Prague – The Czech Film and Television Academy (ČFTA) has concluded its selection process for the Czech candidate for the 96th Academy Awards, choosing from a pool of three films: *Choirmaster*, *Caravan*, and *I Am Not Yet Who I Want to Be*. The decision follows a controversial rule change implemented this year, introducing a two-round voting system.
In the first round, the ČFTA Presidium narrowed down the eligible films to the final three. Subsequently, all 436 members of the Academy meeting the American Academy’s criteria were able to vote between July 8th and august 8th to determine the final nominee. 194 members participated in the final vote.
The shift to a two-round voting system sparked protest from prominent filmmakers including Jiří Mádl, Václav Marhoul, Ondřej Trojan, and Petr Václav.Their concern centered on the timing of the selection process, arguing that films premiering at key autumn festivals – such as the Venice Film Festival (August 30 – September 9) and the Toronto International Film Festival (September 7 – 17) – would not be available in their final, polished form for voters to assess. Despite thes objections, the ČFTA upheld the new rules.
The Czech Republic (and previously Czechoslovakia) has a distinguished history with the Academy Awards. To date, three films have won the coveted Golden Statue: *The Shop on Main Street* (1966) directed by Ján Kadár and elmar Klos, *Closely Watched Trains* (1968) by Jiří Menzel, and *Kolya* (1996) directed by Jan Svěrák.
Beyond these wins, six other Czech films have received Academy award nominations: *A Blonde in Love* (1966), *Firemen’s Ball* (1969) by Miloš Forman, *The Village Has a Center* (1986) by Jiří Menzel, *The Elementary School* (1991) by Jan Svěrák, *We Have to Help Each Other* (2000) by Jan Hřebejk, and *Želary* (2003) by Ondřej Trojan. More recently, Václav Marhoul’s *The Painted Bird* (2019) was selected for the oscar shortlist, followed by agnieszka Holland’s *Charlatan* (2021).
founded in 1995, the ČFTA is responsible for awarding the Czech Lion Awards – the Czech Republic’s national film awards – and for nominating the country’s candidate for the American academy of Film Arts and Sciences.
