Czech Radio Celebrates Success with Its Radio Fairy Tale for Children
A fairy tale titled Mosquitoes' Wedding or The Life of Verminous Insects (Komáři se ženili aneb Ze života obtížného hmyzu) by Vít Peřina, directed by Lukáš Hlavica, won the Prix Ex Aequo 2020 award for the best radio play for children and youth. What the international jury appreciated the most about the Czech Radio fairy tale was the witty and easy-to-understand script, which offers plenty of room for sound and music design.
The members of the international jury have also appreciated the actors’ performance and the overall approach, which is entertaining for children and adults alike. According to the jury, the play explores important topics such as freedom of expression, free choice of one’s own future or partner and solidarity with fellow creatures without dealing with them didactically. Instead, the topics are approached with hyperbole and wit. “The award for the fairy tale prepared by Czech Radio is a notable accomplishment on the international scene. My congratulations to the whole production team on the success. Creating high-quality audio for children at a time when there is an oversupply of other content, especially visual one, is very difficult,” says René Zavoral, Director General of Czech Radio.
Extending her congratulations to the production team is also Kateřina Konopásková, the Production Director of Czech Radio. “When I heard the fairy tale, I liked it immediately. I fully subscribe to the view of the jury. I am very glad that in the area of production for children, Czech Radio is not afraid of being innovative in terms of both content and sound. Long debates can sometimes be held as to where is the border of modernity or, what is acceptable and what is just too much. What I enjoy in this fairy tale is that it is really for the whole family because it is so witty and resourceful that parents will enjoy it, too,” says she.
Prix Ex Aequo is an international competition of radio drama works for children and youth organized every two years by RTVS in cooperation with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). This year, due to the coronavirus pandemics, the festival was held online and there were 21 entries from nine European countries.
The fairy tale is available until Saturday 14 November on the mujRozhlas portal.
Mosquitoes' Wedding or The Life of Verminous Insects
Cast: Ondřej Rychlý, Tereza Terberová, Filip Kaňkovský, Petr Lněnička, Lubor Šplíchal, Zdeněk Velen, Klára Sedláčková-Oltová, Jiří Knot, Pavel Tesař, Michal Zelenka, Viktor Kuzník, Pavel Čeněk Vaculík, David Krchňavý
Script: Zuzana Vojtíšková
Sound: Jitka Kundrumová
Music: Matěj Kroupa
Director: Lukáš Hlavica
Produced in: 2019