08 February 2026
Broken Voices named Film of the Year by Czech critics
Broken Voices named Film of the Year by Czech critics
At the 16th Czech Film Critics’ Awards, two statuettes each were shared by Broken Voices, Father, and Summer School, 2001. The latter’s creator, debuting director and screenwriter Dužan Duong, personally claimed victories in two categories. In total, six films and one miniseries were awarded.
In a very close vote, Broken Voices, produced by Jiří Konečný and Ivan Ostrochovský, was named Film of the Year. The story of a teenage girl searching for her place in a prestigious girls’ choir led by an admired choirmaster opens up themes of manipulation and the sexual abuse of minors. For her disarming performance in the lead role, Kateřina Falbrová received the award for Best Actress.
Critics also recognized the performance of Slovak actor Milan Ondrík in the title role of the emotionally intense drama Father, about a man attempting to come to terms with the consequences of his tragic mistake. Director Tereza Nvotová also took home an award.
The first Czech Viet-film, Summer School, 2001, earned its author Dužan Duong the award for Best Screenplay as well as the innogy Award for Discovery of the Year. He shares the screenplay award with Jan Smutný and Lukáš Kokeš. From the sensitive coming-of-age drama set in Slovakia’s so-called “hungry” valleys, Promise, I'll Be Fine, which filmmaker Katarína Gramatová largely cast with non-professional actors, critics highlighted the cinematography by Tomáš Kotas.
Director Tomáš Hlaváček, following his success at Ji.hlava, also celebrated winning the Critics’ Award for Best Documentary. In his film The Impossibility, he examines the chilling consequences of the business of poverty, centered on so-called predatory housing.
In the Off-Cinema category, the crime miniseries The Well, produced by the streaming platform Oneplay, took the top prize. Its creators — screenwriters Miro Šifra and Kristina Májová and director Tereza Kopáčová — drew inspiration from a real family tragedy in the Central Bohemian village of Vonoklasy as well as a well-known episode of the series Thirty Cases of Major Zeman. In the short film category, the diary-style animated film I Died in Irpin stood out, in which director Anastasia Falileieva documents the first days following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Czech Film Critics’ Awards are organized by the Czech Film Critics’ Association with the support of its main partners: innogy, Czech Television, the Czech Audiovisual Fund, and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. Additional partners include ARCHA+, Champagneria, and mowshe.
