THE CZECH ENTRY FOR THE OSCARS WILL BE A DOCUMENTARY FROM FAMU

Pepa Lubojacki’s documentary Kdyby se holubi proměnili ve zlato (If Pigeons Turned into Gold), which was created as a graduation film at FAMU and featured our students and alumni, has become the Czech Republic’s Oscar nominee and will represent the country at the 99th annual ceremony for this prestigious award! Congratulations, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for the entire creative team. May the pigeons turn into a golden statuette! 

For the second year in a row, the Czech Republic is sending a documentary film as its representative to the Oscars. Last year, it was the distinctive documentary portrait of photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková, Ještě nejsem, kým chci být (I’m Not Everything I Want to Be). This year, as Czech Radio writes, it is “an intimate and formally innovative exploration by young director Pepa Lubojacki into five years in the lives of her brother and two cousins struggling with alcohol addiction.” The film If Pigeons Turned into Gold premiered at the Berlinale, where it won the award for Best Documentary as well as the Caligari Prize. It also enjoyed success at this year’s International Film Festival Karlovy Vary . The film, which boasts an impressive 86% rating on ČSFD, will hit theaters on September 24.

The Berlinale jury praised Pepa Lubojacki’s “inventive directorial voice.” Furthermore, winning this category at the festival qualifies the film for the Oscar competition for Best Documentary Feature.

“This is a powerful feature-length debut that, following the film I’m Not Everything I Want to Be, shows Czech documentary filmmaking in a positive light. Once again, it features a filmmaker who has tailored the film’s form to her subject matter and demonstrated artistic courage,” wrote Czech film critic Pavel Sladký about the film.

In the first round of voting, a seven-member pre-selection committee composed of Academy members evaluated ten films submitted by producers that met the AMPAS criteria: Dream Team, Chica Checa, Kdyby se holubi proměnili ve zlato / If Pigeons Turned to Gold, Neboj, dýchej, čaruj (unoficially Don't Be Afraid, Breathe, Conjure), Neporazitelní / Invincibles, Osamělý vlk / Lonely wolf, Pět švestek (unoficially Five Pulms), Poberta / Little Thief, Tanec s medvědem / Dance with a Bear, and  Veřejný prostor Františka Skály / Public Space of František Skála.

Based on screenings of the films and personal presentations by the producers, the committee—composed of Kristina Dufková, Petr Jarchovský, Jaromír Kallista, Jiří Konečný, Dagmar Sedláčková, Vratislav Šlajer, and Klára Tasovská (committee chair)—selected the following five films in a secret ballot to advance to the second round: Chica Checa, Kdyby se holubi proměnili ve zlato / If Pigeons Turned to Gold, Neporazitelní / Invincibles, Pět švestek (unoficially Five Pulms), and Poberta. In the second round, all Academy members who meet the voting requirements and have no conflict of interest are eligible to vote.

The Academy will announce the Oscar shortlist in mid-December. The final list of nominations will be revealed on January 21, 2027. The 99th Annual Academy Awards ceremony will take place on the night of Monday, March 15, 2027.

The most recent Czech films to make it onto the 15-film shortlist were Vlny (Waves) and Šarlatán. In contrast, the films Zátopek, Il Boemo, and Bratři (Brothers) were unsuccessful in their attempts to do so in previous years.