film industry,” said Michal Šašek, Deputy Minister of Culture.
Helena Bezděk Fraňková, director of the Czech Film Fund, agrees: “The huge success of Czech filmmakers proves unequivocally to producers from all over the world that when they come to the Czech Republic to shoot, they can expect top-notch technical and creative services. It also signals to all foreign productions, platforms, co-producers, and studios that Czech creatives and technical staff can head virtually all production departments.”
One of the most powerful films of 2022, All Quiet on the Western Front has already won seven British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards, including the Sound Award for Viktor Prášil, Best Film, Best Film Not in the English Language, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, and Cinematography. Kamil Jafar and Viktor Müller were among the 14 nominees for Special Visual Effects.
The annual Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 12 at 5:00 pm PST (March 13 at 01:00 CET). ABC Television will broadcast the event live from Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre to more than 200 countries worldwide.
Contact for further information
Pavlína Žipková, Czech national film commissioner, tel. +420 603 554 044