Intimate Czech documentary about family addiction chosen as Oscar entry

Czechia has selected If Pigeons Turned to Gold (Kdyby se holubi proměnili ve zlato), an intimate documentary about addiction and its impact on one family, as its submission for the 99th Academy Awards.

Directed by Pepa Lubojacki, the film follows her brother and two cousins over five years as their struggles with addiction progressively cost them relationships, homes and their sense of safety. Shot largely on a mobile phone, the documentary combines diary footage, stylized memories, animated photographs and graphic collages.

For the second year in a row, the Czech Film and Television Academy has selected a documentary as the Czech Republic’s Oscar candidate. Last year’s submission was Klára Tasovská’s I’m Not Everything I Want to Be, which followed the life of photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková.

The film premiered at the Berlinale in February, where it won the award for best documentary film as well as the independent Caligari Prize, which recognizes films that push the boundaries of conventional filmmaking.

Czech Film and Television Academy president Ivo Mathé said the film’s Berlinale success and unconventional approach likely helped attract the attention of academy members.

Lubojacki said she appreciated the trust placed in the film and welcomed the recognition of documentaries dealing with addiction and homelessness.

“Talking about addiction without shame is necessary,” Lubojacki said. She added that people struggling with addiction and homelessness deserve basic interpersonal respect.

The film, which screened at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in its non-competitive Special Screenings section, will enter Czech cinema distribution on September 24.

The Czech Film and Television Academy selected the film in a second-round vote from five finalists: Chica Checa, If Pigeons Turned to Gold, Invincibles (Neporazitelní), Five Plums (Pět švestek) and Poberta.

All eligible academy members who met the voting requirements and had no conflict of interest were able to vote.

If Pigeons Turned to Gold will now enter the Oscar race in the International Feature Film category. The Academy is scheduled to announce a 15-film shortlist on December 15, with the final nominations due January 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards will take place on March 14.

To date, only three films from Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film: The Shop on Main Street (1965) by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos, Closely Watched Trains (1967) by Jiří Menzel, and Kolya (1996) by Jan Svěrák.

Six other films have earned nominations, including works by Miloš Forman and Jan Svěrák. Recent Oscar shortlists included Václav Marhoul’s The Painted Bird (2019) and Agnieszka Holland’s Charlatan (2021).

Last year’s submission, Klára Tasovská’s I’m Not Everything I Want to Be, did not make the Oscar shortlist.