Czech Radio announces the winners of the 39th Prix Bohemia Radio international festival
This year's Prix Bohemia Radio competition knows its winners. During the closing ceremony of the 39th edition of the international festival, which was held by Czech Radio from 16 - 19 October 2023 in Olomouc, the expert jury of each category announced it’s three top entries. The competition once again featured four categories: Documentary, News Report, Drama and Podcast. A Student Award was also presented in each category, independently from the expert jury.
The winning works in the Documentary category offer, for example, a look at the complex situation of Ukrainian refugees upon their arrival to Prague's Main Railway Station and a deeply intimate portrait of a Muslim woman facing the indifference of Czech society and the injustice of the legal system.
The final works in the international News Report category provide testimonies about the war conflict in Ukraine and the exploitation of Romanian wage workers in Austria.
In the Drama category, the jury praised the acting performances of Jitka Smutná, Tereza Dočkalová, Anežka Štastná and Antonia Rashilova, as well as the excellent musical components that enhance the stories of the winning works.
The Podcast section gave its winning slots to an entry presenting Czechoslovak pop culture of the last 50 years through the career of singer Karel Gott, another work dealing with the political cases that still have an influence on Czech society and a podcast that analyses current political and social issues in depth.
"This year, as Czech Radio celebrates its 100th anniversary, it organized the 39th edition of the Prix Bohemia Radio International Festival of Radio Production. The festival, once again held in the beautiful city of Olomouc, had an unmistakable atmosphere, which the president of Prix Bohemia Radio, Igor Bareš, brought to life for radio listeners in his periodic festival minutes. I am pleased that this year there was also great interest in the listening sessions of each competing category and a rich accompanying programme. The international expert juries and the independent student juries selected the best documentaries, news reports, dramas and podcasts. The winning works prove that contemporary audio production is at a peak," said René Zavoral, Director General of Czech Radio.
The international juries awarded the following three best entries in each category:
Documentary
- Příští stanice Hlavák / Next Station: Prague Main
Authors and directors: Ivona Remundová and Waltr Nagy, dramaturg: Jakub Horáček, sound design: Jan Plíhal, sound and technical realization: Dominik Budil
- Strom Storm / Tree Spree
Author and director: Daniel Kupšovský, dramaturges: Marek Mojžíšek, Terezie Jirásková, sound design, sound and technical realization: Tomáš Pernický
- Nech si uříznout hlavu. Jestli chceš / Have Your Head Cut Off. If You Want to
Author and director: Lukáš Houdek, dramaturg, sound design, sound and technical realization: Adam Voneš
News Report
- Útok na Slovjansk / Attack on Slovjansk
Author: Martin Dorazín, Czech Radio Radiožurnál / Czech Radio Plus, Czech Republic
- Die gefährliche Arbeit in den heimischen Wäldern / The Dangerous Work in the Domestic Forests
Authors: Naz Küçüktekin, Christof Mackinger, ORF Radio OE1, ORF – Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, Austria
- вікна бачу Антонівський міст / I Can See Antonivka Bridge From the Window
Authors: Taras Ibrahimov, Khrystyna Havryliuk, Ukrainian Radio, Suspilne Ukraine (UA:PBC), Ukraine
Special Jury Mentions:
Moja nieznana ojczyzna / My Unknown Homeland by Antoni Rokicki, Polskie Radio
Mámou potmě / Mom in the Dark – Blind Alena with her daughter in the playground, by Veronika Hlaváčová, Czech Radio
Sokolské Brno / Sokol days in Brno, by Zuzana Botiková, Radio Slovakia (RTVS)
Čekání na tátu / Waiting for Daddy, by Iva Vokurková, Czech Radio
Drama
- Svůj vůz i pluh veď přes kosti mrtvých 1/3 / Drive Your Plough Over the Bones of the Dead 1/3
Author: Olga Tokarczuk, radio adaptation: Kristina Májová, translation: Petr Vidlák, director: Izabela Schenková, dramaturge: Renata Venclová, music: Miroslav Tóth, sound and technical realization: Miroslav Tóth and Jonáš Rosůlek
- Máma / Mum
Author: Asja Vološina, translation: Marcela Magdová, director: Tomáš Soldán, dramaturg: Marina Feltlová, music: Tomáš Vtípil, sound and technical realization: Marek Hoblík
- Sleduj! / Watch This!
Author: Tomáš Ráliš, director: Ondřej Štefaňák, dramaturg: Lenka Veverková, music: Miroslav Tóth, sound and technical realization: Jonáš Rosůlek
Podcast
- Gott'ák
Author: Pavel Klusák, created by: Audionaut, director: Marek Najbrt, featuring: Pavel Klusák and Tereza Dočkalová, producer: Vratislav Šlajer, dramaturgy: Eva Pjajčíková, sound and music: Kryštof Blabla, Lukáš Moudrý, graphics: Olga Benešov
- Vinohradská 12 Author: Matěj Skalický and the podcast team
- Prohnilí / The Rotten
Topic and main voice: Jaroslav Kmenta, director: Damian Machaj (Storylab Audio), producer and publisher: Hana Němečková, Seznam Zprávy, script: Josef Kokta, Petr Koubek, music and sound design: Ivan Horák, František Šec, dramaturgical consultation: Lucie Kryzová, research: Karolina Veselá
Special Student Awards were also awarded in individual categories independently of the expert jury. In the Documentary section, the award went to Jakub Horáček for his work Vyhnanci (Outcasts). In the International News Report category, the Student Jury Prize was awarded to Austrian authors Naz Küçüktekin and Christof Mackinger for their reportage entitled Die gefährliche Arbeit in den heimischen Wäldern (The Dangerous Work in the Domestic Forests). In the Drama section, the students decided on the winner Sleduj! (Watch This!) by Tomáš Ráliš. Finally, in the Podcast category, the students voted for Ve stínu: Nejlepší kamarád (In the Shadows. The Best Friend) by Jiří Kubík and Braň Pažitka as the best in this category.
The closing ceremony of the 2023 Prix Bohemia Radio Festival took place on Thursday 19 October at Laudon Hall in Olomouc. The gala evening was hosted by presenter Jitka Novotná and featured musical performances by the folk band ČaroTaJ.
