"I served the King of England" wins Cesky lev award

Oscar-winning Czech director Jiri Menzel's film "I Served the King of England" on Saturday won the best film Cesky lev award, conferred by the Czech Film and Television Academy (CFTA).

"I Served the King of England," an adaptation of a famous novel by Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal, was nominated in 10 categories. The film also took another three Cesky lev awards.

60-year-old Menzel, who won an Oscar in 1966 for his film adaptation of another Hrabal story "Closely Watched Trains," is a representative of Czechoslovakia's 1960s "new film wave."

"I Served the King of England," which received the European Film Academy Critics Award (FIPRESCI Prize) earlier this year, competed at this year's international film festival in Berlin.

Famed Czech-born film-maker Ivan Passer, also a member of the "new film wave," took the Cesky lev award for his life achievement in cinematography in Prague's Lucerna cinema, where the annual Czech film awards were presented

Jiri Schmitzer and Anna Geislerova claimed the best actor and actress awards for their roles in film "The Beauty in Trouble." Jana Brejchova took the best supportive actress award for her role in the same film.

Jiri Brozek won the best editor award for Pleasant Moments, directed by Vera Chytilova, another famous film-maker of the "new film wave."

Cesky lev for the best script went to Robert Sedlacek for The Rules of Lie (Pravidla lzi). Spain's Pedro Almodovar's Volver took the best foreign film award.

2007-03-3