How Peter Jackson Inspired the Style of ‘Waves’ and Why Its Czech Director Compares It to a Christmas Tree

The period around 1968 in what was then Czechoslovakia has been depicted many times in film and on television. But the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) saw the world premiere of Waves, a new take on the period before and after the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Soviet-led Warsaw Pact troops.

“The film revolves around the Czechoslovak Radio International News Bureau, a place filled with talented individuals with great insight, language skills and, above all, a commitment to honest, truth-oriented journalism,” whose broadcasts played a key role during the Soviet invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia in August 1968, Kviff’s website notes. “A dynamically shot and enriching epic that embraces extraordinary heroism in the face of an oppressive regime, the strength of brotherly bonds and the eternal themes of love, betrayal, morality and hope.”

Director and actor Jirí Mádl led the ensemble cast,…