26/04/2016 - Family Film and Under the Sun among the winning titles at Finále Plzeň

L-R: Olmo Omerzu and Eliška Křenková with the Golden Kingfisher

Finále Plzeň, the annual Czech cinema round-up, wrapped its 29^th edition with an awards ceremony. In the main fiction-feature competition, several prize-winning films competed for the Golden Kingfisher, including Petr Zelenka's sophisticated satire Lost in Munich [+see also:
trailer
interview: Petr Zelenka
film profile], Jan Prušinovský’s social-realist dramedy The Snake Brothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jan Prušinovský
film profile], Marko Škop's fiction feature debut Eva Nová [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marko Škop
film profile], Slávek Horák’s Home Care [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Slávek Horák
film profile], Tomáš Mašín’s crime comedy Wilson City [+see also:
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film profile], Ivan Ostrochovský's fiction feature debut Koza [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan Ostrochovský
film profile], and Andy Fehu’s lo-fi moral horror The Greedy Tiffany [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. The international jury, headed by The Simpsons show-runner, writer and producer Mike Reiss, handed the main prize to emerging filmmaker Olmo Omerzu for his feature debut, the formalistically unconventional family drama, Family Film [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Olmo Omerzu
film profile]. “It has a great story, excellent acting, was very well directed and was visually interesting,” Reiss said of the winner.

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When it came to the documentary section, the international jury, chaired by Iranian documentarian Mohammadreza Farzad, opted for the Czech co-produced probe into the inner workings of North Korean propaganda and censorship, Under the Sun [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vitaly Mansky
film profile], directed by Vitaly Mansky. A jury headed by Jeffrey Bowers was tasked with picking winners for the Best Serial Television and Internet Project and Best Non-serial Television and Internet Project categories. Czech Television's Christmas fairy-tale The Midsummer Wreath, directed by Jiří Strach, won the latter, and the Kingfisher for Best Serial Project went to HBO for the thriller miniseries Mamon. Home Care and Gilad Baram’s documentary Koudelka Shooting Holy Land received Special Mentions.

“The revamp of this year’s festival was a great success; thank you to all of our supporters for your encouragement and responses. Compared to previous editions, we had more visitors overall and sold 3,000 more tickets compared to last year,” concluded the festival's director, Eva Veruňková Košařová, who, along with her team, rejuvenated the festival’s concept and programming (read the news) for this year's 29^th edition.

Here is the full list of 2016 Finále Plzeň winners:

Best Feature Live-Action or Animated Film
Family Film [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Olmo Omerzu
film profile] – Olmo Omerzu

Best Documentary
Under the Sun [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vitaly Mansky
film profile] – Vitaly Mansky

Best Serial television and Internet project
Mamon – Episode 5 – Vladimír Michálek

Best Non-Serial television and Internet production
The Midsummer Wreath – Jiří Strach

Non-statutory awards picked by student juries

Best Live-Action or Animated Feature Film
Little Man – Radek Beran

Student Jury Award for the Best Documentary
The Dangerous World of Doctor Doleček – Kristýna Bartošová

Student Jury Award for the Best Serial television and internet production
Labyrinth – Episode 3 – Jiří Strach

Student Jury Award for the Best Non-Serial television and internet production
True Štúr – Michal Baláž and Noro Držiak