Director Pavel Koutecký (1956-2006) was one of the outstanding personalities of Czech documentary cinema. An award was established in his memory in 2007. This year the ceremony took place at Prague's Archa theatre on June 11th.

5 October, directed by Martin Kollár in Czech-Slovak coproduction (by Punkchart Films, HBO Europe, endorfilm, 71km), is a story of a man waiting for an important surgery. After he learns he's facing the possibility of having only a few months left to live, he embarks on a journey without destination, and a sole “deadline” – the date of 5 October. From the notes in his diary and his daily search for a place to spend the night, we discover what he is running away from: fear, discomfort, the trying weather conditions, and his deteriorating health. Reality, however, keeps reminding him of what lies ahead – a surgery with possibly fatal consequences.

The Jury statement: “The Jury has unanimously agreed on this film, which harnesses high estethic qualities together with outstanding filmmaking including exceptional work with visuals, sound and silence, in tackling compelling themes of human mortality and finding joy in the present moment.”

In the Short Film category, the jury awarded Backstage by Martin Mach a Dominik Truhlář, both students of Tomas Bata University in Zlín (The Faculty of Multimedia Communications). The film goes behind the scenes of the Strašnice Crematorium. For some the crematorium is a morbid place and not a topic for conversation, but Ivo Plaček, who works as a crematory operator, is not afraid to talk about his work publicly.

The Jury statement: “We were taken not only by the somber theme, but also its treatment which corresponds with the theme in intrieguing ways.”