The Czech Republic will have a chance to earn an Oscar on Feb. 9 after the organizing Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced which films would be nominated for awards on Monday.
Nine movies, including crime film The Irishman by Martin Scorsese, the nostalgic Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino, and the surprise selection of South Korean movie Parasite, will all have a chance to earn the Oscar for best film.
Joker got the highest number of nominations with 11 in total. The Irishman, 1917, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood have a chance to win ten awards each.
This time, Czechs will have one more reason to watch the ceremony, which traditionally brings together the most famous faces of Hollywood. The Daughter by Prague FAMU student Daria Kashcheeva was nominated for the best short animated film.
Thus, the movie continues to build on last year’s success when it won the so-called Student Oscar. The last Czech film to earn the same award was Oil Gobblers by Jan Svěrák in 1989.
“The Daughter has been admitted to more than 80 festivals around the world, including the prestigious Sundance Festival, and has won over 40 awards to date,” says Alexandra Hroncová of FAMU.
“Moreover, it is the only Czech animated film that has made it to the Oscar finals over the past few decades,” Hroncová pointed out.
On the other hand, another Czech favorite, The Painted Bird by Václav Marhoul, did not make it to the finals in the category of international film features. Although the controversial movie was shortlisted at the beginning of the year, it is missing among the five finalists.
