Czech Academy’s Call for Voters to Select ‘Broken Voices’ as Oscar Entry Comes Under Fire: ‘This Approach Feels Manipulative’

The Czech Film and Television Academy has urged its voting members to select “Broken Voices” as the Czech Republic‘s Oscar submission from a shortlist of three films, a move that has been slammed by some in the film industry as “manipulative,” “bizarrely undemocratic” and one that “risks undermining trust in the process.”

Ondřej Provazník’s drama focuses on the real-life sex abuse scandal centering on the Bambini di Praga choir in the Czech Republic. The film premiered recently in the main competition at Karlovy Vary Film Festival, with actor Kateřina Falbrová receiving a Special Jury Mention.

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In an email sent by ČFTA, shared with Variety by one of its members, three films have been selected by the academy’s presidium commission — a seven-member committee — for the second round of voting: documentary “I’m Not Everything I Want to Be,” “Caravan” and “Broken Voices.”

The commission, whose members had to prove they had no conflict of interest when it came to the submitted films, is composed of chairman Ivo Mathé, Petr Dvořák, Matěj Chlupáček, Jaromír Kallista, Jan P. Muchow, David Ondříček and Petr Zelenka.

The email, which has been translated from Czech, stated: “Pursuant to section seven of the current bylaws, the commission wishes to recommend a vote for the film ‘Broken Voices’ – for the following reasons … It meets the qualitative criteria necessary for nomination, offers a strong, internationally understandable theme, a sensitive directorial approach and a very strong production strategy for the Oscar campaign, which is crucial for the success of the film.”

The email continued, “The jury appreciated the active involvement of the international sales agent in the precise definition of the campaign and its themes, the strong media coverage prepared in major foreign periodicals and the generally strong international experience of the entire team.”

As explained above, section seven of the academy’s bylaws states that in the first round, the commission selects three to four films out of the submitted films, and can also make recommendations for the academy members regarding voting in the second round.

In past years, the selection was done by the whole academy, with “no preselection done by the presidium” and no “recommendation,” said Markéta Šantrochová, head of the Czech Film Centre, who described the new situation as “rather unfortunate.”

Last year, voters were able to choose from 13 Czech feature films submitted by their producers, according to an academy press release. This year, eight films were submitted to the commission, from which three candidates have been presented to voters.

Listed as “next in line” for recommendation by the commission were “Caravan,” directed by Zuzana Kirchnerová, and “I’m Not Everything I Want to Be,” directed by Klára Tasovská.

The email also laid out three requirements for voters: they can’t collaborate on any of the films included in the vote, they must have personally viewed all the submitted films, and must be a national of the Czech Republic — with the last stipulation also provoking a heated debate as Prague is home to many non-Czech filmmakers.

Šantrochová said that many in the industry were “surprised and disheartened” by the changes to the procedure, especially as they were not communicated sufficiently in advance. “The limited selection and the explicit recommendation to vote for one of the three preselected candidates have been widely criticized, as this approach feels manipulative and undermines the integrity of the voting process,” she said.

She added that some members have chosen not to vote at all under these conditions, “a response that could have negative consequences.”

The “unusually early deadline” — set at May 31 — added to the concern, she noted, as it may “exclude or at least disadvantage certain films.”

These changes “risk escalating tensions and sowing doubt within the community,” she said, and the situation could “damage the credibility of the Czech film industry,” but also “harm the three candidates who have been put forward — through no fault of their own,” she said.

“The Oscar nomination is a highly competitive and prestigious opportunity with significant impact for the entire country. The stakes are simply too high,” she added.

Mike Downey, who produced Polish director Agnieszka Holland’s Czech-produced film “Franz,” which is set for a fall festival release, said: “I find it very strange that such a radical change of system doesn’t go through a general assembly.”

“It feels to me bizarrely undemocratic for a board to instruct recommendations to members as to what is the best film in an open vote. Equally, it’s anomalous, unusual and strange within the EU to limit votes to Czech citizens,” he observed. “It seems highly unusual, and quite strange to an outside observer.”

The producers of the three shortlisted films understandably have no issue with being shortlisted, but “Caravan’s” producer Dagmar Sedláčková objects to the recommendation as to which film to vote for. “When the board has already selected three films for a shortlist, I think the process should then leave room for members to freely make up their own minds,” she said.

“Issuing a recommendation feels unnecessary, and without a well-argued explanation, it risks undermining trust in the process. For me, this approach makes the system lose some of its meaning, since the point is to let academy members evaluate the films themselves.”

On the other hand, Lukáš Kokeš, who produced “I’m Not Everything I Want to Be,” simply stated that the team was “thrilled and proud” to have advanced to the second round and that he “respects the academy’s internal rules.”

“I trust that each one [of the academy members] will vote for their personal favorite: the film that resonates most with them,” he said.

“Broken Voices” producer Jiří Konečný said, “The idea of the new rules was to improve the selection by examining more thoroughly the films and their readiness to do the Oscar campaign — I’m in favor of that. I believe it can help. That was the purpose of the whole change. However, the voters can see it differently. I’m ready to accept it.”

In a written response, ČFTA told Variety that the ranking of the films “serves only as a recommendation” for the second round of voting, and it underlined that the final decision in the second round is “made by the entire ČFTA academy.”

The voting period and the announcement of the Oscar candidate were moved to an earlier date, it said, to “give the producer and the entire team of the selected film a better chance to prepare a relevant and competitive campaign.”

The producers were invited to present not only their films, but also their distribution and marketing strategies “directly to the commission.”

ČFTA added: “The selection of a candidate involves more factors than just the artistic quality of the film itself. It is necessary to consider the marketing and PR strategies of the projects, the filmmakers’ ability to fund a campaign, and the involvement of an international distributor with experience on the U.S. film market.”

ČFTA claimed that the changes were made to “better align with AMPAS guidelines, recommendations, and rules.”

Leo Barraclough contributed to this story.