Czech film exploring folklore in the age of social media wins Student Academy Award

Czech film Volklore by Viktorie Štěpánová, a graduate of Prague's FAMU film school, has won a Student Academy Award in the Alternative/Experimental category. It is the first Czech film ever to receive the honour in that category. Like all Student Academy Award winners, Volklore is now in the running for an Oscar nomination in the short film competition.

Volklore is an experimental short film and video essay about a fictional Gen Z influencer called Vivi, who takes her followers through the traditional Moravian year. With humour and irony, the film explores what folklore might look like in the age of social media and TikTok.

radio hisSpeaking to Czech Radio, Štěpánová said the title reflects the film's central idea.

"I based it on the word's etymology: volk means 'people' and lore means their customs and traditions. That felt like the core of the whole film. I wanted to show what the customs of ordinary people are today."

Štěpánová says she wanted to reinterpret traditional customs in a way that would speak to today's younger audiences.

"I wanted to reinterpret traditional rural customs in a language that Gen Z understands. To me, the stories and myths of the past are much like today's vlogs, and regional dialects play a role similar to the English expressions we use in today's world."

The film was made as Štěpánová's graduation project at Prague's FAMU film school and premiered earlier this year at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Despite being deeply rooted in Czech traditions, it clearly resonated with international audiences, something that surprised even its creator.

"There are a lot of subtitles already in the original Czech version. I had to translate not only the dialogue but also all the on-screen text and the interface elements. So, I wasn't sure how much foreign audiences would understand because the film is deeply rooted in Czech traditions."

Štěpánová thinks the film may have struck a chord with American audiences because of how they view Europe's many different local cultures.

"I think Europe, especially for Americans, can seem charming because we have all these small countries, each with its own culture. Their culture feels more blended together, while ours is very diverse. People also come to Prague because it feels like a fairy tale. So I think Volklore may come across as something charming and endearing to them."

This year's 53rd Student Academy Awards drew nearly 3,000 submissions from nearly 900 universities around the world, with just 16 films honoured across four categories. Although Volklore has already been announced as one of the winners, it is not yet known whether it will receive a gold, silver or bronze award. The final rankings will be revealed during the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14.

Czech filmmakers have won Student Academy Awards before, including Jan Svěrák for Oil Gobblers (Ropáci) in 1989, Daria Kashcheeva for Daughter in 2019, and Viktor Horák and Pavel Sýkora, who took gold two years ago for The Fellow Countryman.