Czech Oscar Hopeful ‘Broken Voices’ Accused of ‘Ethical Failure’

The Czech Republic is caught in an early Oscar controversy sparked by the decision of the country’s film and TV academy to urge its members to vote for “Broken Voices” as this year’s submission, a move which has since been derided as “undemocratic.”

“Broken Voices” is now being attacked by a prominent member of the Czech Film and Television Academy’s (ČFTA), producer Radovan Síbrt, who issued a letter claiming the movie “shouldn’t participate in the Oscar race at all” because “there was a fundamental ethical failure in its creation.”

“In recent years, the Academy has increasingly focused on emphasizing the ethical standards that films nominated for this prestigious award should meet,” Síbrt wrote in his letter translated from Czech, arguing that selecting the film would be “unfortunate.”

“Broken Voices,” directed by Ondřej Provazník, charts the abuses suffered by young singers of the Bambini di Praga choir. Its choirmaster, Bohumil Kulínský, was sentenced and imprisoned before dying in 2018. 

“I’m a filmmaker and also the brother of one of the girls who were abused as children by Bohumil Kulínský,” wrote Síbrt. His sister, who was only 12 years old at the time, later spoke publicly about her experience.

“What she did required enormous courage. At the same time, it meant years of pain and re-traumatization, which she still carries with her today,” he wrote, listing ethical principles that allegedly weren’t respected while making the film, from transparency toward real-life victims to “treating identifiable characteristics such as names, specific situations or circumstances that could lead to the recognition of a real person with sensitivity.” 

“In this regard, the creators of ‘Broken Voices’ have completely failed and continue to fail,” he stated. 

In his interview with Variety, Provazník mentioned multiple references for the fictional story: the Bambini di Praga case, Dominik Feri and Jan Cimický accusations, Vanessa Springora’s memoir “Consent,” “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich” and “Leaving Neverland.”

According to Síbrt, the choirmaster played by Juraj Loj physically resembles Kulínský and the story references the choir’s family tradition and witness testimonies during the trial including gatherings at a mountain cottage, joint visits to the sauna, creating rivalry within the choir or taking away solo parts and assigning them to other girls. All of them are now portrayed in the film. 

“The film follows the infamous case of Bohumil Kulínský and the Bambini di Praga choir. There’s no doubt about that, despite misleading claims of the filmmakers, who in some statements try to distance themselves from the case,” he argued in a letter.

In “Broken Voices,” Kateřina Falbrová was cast as Karolína, who is quickly spotted by the predatory teacher. As argued by Síbrt, “there are many similarities between [his sister’s] story and the final version of the film.” 

“And this is where a fundamental ethical problem arises. My sister’s name is Karolína, and she was the only Karolína in the entire Bambini di Praga case. Just type anything related to this case into a search engine and you’ll find not only Karolína’s name, but also her story,” he said, revealing that the filmmakers tried to contact his sister back in 2019 when the script was still in development. 

“At that time, they were writing a script for a film about Bambini di Praga and made no secret of it. My sister refused, saying it was still too painful, traumatic and unhealed for her. Back in 2019, they already knew she was the main witness in that case, that her name was Karolína and that she didn’t want to talk about it. I even explained it to them in person.”

He added: “A few years later, they got in touch with my sister through someone else. The film was in production, and they wanted to find out if she would mind if the main character was named Karolína. They wanted her consent and assured her it would not be about the Bambini di Praga case or her story.”

As argued by Síbrt, the victims are now “painfully affected by the film.” 

“They are also affected by the fact that they have been abused again. My sister’s first reaction to the film was that she felt deceived … This film is presented as fiction, but for my sister and others who bear the consequences of these acts, it’s not. It’s reality and pain and a reopened wound.”

He told Variety: “They did not get approval to use her name. She was shocked by the whole situation and sought psychological support.”

Variety has reached out to the “Broken Voices” team for comment. 

While Síbrt requested for his letter to be forwarded to ČFTA members, allowing them to be “aware of the context in which it was made before they vote,” ČFTA informed Variety that it has been delivered to the presidium “nearly a month after the first round of selection had been definitively closed.” Since then, the academy has responded to him with the following statement:

“We sympathize not only with you and your sister, but with all victims of abuse who may be affected either by the topic in question or specifically by the film ‘Broken Voices’. Nevertheless, with full respect to the content of your letter, we must state that ČFTA is not authorized … to act as a moral, ethical or legal arbiter. Therefore, it cannot assume the responsibilities of the filmmakers or producers, nor serve as a mediator in emotional, legal or reputational disputes.” 

The statement continued: “Our role is to professionally assess a film work based on its artistic quality and its potential representation in international awards — in this case, the awards of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In this regard, the voting members of the Presidium acted to the best of their knowledge and based on their professional and artistic experience. We are not legally empowered, nor do we possess mechanisms for deciding on ethical disputes of this nature.”