Crime drama In the Shadow is best Czech film of 2012

Prague, March 3 (CTK) - In the Shadow of the Horse (2012), a detective story set in the communist Czechoslovakia of the 1950s, has won the Czech Lion award for the best Czech film of the year and awards in eight more categories that the Czech Film and Television Academy announced on Saturday night.

The film dominated the 20th Czech Lion awarding ceremony last night as it won nine of 11 categories, in which it competed. In total, awards were received in 15 categories.

The film won also the Czech Lion awards for the best director and screenplay, the best actor in leading role, the best camera, editing, music, sound and visual arrangement. Its Czech title is Ve stinu. It was made in Czech, Slovak, Polish and Israeli coproduction.

The Czech Film and Television Academy nominated the film for the Oscar Academy Awards last autumn, but the film was not shortlisted.

"In the Shadow of the Horse is a film noir. It is a historical detective film set in Prague in 1953," its director David Ondricek said previously.

No other film won more than one award.

The prize for special contribution to Czech film went to architect and artist Karel Cerny who received an Oscar for Amadeus directed by Milos Forman.

In the past 20 years, 543 Czech films were made and 316 Czech Lion awards were given.

Czech Lion film awards for 2012:

Best film: In the Shadow of the Horse

Best director: David Ondricek (In the Shadow of the Horse)

Best screenplay: Marek Epstein, David Ondricek, Misha Votruba (In the Shadow of the Horse)

Best actor in leading role: Ivan Trojan (In the Shadow of the Horse)

Best actress in leading role: Gabriela Micova (Der Muell, die Stadt und der Tod)

Best actor in supporting role: Ondrej Vetchy (County Championship - Last Match of Pepik Hnatek)

Best actress in supporting role: Klara Meliskova (Four Suns)

Best documentary: Love in the Grave (David Vondracek)

Best cinematographer: Adam Sikora (In the Shadow of the Horse)

Best music: Jan P. Muchow, Michal Novinski (In the Shadow of the Horse)

Best editing: Michal Lansky (In the Shadow of the Horse)

Best sound: Jakub Cech, Pavel Rejholec (In the Shadow of the Horse)

Best visual arrangement: Jan Vlasak, Jarmila Dittrichova-Konecna, Lukas Kral (In the Shadow of the Horse)

Spectators' award: You Kiss Like the Devil

Best film poster: Marius Corradini (In the Shadow of the Horse)

Best foreign film: Intouchables

Magnesia prize for best student film: M.O. (Jakub Kouril)

Special contribution to Czech film: architect and artist Karel Cerny