The Grand Prix for the 59th edition of the Golden Prague International Television Festival was bestowed on the film La Bohème produced by Rai – Radiotelevisione Italiana. The namesake opera composed by Giacomo Puccini featured in the movie has been staged by Director Mario Martone in the workshops of Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. According to the jury, Martone's rendition features an extraordinary synergy of cinematography and drama. It is "a bold, innovative project that allows experiencing the art of opera on movie screens in a novel way". The awards ceremony was held at the New Stage of the National Theater in Prague on Saturday 24 September 2022.
The Czech Crystal Award went to three pictures. The first one is Vivaldi's (Uncertain) Four Seasons, a film presenting a symbolic concert celebrating the beauty and fragility of Planet Earth during which an international orchestra composed of young musicians performed live on the Greek island Délos to demonstrate the power of music to express not only joy, but also concerns about the future of human existence. The second film is Xenakis: Revolution, Builder of Sound, a captivating biography of one of the most important composers of the 20th century. The third awardee is Alice, a movie depicting a namesake dance production staged by the Opéra National du Rhin based on the book Alice in Wonderland with music composed by Philip Glass.
The Czech Television Award was given to a film entitled Chopin. I Am Not Afraid of Darkness. The picture asks the question, very pertinent in the present time, whether timeless melodies have the power to reinvigorate the dismal state of places damaged by war and suffering.
The Special Mention for Extraordinary Artistic Achievement was bestowed on The Kaiser of Atlantis, a documentary created by Viktor Ullmann in collaboration with the Czech Television. The picture, which sheds light on the particular circumstances under which the work it features was created in the Theresienstadt Ghetto during World War Two, also received the Award of the Dagmar and Václav Havel VIZE 97 Foundation.
The festival presented entries created by 47 film and television productions from more than a dozen countries worldwide. That translates into 90 works with a total duration of 7,300 minutes.
The Outstanding Achievement Award for lifetime work and extraordinary contribution to the music and audiovisual industry, conferred by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Music and Media Center (IMZ), was bestowed on Barbara Hannigan, a Canadian soprano and conductor hailed as "one of the most influential female artists of our time".
List of Awarded Entries:
· Grand Prix // La Bohème
Producer: Rai Radiotelevisione Italiana
· Czech Crystal – Recordings of Concert Performances (recordings of symphonic and orchestral performances, chamber music concerts, recitals, etc.) // Vivaldi's (uncertain) Four Seasons
Producers: ARMIDA FILM GMBH
Coproducers: ZDF/ARTE
· Czech Crystal – Documentary Programs Dedicated to Music, Dance, and Theater // Xenakis: Revolution, Builder of Sound
Producer: Cinétévé
Coproducer: ARTE Francie
· Czech Crystal – Recordings of Stage Works (recordings of operas, operettas, musicals, dance, ballet, theater performances, etc.) // Alice
Producer: François Roussillon et Associés
Coproducers: Opéra national du Rhin, France Télévisions, Mezzo, medici.tv
· Special Mention for Extraordinary Artistic Achievement // The Kaiser of Atlantis
Producers: Sebastián Alfie, Sintonía Media, Rosinante, Czech TV, De Productie
· EBU and IMZ Outstanding Achievement Award // Barbara Hannigan
· Czech Television Prize // Chopin. I Am Not Afraid of Darkness
Producers: Inbornmedia, Telewizja Polska S.A. (TVP), Play Button Media
Coproducers: The Adam Mickiewicz Institute / Culture.pl, National Center for Culture (NCK), Zacheta, RAPA Korea
· Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation VIZE 97 Award // The Kaiser of Atlantis
Producers: Sebastián Alfie, Sintonía Media, Rosinante, Czech TV, De Productie