Jiří Mádl On Creating the Sweeping, Cinematic ‘Waves,’ the Czechia Oscar Entry

Set against the backdrop of the student rebellions of 1968 (specifically the Prague Spring) as well as the Warsaw Pact invasion, Waves comes from Czech filmmaker Jiří Mádl who has crafted an ambitious, epic, and gripping story of two brothers who are both trying to make an impression on the world.

Waves is inspired by the real heroic group of intrepid journalists at the International News Office of Czechia Radio who insisted on broadcasting independent news and vetting their sources, much to the wrath of the communists in power–who were taking their orders from the Soviet Union).

Twentysomething protagonist, Tomáš (Vojtěch Vodochodský), cares for his 16-year-old brother Pavel (Ondřej Stupka), who is one of the many non-violent student protesters in the politically torn city of Prague. Tomáš is apolitical but finds himself working for the anti-communist Czech Radio as a technician. Tomáš is soon targeted by the government to spy on his fellow workers or risk losing his brother to an orphanage.

Waves is about journalistic integrity in fearmongering times and fighting a regime that means to crush free speech—scarily relatable to those of us living in Trump’s America.

The pic marks Mádl’s third feature as writer and director. In 2014 he made To See the Sea, and his follow up film was On the Roof in 2018. Mádl studied at the New York Film Academy and began his career as an actor, winning awards and acclaim for roles in films such as Konfident (The Confidant), Snowboarďáci (Snowboarders), Děti noci (Night Owls) and Hra (The Play). He also appeared in the international series Borgia, created by Tom Fontana.

Waves was a box office sensation in Czechia and is that country’s International Feature Oscar submission–currently seeking U.S. distribution.

The Contending had the chance to Zoom chat with the gifted filmmaker.