The world premiere of Jiří Mádl’s third film as a director, Waves, caused quite a stir in the Grand Hall. The second screening at the Pupp also received a standing ovation. In the debate that followed, several viewers took the floor to thank the creator.
Mádl spent several years preparing the drama about Czechoslovak Radio’s International News Office, whose broadcasts played a key role during the Soviet Union’s invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. “I felt a huge responsibility, morning and night, testing my will to go to bed early, for example, and it took me back to my hockey days,” recalled Mádl. Although the film is primarily intended for Czech audiences, he wanted it to be understandable to foreigners as well. He used Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning drama Argo as a model.
The audience at the Pupp was interested in whether he had discovered something during the demanding work on Waves (“Xanax,” he joked) or how he had cast real characters. “I learned a long time ago that you don’t look for the best actor, but the best actor for the role. I didn’t look for people who looked like them, but for people who had a similar energy about them,” Mádl replied. He also explained to an eagle-eyed viewer why his son was listed as the baby in the credits. “I ended up cutting his scene out of the film so that he wouldn’t have too much trauma as an adult, but at least we put him in the credits.”
