The 30th edition of the Czech Lion Awards, the most prestigious cinema and television awards in the Czech Republic, saw the triumph of Il Boemo, a sumptuous film about music by Petr Vaclav set in 18th century Italy. The film took home six of the biggest prizes: Best Film, Best Director, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound and Best Makeup.
The Best Costume Design award was won by Andrea Cavalletto (Nastro d’Argento for The Bad Poet) who recreated marvellous costumes for the era, Best Production Design by Luca Servino and Best Sound by Francesco Liotard. An extraordinary result that confirms the standing of Italy’s cinema professionals in Europe.
Il Boemo is an Italian – Czech – Slovakian co-production, produced by Jan Macola of Mimesis Film, and co-produced by Marco Alessi for Italy’s Dugong Films. With contributions from MiC – Dg Cinema, Arte, Regione Liguria – Liguria Film Commission, Regione Sicilia – Sicilia Film Commission, Regione del Veneto – POR FESR Veneto 2014-2020, it was developed with the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA Development and the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici.
Key locations included: Veneto, Thiene Castle in Vicenza, Villa Chiminelli in Castelfranco Veneto (Trevisio), Villa da Schio in Castelgomberto (Vicenza), Villa Ghellini dell’Olmo in Villaverla (Vicenza) and the canals of Venice; Sicily, Palazzo Alliata di Pietratagliata, Villa Wirz and the Madonie; Liguria, Palazzo Negrone in Genoa, Villa Gavotti in Albisola Superiore and Palazzo Clavarino; and Lombardy, Como’s Teatro Sociale.
Il Boemo recounts the adventures of Josef Myslive?ek, one of the most sought-after composers of the 1700s, who was known in Italy as “the Bohemian” and fought over by the courts and theatres of the time. Having left Prague for Venice to follow his ambitions, the film tells of his rise to success and, with an extraordinary attention to detail, paints a vibrant fresco of aristocratic society in the second half of the 18th century, a world in transformation foreshadowing the imminent age of Romanticism. Josef writes for the greatest voices of his time, travels the republics and courts of the Bel Paese, inspires and befriends young Mozart and charms many women who help advance his career although he has only one, impossible, love. Josef is destined to burn out. His music, long forgotten, lives on.