# Waves (2024 film)

Waves (Czech: Vlny) is a 2024 Czech-Slovak historical thriller drama film written and directed by Jiří Mádl and set during the Prague Spring and subsequent Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. The film had its world premiere at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival where it won the audience award. It was selected as the Czech entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
Waves entered theatres on 15 August 2024 and became the highest-grossing Czech film of 2024 and the 2nd highest-grossing Czech film of all time.

## Plot

Story revolves around the Editorial Office of International Life of the Czechoslovak Radio [cs]. It works under the leadership of Milan Weiner, a journalistic icon. Other journalists include Věra Šťovíčková-Heroldová [cs], Jiří Dienstbier, Luboš Dobrovský, and Jan Petránek. Young Tomáš gets among them a bit by mistake as the work in the editorial office was the dream of his younger brother Pavel and Tomáš's main concern is to protect his brother. Little does he know that the local editors are watched by State Security (StB). Tomáš is forced to sign cooperation with StB if he wants to protect his brother who along with his classmates participates in illegal activity. Tomáš gets closer to journalists in the office especially with Věra which leaves him conflicted between concern for his brother's safety and his own conscience. When Warsaw Pact invades Czechoslovakia, he refuses to collaborate with occupants and helps journalists to broadcast uncensored information about the invasion of Warsaw Pact troops and call for passive resistance to the occupiers. He risks his own life to sustain broadcast as long as possible.

## Cast

* Vojtěch Vodochodský [cs] as Tomáš Havlík
* Ondřej Stupka as Pavel Havlík
* Táňa Pauhofová as Věra Šťovíčková-Heroldová [cs]
* Stanislav Majer [cs] as Milan Weiner [cs]
* Vojtěch Kotek as Jiří Dienstbier
* Marika Šoposká as Secretary Jarunka
* Petr Lněnička [cs] as Jan Petránek
* Martin Hofmann as Luboš Dobrovský
* Petr Halíček as technician Jaroslav Pavelka
* Matyáš Řezníček as Karel Jezdinský
* Jacob Erftemeijer [cs] as Ludvík Čermák [cs]
* Jan Nedbal [cs] as Zdeněk Šimr
* Tomáš Maštalír as Karel Hoffmann [cs]
* Igor Bareš as Hrabský, Director of Radio
* Michaela Majerníková as Jezdinská
* Jevgenij Libezňuk [sk] as General
* Jan Novotný [cs] as Antonín Novotný
* Tomáš Weber as Holenda
* Marie Anna Kupcová as Simona
* Daniel Tůma as Karásek
* Matyáš Řezníček as Karel Jezdinský
* Hana Kusnjerová as Marie Weinerová
* Theo Jacques as Waldemar Matuška

## Production

The film was directed by Jiří Mádl, who also wrote screenplay. Film's budget was approximately 80 million CZK. Mádl used historical film material for Waves and combined it with scenes shot for the film. He was inspired for this approach by Peter Jackson's post-edited documentary film They Shall Not Grow Old. The director has been fascinated by radio since his childhood. Waves is a tribute to the work of editors at Czechoslovak Radio. Mádl based the film on the memories of contemporary witnesses, including the journalist Jan Petránek and especially Věra Štovíčková, from whom he learned things that cannot be found in textbooks. At the end of the 1960s, both worked in the “International Life” editorial team, for which Karel Jezdínský, Dobrovský and Dienstbier also worked at the time.
The film music was composed by Simon Goff. The Grammy Award winner has worked with Icelandic Hildur Guðnadóttir in the past and has previously worked on films such as Joker and We Have Never Been Modern and television series such as Chernobyl.
The first trailer for Vlny was presented at the end of June 2024. The film premiered on July 1, 2024 at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The cinema release in the Czech Republic was planned for August 15, 2024. The film premiered on 1 August 2024 in Slovakia. The film premiered in Prague on 6 August 2024 and entered theatrical distribution on 15 August in the Czech Republic.

## Reception

The film was released to positive reviews from critics according to Kinobox aggregator.
The film premiered at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival where it received standing ovation from audiences that lasted for 10 minutes and won audience polling with average rating 1.05. The film also received standing ovation upon its premiere in Bratislava.
The film won 2024 Satellite Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

### Accolades

Awards and nominations received by Waves :
| Year | Event | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| 2024 | 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | Právo Award | Audience Award | Waves | Won |
| 2024 | Finále Plzeň Film Festival | Student Jury Award | Best feature film | Waves | Won |
| 2025 | 29th Satellite Awards | Satellite Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Waves | Won |
| 2025 | 15th Czech Film Critics' Awards | Czech Film Critics' Award | Best Film | Waves | Nominated |
| 2025 | 15th Czech Film Critics' Awards | Czech Film Critics' Award | Best Director | Jiří Mádl | Nominated |
| 2025 | 15th Czech Film Critics' Awards | Czech Film Critics' Award | Best screenplay | Jiří Mádl | Nominated |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Film | Waves | Won |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Director | Jiří Mádl | Won |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Actor in Leading Role | Vojtěch Vodochodský | Nominated |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Supporting Actor | Stanislav Majer | Won |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Supporting Actor | Martin Hoffmann | Nominated |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Supporting Actress | Tatiana Pauhofová | Won |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Screenplay | Jiří Mádl | Won |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Editing | Filip Malásek | Nominated |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Cinematography | Martin Žiaran | Nominated |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Stage Design | Petr Kunc | Nominated |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Adéla Anděla Bursová | Nominated |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Costume Design | Katarína Štrbová Bieliková | Nominated |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Sound | Viktor Ekrt | Won |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Best Music | Simon Goff | Nominated |
| 2025 | 32nd Czech Lion Awards | Czech Lion Award | Film Fans Award | Waves | Won |
| 2025 | 14th Sun in a Net Awards | Sun in a Net Award | Best Film | Waves | Pending |
| 2025 | 14th Sun in a Net Awards | Sun in a Net Award | Best Director | Jiří Mádl | Pending |
| 2025 | 14th Sun in a Net Awards | Sun in a Net Award | Best Screenplay | Jiří Mádl | Pending |
| 2025 | 14th Sun in a Net Awards | Sun in a Net Award | Best Cinematography | Martin Žiaran | Pending |
| 2025 | 14th Sun in a Net Awards | Sun in a Net Award | Best Editing | Filip Malásek | Pending |
| 2025 | 14th Sun in a Net Awards | Sun in a Net Award | Best Sound | Viktor Ekrt | Pending |
| 2025 | 14th Sun in a Net Awards | Sun in a Net Award | Best Music | Simon Goff | Pending |
| 2025 | 14th Sun in a Net Awards | Sun in a Net Award | Stage Design | Petr Kunc | Pending |