Prague, Oct 2 (CTK) – Czech documentary Cervena mapping the fate of Czech-born opera singer Sona Cervena won the Grand Prix at the 54th Golden Prague international television festival of music, theatre and dance films at the weekend.
Cervena, 92, who left for West Berlin through the last opened border crossing in 1962 closely before the wall divided the city for decades, personally took over the award along with director Olga Sommerova and other film-makers on the New Scene of the National Theatre in Prague on Saturday night.
The winning film tells the story of an extraordinary woman and a cabaret singer who became a world-famous opera star.
“But it is also a film which, by skilful interweaving of historical archive, records the history of Europe in the 20th century, with an emotional and sometimes humorous contrast between her warm personality and the traumatic situations in which she found herself,” the jury said.
The Czech Crystal award in the performing arts category went to Young Men from the BBC production. This is a story about WWI, told entirely through music and dance and filmed in realistic locations.
German film Silence – Composers in Revolutionary Russia won the same award in the category of documentary programmes dedicated to music, dance and theatre. The documentary features works by less known Russian composers, including Alexander Mosolov (1900-1973) who set newspaper advertisements to music.
The Florence Foster Jenkins Story by German director Ralf Pleger was awarded for its originality of production.
The jury also gave a special mention to Swedish documentary Ingmar Bergman Through the Choreographer’s Eyes.
The Czech Television (CT) awarded another Swedish film, Axe.
The Dagmar and Vaclav Havel Foundation VIZE 97 award was bestowed on Norwegian film From a Windfall. Kaleidoscope.
The festival’s ward for life achievement went to Slovak-born opera singer Gabriela Benackova. The European Broadcasting Union and the International Music and Media Centre awarded British director Brian Large for his lifelong artistic work.
Golden Prague, held by the public CT and founded in 1964, has been one of the world’s oldest international television festivals.
