Check out who took home the top honors at this year's 63rd Golden Prague International Television Festival. Congratulations!
GRAND PRIX
Film: TENOR: MY NAME IS PATI (No. 42)
Producer: Minerva Productions
Co-producer: ZDF in collaboration with Arte
Justification: With „Tenor: My Name Is Pene Pati“, director Rebecca Tansley captures star tenor Pene Pati in all his authenticity. His remarkable life story—one that never envisioned an opera career, yet is deeply rooted in his native community and family in Samoa—becomes an inspiring portrait of resilience and determination. Filled with music and through his warmth and charisma, „Tenor: My Name Is Pene Pati“ resonates far beyond the world of classical music and speaks to a broad international audience.
Czech Television Prize
Film: STING “SOUNDS LIKE ART” AT THE RIJKSMUSEUM, AMSTERDAM (No. 37)
Producer: Klangmalerei.tv GmbH
Co-producer: ARTE, ZDF
Justification: The programme is an illustration of cross-genre convergence and by being set in the famous Amsterdam museum it steps outside the comfort zone of a typical concert recording. The rock star is presented as a person with a passion for books and paintings of old masters, turning ordinary song performance into an audience-captivating format capable of attracting music lovers, art enthusiasts, readers, and history aficionados alike.
Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation VIZE 97 Award
Film: PLATÉE (No. 7)
Producer: Czech Television
Co-producent: OZANGO and ARTE G.E.I.E
Justification: Television adaptation of Jean Philippe Rameau’s baroque opera, in a distinctive production by directing duo SKUTR and musical leadership of Václav Luks, constitutes a refined and sophisticated synthesis of musical and theatrical arts. The movie is grounded in a richly textured satirical hyperbole that, through a combination of humour and profound empathetic insight, looks into human frailties, entrenched social prejudices, and pursuit of recognition. In this configuration, the theatre serves as an indispensable space of freedom, imagination, and a mirror of society. Commitment to theatrical artistry, together with an appreciation for hyperbole and absurdity, represent the values that Václav Havel consistently upheld throughout his playwriting career. The VIZE 97 Foundation extends this artistic legacy through its long term support of outstanding cultural projects. It is in this spirit that we confer the Dagmar and Václav Havel VIZE 97 Foundation Award upon the Platée production.
Czech Crystal – Category documentary
Film: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ELEVATOR MUSIC (No. 25)
Producer: Oléo films
Justification: We have chosen to award « A brief history of Elevator Music » for its ability to transform a seemingly trivial subject into a compelling story about our relationship with music. With intelligence, humor, and inventiveness, the film reveals the aesthetic of functional music as well as the hidden impact of music that was not designed to be listened to. Its playful direction and rich archival footage make a profound reflection on how music subconsciously shapes our behaviors and lifes.
Czech Crystal – Category recordings of concert performance
Film: HOVKAPELLET – 500 YEARS OF MUSIC (No. 51)
Producer: SVT
Justification: In “Hovkapellet - 500 years of music”, the audience is invited to an engaging musical journey of the orchestra`s 500-year long history. With contagious energy Music Director and Conductor Alan Gilbert presents each selected piece between the musical performances - contextualizing the pieces for a broad audience.
The orchestra performance is specially recorded for television, and executed in a technically and artistic extraordinary way, working creatively with tempo, angels and camera movements, to emphasize the energy of the music.
Czech Crystal – Recordings of stage work
Film: NUREYEV (No. 15)
Producer: BEL AIR MEDIA
Co-producer: ZDF
Justification: Kirill Serebrennikov’s production „Nureyev“ is a remarkable Gesamtkunstwerk, uniting opera, drama and dance. Its masterful libretto offers audiences a unique opportunity to encounter the extraordinary life and artistry of one of the greatest dancers of the twentieth century. Originally censored and cancelled in Moscow because of its LGBTQ+ themes, the production is now being presented to great acclaim in Berlin. This recording allows us to experience a bold and deeply contemporary work, brought to life through outstanding choreography, composition and exceptional performances by the entire cast.
Special mention for extraordinary artistic achievement
Film: NEVER TURN BACK (No. 69)
Producer: BalletBoyz
Justification: „Never Turn Back“ interweaves dance and storytelling with the rhythms of everyday life and reveals the poetry and beauty of ordinary movement. The jury particularly appreciated the film’s creativity and the diversity of its visual language, as well as the many different layers through which its stories unfold. Through an accumulation of fragments, dance becomes a natural and instinctive language, which offers multiple points of entry, allowing us to connect with the film easily and recognising that our own lives are already full with dance.
EBU-IMZ Outstanding Achievement Award
François Duplat
Justification: “What stands out in François’s work is his genuine commitment to the artists and projects he supports. He has consistently been willing to take risks for work he believes in, while championing the value of cross-cultural collaboration,” says Ieva Rozentale, Chair of the EBU TV Music & Performing Arts Experts Group and Head of Culture at Latvian Television.
“François Duplat has played a pivotal role in shaping how audiences experience the performing arts on screen. His longstanding support for artists has helped expand the reach of the performing arts far beyond the theatre,” says Laetitia Huberti, President of the IMZ International Music + Media Centre and Head of La Première, Musiq3, Classic 21 and La Trois at RTBF.